Is God Answering Your Prayers?
If Not Are You Aware of the Rules of Prayer?
What Rules?

The Rules Spelled Out For You in Holy Scripture! 


Matthew 6:6-8, "But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."
Notice that Jesus used the word 'need' which is not necessarily what you 'want',
but what the Father wants for you.

Matthew 6:14-15, "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 
but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

John 14:13-14, "Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; 
if you ask anything in my name, I will do it."
Always check the context of verses in order to avoid a mis-translation.
In those verses Jesus was addressing the Apostles during the Last Supper, but not to us in general.
We can hope by extension that they would apply to us but maybe by some 'IFS'. Read on!

Matthew 7:21 "Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

Matthew 12:50. "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother."

Mark 3:35, "Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother."

John 1:11-13, "He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. 
But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; 
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."

John 4:34, "Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.""

John 5:30, "I can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me."

John 6:38-40, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me;
and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day.
For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

John 7:15-17, "The Jews marveled at it, saying, "How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?" 
So Jesus answered them, "My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me; if any man's will is to do his will, he shall
know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.""

John 9:31, "We know that God does not listen to sinners,
but if any one is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him."
Now that verse is very interesting. It was a Pharisee doing the talking, not Jesus. 
So I thought, if God does not listen to sinners then how is any sinner going to have their prayers heard?
Next are two verses which support the Pharisees words. There are several more from the Old Testament.
Psalms 66:18, "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened."
Micah 3:4, "Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them:
he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings."
So now we have a dilemma. How can a sinner have their prayers heard?
Fortunately for us the answer is in the following verse albeit semi hidden.
Many reading it might miss it:
Luke 15:7, "Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over
ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."
So you see, a repentant sinner will have their prayers heard in heaven whereas a non-repentant
sinner will not be heard.

Acts 21:13-14, "Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." 
And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, "The will of the Lord be done.""

Acts 22:14-15, "And he said, The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Just One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard."

Romans 8:18-20, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory
that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; 
for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope;"

Romans 8:27-28, "And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose."

Romans 9:17-19, "For the scripture says to Pharaoh, "I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth." So then he has mercy upon whomever he wills, and he hardens the heart of whomever he wills. You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?"

Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

1Corinthians 1:1, "Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sos'thenes,"

2Corinthians 1:1, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother."

2Corinthians 8:3-5, "For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means,
of their own free will, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints-- 
and this, not as we expected, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God."

Galatians 1:3-5, "Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father; 
to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen."

Ephesians 1:3-12, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 
which he lavished upon us. For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will,
we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory."

Ephesians 5:17, "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."

Colossians 1:9-10, "And so, from the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Colossians 4:12, "Ep'aphras, who is one of yourselves, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always remembering you earnestly in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God."

1Thessalonians 4:2-5, "For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from unchastity;
that each one of you know how to take a wife for himself in holiness and honor,
not in the passion of lust like heathen who do not know God;"

1Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice always, pray constantly,
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Hebrews 10:35-36, "Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised."

Hebrews 13:20-21, "Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

1Peter 4:1-2, "Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same thought, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer by human passions but by the will of God."

1John 2:16-17, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever."

1John 5:13-14, "I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us."

The Old Testament and the will of God:
Leviticus 24:12, "And they put him in custody, till the will of the Lord should be declared to them."

Isaiah 53:10, "Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise him; he has put him to grief; when he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand;"

Ezra 7:18, "Whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your God."

Ezra 10:11, "Now then make confession to the Lord the God of your fathers, and do his will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives."

Joshua 22:5 Take good care to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul."

2Corinthians 9:8, "And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work."


So, now let us summarize the rules of prayer taken from all that I have listed above:

1. Since we are all sinners, you must be a repentant sinner in order to be even heard by God.
Luke 15:7, "Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over
ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."

2. Remember Jesus taught us how to pray in:
Matthew 6:6-7, "But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words."

3. Remember this one or your prayers may never be answered:
Matthew 6:14-15, "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you;
but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
 
4. God knows what your needs are, so concentrate on your needs rather than on what you want.
Matthew 6:8, "Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

5. No matter what you pray for, if it does not conform to the 'will of God', your prayer may
not be answered to your satisfaction. I have listed many verses regarding the 'will of God'
that should convince you of this. Did you notice the several verses in which Jesus said not 
His will but The Fathers? Try to conform your will to His will. Since prayer petitions
can be so varied it will not be an easy task to determine the will of God for each petition, for
no man can know the mind of God. Give it a try anyhow. There are hints throughout all of
Holy Scripture of what His will was for many different circumstances.
The following verses listed earlier fit well with this topic:
Ephesians 5:17, "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."
Romans 8:28, "And we know that to them that love God all things work together unto good:
to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints."

Father Dwyer taught us:
"God will not be out done. If you do something for Him, He will repay you many times over."
I can personally vouch for this teaching as being absolutely true for me.


©
Written by Bob Stanley, August 15, 2014



Back to Home Page...