There is Nothing Like Answered Prayer

By Yoav Dothan - Self-photographed, Public Domain

Jesus taught us how to pray through His own example of prayer in His daily life. You can’t read through a single gospel without seeing that He took time to be alone in prayer, and also stopped along His daily walk to speak to His father.

He also taught us the manner in which we should and should not pray:

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. (Matthew 6:5-8 KJV)

Following that scripture Jesus gave an example of prayer, Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV) - After this manner therefore pray ye:

Acknowledge His relationship in our lives, by His own choice:

Our Father which art in heaven,

Acknowledge also that He is holy and worthy of worship:

Hallowed be thy name.

Acknowledge that He is the ruler of all:

Thy kingdom come.

Now comes our requests. The first is that we obey Him:

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Request what He is capable of giving us to survive each day:

Give us this day our daily bread.

Request forgiveness for our failure to obey Him:

And forgive us our debts,

Understand the conditions He asks of us as His children:

as we forgive our debtors.

Request His help in keeping us safe from one who would do harm:

And lead us not into temptation,

Request His help as we face evil in this world:

but deliver us from evil:

All of the above is done because we know His is the eternal kingdom that He has invited us to enjoy. He does so because all that is created belongs to Him. His worth of worship and obedience:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.

So be it.

Amen.

A very simplistic look. There are much more in depth treatises online and in classic books. Best one to search for the meaning of this prayerful example (of course) is the one He inspired – the Bible.

Today the Bible and prayer along with a personal relationship with God was made so very real as I saw not only His hand in preparing for the health of a dear friend, by placing them in just the right place to get treatment, as well as having a prayer group in place to acknowledge our need for Him.

We do serve an awesome God. Our friend was literally at death’s door, and now has hope. They had moved away from family and friends the week they became aware of his illness, yet that was the perfect location for treating him. His illness placed him in ICU, and a large prayer group prayed not only for healing, but for comfort and strength for his loved ones as hope seemed lacking.

Can I tell you how wonderful it is when answered prayer is so positive?

Yes, I have been in situations where the answer was “No. Come home, my child.” It was necessary to depend on His omniscience, on His omnipotence, on His promise that there will be a glad reunion in a promised place:

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. (2 Corinthians 5:6-9 KJV)