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All Your Prayers Answered...Guaranteed!

All Your Prayers Answered...Guaranteed!

Wouldn't it be great if _________?

How would you fill in that blank? Most of us could probably think of at least a few scenarios we'd like to see that would make life well, great!

Here are some of mine:

  • Wouldn't it be great if iPods had no memory limit whatsoever? Or better yet came pre-loaded with every song ever written?
  • Wouldn't it be great if there were three months of school and nine months vacation?
  • Wouldn't it be great if all junk food, fast food, and fattening foods were scientifically proven to help you live longer and happier lives?
  • And wouldn't it really be great if Starbucks announced that they had made so many gazillions of dollars that all products will now and forever be free of charge???

As if that would happen. Believe me, I wouldn't waste a lot of time praying for that. Which brings me to a scene I think we'd all like to be in:

Wouldn't it be great if your prayers were answered every time...guaranteed?

Think about it- no more knocking on heaven's door wondering if anyone's home. No more feeling like your prayers are hitting the ceiling and bouncing back down at the speed of light. And best of all, no more wondering if your conversations with God are a leave-a-message-at-the-tone type thing.

"Hi, you've reached heaven, home of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Unfortunately, He has prayers coming in from people a lot more important than you, so call back when your life is actually significant."

I've got great news for you. God hears every prayer, and God answers every prayer. It doesn't matter what words you use, whether you feel close to Him, whether you have been good or bad, or whether you even believe He's listening.

He is listening, and here's what He told us about prayer:

And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks. (Luke 11:9-10)

Jesus is telling us that we can be sure God hears and answers our prayers. Notice there is no requirements for asking, knocking, or seeking. It's not "when you are feeling really spiritual, keep on asking..." We can (and we should) come to the Father as His children anytime, anywhere, for any reason.

So does this mean we'll always get what we ask for? Absolutely not! And I'm glad about that, because if everyone always got what they prayed for, can you imagine what the world would be like? Besides, I bet you can look back and think of a time when God said "no", and now you're saying "thank you!"

But what if we pray and it doesn't seem like God is saying yes or no? Does that mean He's not listening? Well, it might feel that way, but the truth is there is one more answer to prayer that is sometimes difficult to take. The answer is:

Wait. As in, I'm not giving you a yes or a no right now. I'm asking you to trust me.

Trust me, you can trust Him. After all, He's the God of the universe, right? I think His sense of timing is just a little better than ours, and you definitely don't want to rush an answer to prayer. It might be tough to wait, but remember that those are the times that our faith is forced to grow deeper and our love is able grow stronger.

So the bottom line is- while we don't have unlimited iPods or free Starbucks, we do have a Father who always listens and always answers.

Isn't that great?

Head: What you need to know about this truth

Because God is our perfect heavenly Father, He lovingly hears and answers our prayers.

Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

Knowing that God listens and answers should make us feel incredibly grateful. Think about it, the God of the universe cares about every little detail of your life, and He's never to busy to answer. We should also feel comfortable talking to God, because that's what prayer is. It's not a preset formula with a lot of religious mumbo jumbo, it's a convo between a child and his/her loving Daddy.

Hands: What you need to do about this truth

Now that you know your prayers are heard and answered, what's stopping you from praying? Don't think of prayer as something you do before big tests, big dates, or before you are in big trouble, think of prayer as your big opportunity to sense the presence of God working in and through you in big ways!