Does God answer prayer?

"If I pray I feel an inner peace - it is lovely."

"I don't know whether anyone is listening - but I will pray just in case."

It is simple: If God doesn't answer prayer ~ why bother praying? Perhaps the mental exercise of prayer brings inner serenity and peace, but personally I would not be interested in something that was basically a fraud.

I do pray and I know God answers prayer. I know God speaks to me as He promised He would. I know God guides me and I am totally convinced that things change when we pray. However prayer is not a human right - it is a restricted privilege. God is not under any compulsion to answer some prayers - so what are the principles to know answered prayer?

In the Court of King Xerxes

It is about 450 years before Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. The king over the world empire of Persia had married a pretty Jewish girl called Esther. The king seemed to love Esther - but he was very strict on things being done right - even if it meant the removal of someone close like his wife. Esther needed to go into the king's throne-room to speak urgently to him. The Empire was about to destroy the Jewish nation - their last hope was for Esther to plead with the king. However Persian Law was strict and severe. Anyone coming uninvited into the presence of the king would be executed! The only hope was that the king would hold out his golden scepter and allow an audience. Queen Esther took the risk and lived to tell the tale. The king granted safety to the Jewish people.

(Read The Book of Esther in The Bible!)

"If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer."
Psalm 66 verses 18,19

To come into the presence of Almighty God is a serious thing to do. God in mercy ignores much of the half-hearted hypocritical prayer that is supposed to impress Him. When we approach the throne of God, there are strict conditions that are required to be met. We dare not approach with sin in our lives.

If I come to God, I must not insult Him by not believing His Word:

"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
Heb 11 verse 6

An Exception

There is sometimes an exception to the above. There is evidence in The Bible and in the experience of some people that when an individual seeks God for the first time, they are given a special hearing - if this is true in your life you are wonderfully privileged. If you sincerely want to know God; -call out to Him and you will find He will answer you.

However if you are just looking for favours or a shopping list of wants then prayer will not normally be listened to. It is presumption to ignore God and then cry out when things go wrong or you want some favour. But if you are genuine in your calling to Him - He may answer you - only make sure you don't forget Him following the answer!

Another Exception

There is one class of people who have been given the authority to claim an audience with Almighty God in prayer. These are those who know God personally through a relationship with Jesus Christ -

(see can I know God?)

God has given these the right to bring every care, need and request for guidance to Him. God will always answer such prayers if done correctly.

"This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. -15- And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." 1 John 5 verses 14-15

You need to know that God does answer prayer - but He does it in wisdom not merely because we have asked. Even Jesus, God's beloved Son taught us to pray "Your will be done" Matthew 6 verse 10.

I am so glad that The Lord God did not grant some of my ignorant prayers. But He did answer - sometimes with a resounding "No!" other times in an unexpected way that was much better than asked for.

When we get our own way.

If we are not right with God and we demand what we want - sometimes God may allow us to have the things we ask for - it is a form of Judgement. One day we will regret our stupidity. God is not tricked or manipulated or mocked ever!

Hearing from God

Hearing from God is the normal experience of every believer. God speaks today through His Holy Spirit. This may happen through many ways. It is not usual for an audible voice to be heard, normally there will be an inner certainty sometimes in words, at other times an knowledge of what God is saying. Very often God will speak through reading or hearing The Bible.

At other times He will speak while having fellowship with other believers or hearing inspired preaching. God also speaks today through prophecy and supernatural words from the Holy Spirit through a third person - known as the words of knowledge and words of wisdom (see I Corinthians 14). How God answers prayer is not important - that fact that He does and "is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" is marvellous.

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
John 10 verse 27

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you."
John 14 verse 26

If you do not know Jesus - you will have no right to approach God in prayer - but it may be worth trying if you are really sincere. However the best way is to know Jesus for yourself - and then God has said "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, . . . . . . . . . so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Heb 4 verse 16