How To Be Sure Your Prayers Get Answered

And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas said unto Him, Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.

“To whom shall we pray? Shall we simply speak to the Supreme Architect of the universe? Shall we simply call upon God to help us? We may call upon the true and living God and simply call Him Lord, or God, and the prayer is acceptable, but on the other hand, it is possible to call upon the name, God, and God never hears it. It is possible to use names that refuse to accept Jesus Christ, and it is no prayer at all… Many individuals call upon the Great Architect of the universe. They do not mean the God we do.

“Consequently the Christian never can pray unless he addresses his prayer either in thought or in word to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to the only true and living God. There is no other.

“I am the Lord; that is My name, and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images.”

“Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve.”

“If any one thing is plainly taught throughout the Word of God it is that prayer is to be directed to the true and living God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

What To Pray For

“We are not only to pray for temporal gifts, but also for spiritual gifts.

“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Phil. 4:6.

“Pray for everything. But we are to make a difference between things that are spiritual and things that are temporal. When you pray for spiritual gifts you must expect the positive answer. When you ask for temporal gifts, something that pertains only to the body and to this life, you must remember that sometimes we ask ignorantly, and consequently must say, Lord, if it is Thy will. John writes: (1 John 5:14)

“And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us.

And again, Jesus said:

“O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.

“Again it is said: Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. The will of God must therefore be consulted with regard to temporal matters. Also with regard to spiritual. With regard to spiritual matters His will is made known throughout the Bible. Every man knows when he asks for forgiveness of sin in the name of Jesus Christ, that he gets forgiveness. That is the will of God. When he comes to ask for health, or strength, or for any other temporal gift, he must always say, Lord, if it be Thy will.

“When I am sick I do not always know that I am to get well; it may be my last sickness; it may be God’s intention that this last sickness should take me away from this world. When God said, ‘Call upon Me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify Me,’ He makes that promise; but remember, when you are sick there are three ways of deliverance. He can take the sickness entirely away from you. That is one way. He can help you to bear your sickness. That is another way. In the third place, He can take your soul to heaven, and totally deliver you; and that is the very best way.

“When you pray for a temporal gift, I repeat it, you must say, ‘Lord, if it be Thy will.’ But how are we going to know that will? Jesus Christ made known to us the will of the Father; He made known to us the will of our God, and without Him there is no way, even in prayer, to come home to our Father.

From The Way Made Plain by Simon Peter Long. Available from Lutheran Library (ebook) and Amazon (paperback).