GETTING ANSWERS TO PRAYER

"Then came she and worshiped him, saying, Lord, help me." - Matthew 15:25

Nearly all religions practice some kind of prayer. As Christians, we believe that when we pray, we talk directly to God through Jesus Christ. God has promised in His Word that if we pray according to His will, He hears us. The Bible gives specific promises that God hears and answers prayer.

If God promises to hear and answer the prayers of His people, why don't we see more tangible results from our prayers? We boast to an unbelieving world that our prayers are not in vain. We proclaim that God hears us and answers come when we pray. Yet if we were pressed to the point, many Christians could not pin-point a specific answer to any of their recent prayers.

While I believe and teach that God hears and answers prayer, I must admit that He doesn't always answer when I want Him to. Neither does He always give me the answer I desire.

Many books have been written about prayer. Yet there is not a better book on prayer than the Bible itself. While it is profitable to do a Bible study about prayer, it is even better to pray yourself. I believe the spiritual barrenness of many Christians can be traced back to prayerless living. Part of the reason we are receiving few answers to prayer is that we are not praying. It is impossible to receive an answer to a prayer you don't pray.

Also, our spiritual barrenness is due to faulty beliefs about prayer. For instance, we believe that the longer we pray, the better our chances to receive an answer. Furthermore, we tend to believe that the more eloquent we are in our prayers the more God is impressed and this increases our chances to get an answer. Both of these beliefs are wrong.

When the woman of Canaan came to Jesus seeking help for her daughter, her initial request contained just three words: "Lord, help me." At first, Jesus did not answer her. Jesus definitely heard her, but chose not answer immediately. Her faith was being tested.

Yet the recorded response of this woman destroys the common belief that eloquent or lengthy prayers get results. Her prayers got results because of some fundamental reasons.

1. SHE PRAYED WITH FOCUS

Sadly, often our "prayers" focus on ourselves, our needs and our desires. If the truth be known, there are times we don't really pray at all. We merely talk to ourselves. R. A. Torrey often led prayer meetings with an introductory challenge. He would tell his congregation to focus on the Lord before they began to pray. When we focus on Jesus, our attention shifts from our problems to the problem-solver. When we focus on the Lord, our worries turn to worship. To be rather blunt, there is not power in our prayers, instead the power is in the One we pray to. Like the woman, focus on the Lord.

2. SHE PRAYED WITH FAITH

Secondly, she prayed with faith. Jesus commended her faith. She believed that Jesus could help her daughter. She made a special trip there to get the help her daughter desperately needed. Do you pray with faith? James wrote, "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." Hebrews 11:6 says, "... he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Pray with faith!

3. SHE PRAYED WITH FERVENCY

Finally, the woman from Canaan prayed with fervency. She was not apathetic with her requests. Rather than a boring time of reciting a litany of prayer requests, she appealed to Jesus with great emotion. The Bible says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Fervent prayers seem to touch heaven. The mother from Canaan refused to leave the Lord's presence until she got an answer. What about you? Do you pray with fervency? The heart of prayer is prayer from the heart.

Ultimately, we realize that prayers don't make the difference, but the One who answers our prayers makes an enormous difference. When we pray with focus, faith and fervency, we enter the presence of the One who does marvelous and miraculous things. Perhaps you, or someone you know, may experience a miracle today because you sought God and refused to quit until the answer came.

Right now is a good time to pray, don't you think?