How can you have your prayers answered by God?

How can you have your prayers answered by God? Many believe answered prayer is God granting a prayer request that is offered to Him. If a prayer request is not granted, it is understood as an “unanswered” prayer. However, this is an incorrect understanding of prayer. God answers every prayer that is lifted to Him. Sometimes God answers “no” or “wait.” God only promises to grant your prayers when you ask according to His will. “This is the confidence you have in approaching God: that if you ask anything according to his will, he hears you. And if you know that he hears you—whatever you ask—you know that you have what you asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).

What does it mean to pray according to God’s will? Praying according to God’s will is praying for things that honor and glorify God and/or praying for what the Bible clearly reveals God’s will to be. If you pray for something that is not honoring to God or not God’s will for your life, God will not give what you ask for.

How can you know what God’s will is? God promises to give you wisdom when you ask for it. James 1:5 proclaims, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”

A good place to start is 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24, which outlines many things that are God’s will for us. ^12-13And now, honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love! ^13-15Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other's nerves you don't snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out. ^16-18Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. ^19-22Don't suppress the Spirit, and don't stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don't be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what's good. Throw out anything tainted with evil. ^23-24May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of the Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it!

 The better you understand God’s Word, the better you will know what to pray for (John 15:7). The better you know what to pray for, the more often God will answer “yes” to your requests.