Every Prayer Answered

A common misconception is that there are unanswered prayers.  This is incorrect and totally unbiblical.  Every prayer is answered.  Repeat: every single prayer is answered.  Understanding that no prayer is neglected is a foundational part of living a full Christian life.  The question is then not whether the prayer is answered but rather, what is the response?  There are basically three responses to prayer: yes, no, and not now.

By way of introduction, prayer is simply speaking with God.  Jesus taught the disciples how to pray as a means of communicating with the Father (Matt. 6:9-13).  Prayer is about honoring God for who He is and depending on God to provide for us.  On numerous occasions, Jesus states quite plainly that whatever a believer asks in His name will be provided (Matt. 7:7-8; Mark 11:24; John 14:14, 15:7, 16).  Paramount to this is recognizing that God will bestow upon those who are faithful and who abide in Him.  This cannot be overstated.  If you abide in Him, what you ask for from Him will be in step with His will.

The easiest and most exciting answer to prayer is yes.  When God says "yes" to the requests of humble prayers, He is administering His sovereignty in creation.  Additionally, when God provides the desires of the obedient He is in fact affirming His covenant promises. God promises much and all of His promises find their "yes" in Jesus (2 Cor. 1:20.  Therefore, no prayer will be fulfilled apart from Christ, not one.  This should be enough to promote faithfulness and obedience.

An answer to prayer that is more difficult to accept is no.  Often times, what we desire and want is not inline with God's plan.  For instance, Moses spent forty years leading the Israelites to the Promised Land but it was not in God's plan to allow Moses to enter.  Or, the dream of David's life was to build a temple for the Lord in Jerusalem but it was God's desire to have Solomon build it after David's death.  In both of these occasions, God answered "no" because of sin.

This is a hard realization.  God is not obligated to answer every prayer with a "yes."  Instead, God wants us to be focused on a faithful life of obedience.  Oftentimes, when He says "no," it is for the purpose of drawing us closer to Him and to prompt us towards repentance and devotion.  This points to the next and most difficult prayer answer to stomach: "not yet."

Sometimes we can desire something, a situation or advancement, that we feel is in God's plan, it just is not yet.  This is troubling but intentional.  When prayers are answered "not yet," the Lord has plans for us that require growth.  Waiting (Psa. 37:7).  Waiting can be the exact device that God uses to sanctify His children for His purposes.  Therefore, when the response to our prayers is "not yet," we should be excited for what God has planned for us in the future.

The Lord wants to provide for His children.  He delights in fulfilling the heart's desires of His people.  We need to ask Him.  Not only is it imperative that we are honestly communicating with the Lord but He requires us to ask Him for our provisions.  This is a lovely thing.  Recognizing how our prayers are being answered is a necessary part of the Christian life.  Sometimes, it requires godly counselors and friends to help us interpret God's responses; this is the power of the body of Christ.  Ultimately, praise God for He always answers prayer.