Encouragement
On Answered Prayer
What do we mean when we say that God has answered our prayers? In numerous places in the Sacred Word our Lord tells us that if we have faith and believe in Him, He will answer our prayers. I have personally been given plenty of opportunity in recent months to contemplate what God means by this promise for God does keep His promises and He is not man that He should lie.
When The Word Incarnate came into this world, He reiterated what the prophets of old had believed about faith and prayer. In many parts of the Gospel, including in John 15: 7-8, Jesus tells us that whatever we ask for will be granted if we remain in Him. He goes to explain that our Father will answer our prayers not only because He wants to give good things to His children but also so that we may glorify Him.
We are told that if we have faith to move mountains, even faith as small as mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for us. It has been amazing to see God’s promises come to fruition as I have been given
opportunities to hear as well as share testimonies on God’s miracles in my life and in the lives of others. People have been brought into a personal relationship with Christ that many had given up on, marriages have been restored and the terminally ill have miraculously recovered. Of course when these miracles have occurred, I, like many of us, have remembered to thank and glorify God. But then what of those times our faith has been shaken to the core when God didn’t answer our prayers the way we had hoped He would?
God has and continues to test my faith in Him as He answers my prayers
with either a definite “NO” or “WAIT”. Examples include when a friend died from a terminal illness and when a marriage I was pleading the Lord to restore was not restored even after believing and praying for a miracle. I prayed with such faith that I could actually envision the healing and restoration that I was taken aback when the miracles did not happen in these cases. These are the times I have found it hard to understand God’s will or even accept it.
But the Lord is now helping me realize that when I did pray for His miraculous power to be manifested in these lives, I did not surrender to His will. He is now helping me understand that we are not God so we will never understand everything and His ways are not our ways. We have to be ready to accept the “NO” and the “WAIT” with as much joy and faith that He is working all things out for good for those who love Him as we do with the “YES” for the prayers we say. Also, the tests of faith lead us to greater fruits of the Spirit, provided we persevere and surrender to God’s will.
However God answers our prayers, His purpose is to make us more like our Source. Nowhere in His Word does He promise that the journey Home will be one made on a bed of rose petals. He gave us the example of His Son who surrendered completely to our Father’s will. During the Agony in the Garden, foreseeing what He was to endure for the salvation of mankind, Jesus pleaded that the Father remove the bitter cup of His impending Passion from Him. Our Savior did add to that prayer of hope that “Not my will but yours be done”. We can only hope and pray that God will give us the graces we need to remember to pray with such surrender to Our Father’s will; and testify to His goodness and faithfulness regardless of whether He answers “Yes”, “No” or “Wait” to our prayers.
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 525 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Mary Nakalungi-Kiganda or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 525 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.