Dear COA Family,
How do we know when we have received what we have asked from God? Or how do we know when
God has answered our prayer?
On the surface, this might sound quite a silly question to ask.
Of course, we know that God has answered our prayers when we receive what we have asked of
him.
The reception of the blessings we have asked for or miracles that we see take place are evidence of
answered prayers.
The answer to the above question seems obvious enough.
Yet those are not the biblical answers.
Instead, we know that God has answered our prayers when he hears us, not when things happen!
The Apostle John writes, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything
according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know
that we have what we asked of him” 1 John 5:14-15.
In other words, the assurance that our prayers are answered comes about when God hears our
prayers.
This only goes to tell us that there are prayers God does not hear.
Some examples include those when we are:
- Praying while harbouring unrepented sins in our hearts. Psalms 66:18: “If I had cherished
sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Sin acts as a barrier between our prayers
and God, especially when we refuse to acknowledge or turn from it. - Praying with wrong motives. James 4:3: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask
with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” Prayers focused
on selfish desires rather than God’s will may go unanswered. - Nursing broken relationships while praying. Matthew 5:23-24: “Therefore, if you are
offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something
against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to them;
then come and offer your gift.” A lack of reconciliation in relationships can hinder our
prayers. - Having pride or hypocrisy while praying. In Luke 18:9-14, the parable of the Pharisee and
the tax collector highlights that God listens to the humble, repentant heart and not the
prideful or self-righteous.
Having God hear our prayers is so crucial because when our prayers are not heard by God, they will
not be answered.
Similarly, when our prayers are heard by God, we know he has answered our prayers. It does not
matter in what form it comes to us. He will do what is best for our lives.
So beloved, in this year, strive not to see the physical manifestations or results of your prayer.
Instead, strive to have your prayers heard by God.
That is the greatest blessing for a life of growth in faith and intimacy with God, and therefore
fruitfulness in our lives!
Revd Ian