5 Tips on How to Get Your Prayers Answered

If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me (Psalm 66:18)

Prayer is communion with God and a person can talk to him just as they would talk to another person. But prayer is more than just asking for something. Many people would find it offensive if someone would ask them for something every time they were in contact. God wants relationship, and that is built upon communicating about everything that concerns a person. Asking within itself is an art and if it is going to be done the right way, rules must be followed. If a person is about to ask for a loan from a bank, they must give information, fill out the banks application and bring the bank everything that they require. Out of all of that, a person still does not know whether they will get the loan or not. But the point is that a lot goes into the process of asking. God has his rules that must be applied if we are going to have our prayers answered. These tips are not meant to be the only way God operates, but they have personally helped me in my prayer time.

Tip # 1 Our heart must be up to standards

When the bible talks about the heart it is not talking about the organ that pumps blood. It is talking about the seat of the emotions. Man is a 3 fold being with a spirit (part made in Gods image) who has a soul (mind will emotions) and lives in a body. The heart or spirit of a person is what becomes new and changed when a person becomes born again. Because of this change a person no longer has a desire to do what displeases God. God never looks on the outward appearance the way man does, but he looks on the heart. The heart reveals the motives behind why a person does what they do. If we endeavor to please God, then our motives will be pure and we become candidates for our prayers being answered. The only prayer that God is required to answer from a sinner according to his word is the prayer of repentance (1 John 1:9). Once a persons heart is changed through the prayer of repentance and they become born again, now they are candidates to have their prayers answered.

Tip # 2 God requires faith

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. If a person approaches someone and asked them for something, there has to be a reason why they came to them to begin with. The reason is that they trusted the individual to provide what was asked for. This trust did not develop overnight, but over time. Believing and trusting in God also takes time. As a person takes God at his word and sees God coming through with his promises time after time, faith becomes stronger and stronger. There are degrees of faith or different levels of believing God. There is no faith, little faith, strong faith, weak faith, and great faith and the bible gives the result of each. To give an example of little faith we must look at Peter who said to Jesus, Lord if it be you, bid me to come to thee on the water. Jesus said come and the bible says that Peter began walking on the water to Jesus. When he saw the wind and the waves, he became fearful and started to sink. He cried out Lord save me! and Jesus rescued him and said oh ye of "little faith" wherefore didst thou doubt? so then we see that little faith only gets a person started, but does not allow them the access to finish what has been started. When we approach God in prayer, we must believe him even when things have not changed. Walking by faith and not by sight means trusting God until the answer comes based on his word and not based on ones circumstances. God will always answer our prayers in his own time, by his own way and power.

Tip # 3 What we are asking for must be his will

When we talk about the will of God, many people feel as though they can't find out God's will for their life. God's word (bible) is his will for mankind and the more a person reads it the more God will make known his will for each individual. "For example" God does not specifically say John will marry Joyce (put your relationship there) in the bible, so how will they know Gods will about their relationship? Through patience, and because John and Joyce should already be praying about if they "should" get married, they must first find a scripture about what God says about marriage itself. According to God's word one verse on marriage says he that finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor of the Lord. First of all they know it is God's will to marry and second they know that a marriage relationship obtains favor from the Lord.They must then take that promise and pray it over their question about their marriage. They can then expect an answer for their relationship based on the foundational truth concerning (marriage) because what they are asking is according to God's will. Are you praying about health? find a verse of scripture about what God says about healing and pray it over your sickness. Financial problems? find out what God says about money and pray the scripture over your finances. Knowing God's will by finding it in his word brings confidence that you have a foundation for your prayers to stand on.

Tip # 4 You must be willing to wait

We live in a rush rush society today where everything is built on speed. Microwave ovens replace conventional ovens, drive thru lanes replace simply going into fast food places and sitting down with family. The bottom line is most people are not willing to wait. When it comes to prayer, a person cannot tell God when to do something because Ecclesiates 3 says that he makes all things beautiful in his time,not our time. A person who is not willing to wait will many times take matters into their own hands. I have personally had prayers answered in a matter of days and weeks. But I have also waited as long as twelve years. Waiting is not because God is holding out on us, but because he is preparing us for what we are asking for. A parent would not give their 3 year old child an automobile to drive because they are not ready. Likewise God knows the right time for answering our prayers. The word for wait in the Hebrew is not to wait like waiting in the doctors office, but it is to wait like a waiter waits on a table . Waiters serve their tables when bringing customers their ordered food and they are tipped for their good service. When waiting on the Lord a person must serve him in prayer, bible study, church fellowship, ministry, etc and God will tip by giving more than one could even ask or think. Wait without complaining or your prayers will be hindered. We must wait in faith. Notice the above verse of scripture says they that wait upon the Lord, not waiting on the answer to ones prayers. God will never give anything that one wants more than him. He is a jealous God who says I will have no other Gods before me.Wait on him and be of good courage.

Tip # 5 Don't forget to say thank you

Whenever a person receives something it is just common courtesy to say thank you. Jesus healed 10 lepers when they obeyed his instructions to go show themselves to the priest. Out of the ten only one came back to say thank you and Jesus inquired where were the other nine? because after answered prayer, he is looking for a thank you. The one that came back was made whole (spirit soul body) while the other nine were simply healed (body). God gives much more when he receives a thank you!