ANSWERED PRAYER

Scriptures tell us that if we ask anything in his name if it is according to his will then he hears us. (1 John 5:14,15)

If he hears us then with confidence we can be assured that we have the request in which we have petitioned. (John 14:14)

That means in essence that if we know God’s will in a matter then we can be confident or know that our prayer is answered when we petition for it.

God’s Kingdom though not of this world is a government. Ruled by a King with a court over his subjects. A King is also a judge. One who presides over all petitions to the court. (Psalms 84:10-12, Philippians 4:6, Daniel 7:9,10, Hebrews 4:16)

When a person or subject of the Kingdom of God (better yet a group of persons) come together before the court of God in heaven and they bring forth a petition or request for the King to grant it is done in the same way a petition is put forth in an earthly government.

The king or magistrate first of all examines the document. Does the request coincide with a legal precedent ? (Nehemiah 9, Exodus 34:6, Acts 4)

Does the request line up with any scriptural principle? (John 15:7,8)

If so then is there a legal precedent for the case?

Does the petition line up with scriptural protocol? (John 15:7,8)

If so then the prayer request is guaranteed to be answered.

In an earthy government the petition has a waiting time and requires patience. (Psalms 40:1-3, Psalms 27:14 Hebrews 6:15, )

In order to get equity or relief for the petition request one must wait for government to go through a process.

Sometimes there may be opposition to a request. The opposition may want to examine the petition looking for any loopholes or president case that is in opposition. Maybe even look to see if the petitioner has any legal requirements left undone so that the request can be hindered or delayed.

( Philippians 4:6, Matthew 6:5, Psalm 66:18, James 4:3)

The opposition then explains to the court why the request should not be granted.

Then if there is found to be an unfulfilled legal requirement the court may deny the request if the legalities are not dealt with.

Many times people want to blame God for unanswered prayer when the problem actually lies with them.

For example if I pray and have unforgiveness in my heart my prayer will not be answered. I must forgive even if it’s my enemy. I must be reconciled to my brother or sister too. (Matthew 6:12, Mark 11:25)

There are several reasons laid out in scriptures why petitions are not granted from God’s court.

Another hindrance to answered prayer is unbelief. Interesting enough but some people pray even though they don’t really expect an answer. They have no understanding of who it is they are actually praying to. (Isaiah 33:22, Psalms 75:7, Revelation 20)

Scriptures tell us to HAVE FAITH IN GOD. ( James 1:6,7, Matthew 11 and 21:22 Philippians 4:6,7 Hebrews 10:22 )

That means if we come before God with a request we must believe that he is going to answer. A judge of a court has power to make a court order.

Another denial to a prayer request is asking outside the will of God.

How can I know if it is God’s will ? The Bible sets out all legal presidents.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. John 15:7

Examination of motive is best done before putting forth a petition before God’s court. Why do we want the petition to be granted? (James 4:2)

For God’s glory and purpose or for our selfish motive? (James 4:3, 1 Peter 3:12)

The opposition or devil does not want our prayer requests to be fulfilled. He is our adversary. Scriptures tell us he can hinder our prayers. He is like any prosecutor lawyer trying to find something on you. It’s what he does. (1 Chronicles 21: 1, Zechariah 3:2, 1 Thessalonians 2)

Another important factor to consider is another person’s will.

When interceding on behalf of another person this takes great patience as God has a lot of work to do in getting that person to a place of receptivity to receive from him. (2 Corinthians 4:4, 1 Thessalonians 2:18)

This is why we must continue in prayer with perseverance. Sometimes even fasting. There is a spiritual war going on to keep that person from getting what we are praying for. A lot of legal precedents need to be dealt with. (Luke 11:9,10 Luke 18, Acts 1:14, Ephesians 6:18, I Thessalonians 5:18, )

The good news is that Holy Spirit is working to convince the person of their need. We must keep praying and never give up as the Bible exhorts us! (Psalms 27:14, Psalms 37:7)

In getting our prayers answered there is legal protocol. One of the best ways when petitioning any court is to have a lot of signatures on a petition. That is why the prayer of agreement is so powerful. The prayer of agreement is like having a petition of signatures on a legal document. In this case it is an oral document. ( Matthew 18:19, 20, James 5:16, 2 Chronicles 7:14)

When we line up with God’s will then we can be guaranteed that our request is being answered. All we have to do is to wait patiently on the Lord. (Psalm 40)