3 Keys To Answered Prayer

I often wonder what God thinks about our prayer life. After all, if we were to look at many places in scripture that deal with what God says about how, when and where to pray I think we would have a different view of how we might be missing what’s important to God when we approach him in prayer.

Prayer, in its most basic form, is a conversation with God, hopefully a dialog and not just a monologue, asking him for assistance. It could be asking for help in figuring out a complex problem in our lives, or it could be over a major purchase we have to make or even a ethical question. The focus is on us soliciting God’s help in our lives. What if God has greater goals for our prayers than what we seem to feel or think are important? God may be more interested prayer as a gateway to understanding who God is and discovering his will for our lives. Prayer is really meant for us to understand God’s heart about us and how that should affect our life pursuits. Maybe he is more interested in a deeper relationship than just being our “Sugar Daddy” who supplies us with what we desire.

Prayer, based on scripture is presented as a multi faceted topic, but at its core it is seeking the presence of God to know him and his will for us personally. Within that understanding we need to come to grips with the question of, “Does God have a way we are meant to approach prayer” or, in other words, is there a right and wrong way to pray?

One of the best scriptures to understand how to approach God in prayer is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14. In this scripture God lays out “CONDITIONS” for him to first hear our prayer, and second to answer our prayers. This scripture is used often when people are looking for revival in general, and is meant to be a launching passage for congregations and groups gathered to pray to repent of sin to receive God’s blessing. It was originally given to Solomon in a dream in order to equip the king to lead Israel towards a healthy relationship with God and avoid God’s judgment.

2 Chronicles 7:14 

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land. 

God lists three main topics in this passage that open up an audience with God and they all involve our “ATTITUDE”. The first attitude is “Humility” which revolves around who we think we are and who we think God is. This may sound simple but in truth it is not. If I value myself too much I will assume I deserve more than is justified. If I value myself too little I will seek less than is available to me. Humility at its core is having the right value of myself. Second, it is having a right attitude and value for God. If I think of God as strictly a gift giver then I will approach him as such and not give him the respect he deserves as the creator and sustainer of all. If I see God as a predominately a strict rule-maker I will approach him only on the basis of my performance and not as a kind and generous creator who seeks a relationship with him. Humility in prayer, in God’s economy, is the number one attitude he seeks and requires. Using a baseball analogy, humility is a must to getting to first base in our relationship with God in prayer, and the blessing of his hand as well.

In this directive from God about prayer is the need and pursuit of “SEEKING HIS FACE,” which is all about intimacy. This term is mostly found in the Old Testament. It speaks of coming to a face-to-face encounter with God and not just sending, if you would, an email or text to him.

The Bible uses this phrase many times, sometimes substituting “face” for “presence,” both meaning to be in God’s company. The invitation is compelling for the child of God who can name many times in the past when God’s presence has been life-altering for him or her. King David said that God has called us to seek his face or presence and that is what David did.

Psalms 27:7-8

Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice,

and be gracious to me and answer me.

When You said, “Seek My face,”

my heart said to You,

“Your face, O LORD, I shall seek.”

God spoke to king David about being intentional in his prayers and to encourage others to do likewise. God is specifically looking to have a personal encounter with us and not just think of him as a giver of gifts like presenting him a shopping list for him to fill for us. 

Psalms 105:4

Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually.

David also implies that there is strength available when we encounter his presence or face and because of that we should seek his face or presence continually and not just for emergencies.

The third and final thing God lists for an encounter with him is “Turning Form Our Wicked Ways” and not just mouthing words of repentance, as is too often the case. He doesn’t say he will deal with our wicked ways after we have our encounter but before, implying that God wants to see our true intentions of wanting him more than we want his blessings to give us stuff. Let me put it another way, considering I used baseball as a word picture: God wants to know we are on his team, and we value what he stands for, before he fully answers our prayers. I am not talking about cleaning your life up before Christ comes into your life but at least turning away from a life of rebellion and towards a life of healthy submission.

All too often we expect God is just waiting to give us what we say we need or want because he loves us so much. Many a believer has walked away from their faith in God because he did not give them what they wanted or asked for in prayer and that is what they were taught to expect. There is reason many of our prayers are not answered: because we did not meet these three requirements for an encounter with God who desires to freely give. 

For God to hear, forgive and heal us and our land he needs to see a good-faith response from us that we are, in fact, serious about praying effectively because we take care of business personally. To do otherwise makes our prayer hit the proverbial ceiling and never land in the Lord’s presence.   

Questions:

1) Have you incorporated these three keys when you pray? If not, memorize 2 chronicles 7:14 and then apply the principles.

2) Have you lost your passion for intimacy with God because of unanswered prayer? Confess your attitude and seek his face passionately.

May God help all of us renew our hearts desire to seek the face of God daily, that he might open the gates of heaven and pour out a blessing which we so desperately need.

Pastor Dale