God is good and His mercy endures forever.

How Does Prayer Work?

Many people pray and do not get the result that is desired. I say many because it is very common for people to pray to God and receive nothing back — but the issue in prayer is not God. Throughout history followers of Christ and people who believe in God almighty have struggled with getting prayers answered. This dilemma has created doubt about prayer and how to get the proper outcome from it. It is a big reason people say that prayer does not work or even do not believe in prayer at all. Are you in this group? Do you get your prayers answered? The Bible is very specific about how to get prayers answered. This article will explain why prayers do not get answered and how to get your prayers answered by God when you pray.

In the Bible God sent Jesus into the earth to fix a lot of things. One was taking the keys back from Satan and giving the power back to His children after the fall in the garden. One of the other many things Jesus was to do was teach Jews and Gentiles how to pray to Him and get their desired results. God knew that many people were praying to Him and not getting any prayers answered or obtaining significant and urgent needs and wants in their lives through prayer. The Lord is the one that created prayer but He designed it to only work in specific ways so not just anyone could get things from Him. Prayer starts with the heart. It is a deep desire, want, or need -- but it must come from within.

Jesus shares what kind of people go through the motions when they pray and describes not to be like them in prayer. "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." (King James Version. Matthew. 6.7). The explanation in this Bible verse is for you not to pray repetitively, saying the same thing all the time, over-and-over-again. This will not work. When you begin to do this the prayer will not come from your heart and just be vain words. How can your prayer come from your heart if you just say the same thing all the time? You do not want to become a robot in your prayers. This is why it is important to speak to God daily and have regular conversations with him, so your prayers and things you ask for and want can be conversational too. The Lord is your friend. He is not just your God and Father -- He is a shoulder to lean on too. He is everything you need. You will not find this out unless you spend time daily talking to Him and reading your Bible.

When you read the Bible and begin to understand the Lord, you will learn that He is all about forgiving others of their trespasses. This is a very vital thing to getting your prayers answered. "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (King James Version. Matthew. 6.14-15). I know that forgiveness can be very difficult but God designed forgiveness for you not to harbor pain or ill-will in your heart. It is specifically designed to keep your heart healthy and clean. It's designed to free you and keep you from bondage of your past. Unforgiveness robs people of the life God has for them. If you are dealing with hurt and unforgiveness, ask God to help you forgive all who have hurt and/or wronged you. You will feel a weight off your chest when the power of forgiveness occurs. Once you forgive others God will forgive you. If your prayers have not been getting answered, you may have some unforgiveness in your heart toward a person or people. God will forgive you, if you forgive whomever you need to forgive. This specific action opens up the power to get prayers answered.

Many people go to church and know the Bible but they do not delight in the Lord. This means having joy in who God is and also with your experiences with the Word of God. If you do not delight in the Lord this can hinder your prayers as well. "Delight thyself also in the LORD: And he shall give thee the desires of your heart." (King James Version. Psalm. 37.4). If you want your prayers answered you must delight yourself in the Lord and God will give you the desires of your heart. This one is important to God because it shows Him that you love who He is and what He is. You love Him so much that you delight in Him. The repayment for delighting yourself in the Lord is getting your prayers answered. Delight comes from the heart. It is something you cannot fake by your actions. It is a personal relationship between you and the Lord. He knows if you delight in Him and you do too. Delighting yourself in the Lord means that you will not put the Super Bowl before the Lord. You will not place a concert before God's kingdom. When you delight yourself in the Lord you place God first. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto to you." (King James Version. Matthew. 6.33). When you follow what the Bible says, you will get what the Bible says you can have. This is important to note. When you put first the kingdom of God and His righteousness things will be added unto you. The things Matthew 6:33 are referencing are having your prayers answered -- which are the desires of your heart. Things must be in alignment with the Word of God in order to receive what God has for you. There is no exception. The Bible cannot be cheated. There are no shortcuts to it. You must do what it says in order to get exactly what it says you can have.

How you think of yourself can and will determine whether or not your prayers get answered. If you think of yourself as a god or you have more delight in yourself than you have for the Lord, this will hinder your prayers. You cannot be self-absorbed or haughty. It is exhibiting to the Lord that you do not believe in Matthew 6:33. And it shows that you think of yourself much higher than you do of the Lord. This is a big no-no. On the other side of that, if you think of yourself in a lowly manner, this can affect your prayers as well. When you have low estimations of yourself your words will reflect it and this will and can untie a prayer you were asking God for. Most people do not know that you can untie a prayer you just prayed to the Lord by making a statement that is contrary or counter to your prayer.  God does not like negativity or doubt. It cancels out the rewards and things you may truly be desiring of the Lord. So, make sure you watch your words and only speak life into your situation and about yourself. Have faith that God will deliver in the prayer that you are requesting a response to.

Prayers are not complicated when you do what the Bible says. The Bible is also very specific when it comes to praying. When you pay attention to Bible verses that pertain to getting prayers answered you will notice a theme. The theme is commitment to God and a sincere heart. It is not necessarily what you say to God, but how you say it. And what you say while you are speaking outside of prayers have a huge bearing on whether you untie them or not.

You now have a small blueprint that can help you get your prayers answered. Understanding how to get your prayers answered will change your life. People who know how prayer works do not stress about things of life because they know how to pray properly to the Lord. The way God designed it. So make the correction if you have struggled in your prayer. God wants to reward you and give you the desires of your heart. It will change your life.

1 Comment


Josue Raul Zuria - July 12th, 2023 at 6:45pm

It works if you believe!!!

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