Message #6 (of 20) from the PrayerPower radio series
"Asking - God’s Way"

by Kaye Johns

Jesus taught "everyone who asks receives." [Matthew 7:8] It’s a familiar passage, from the Sermon on the Mount, and Jesus is giving tremendous assurance that the Father not only hears, but answers prayer. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." [Matthew 7:7-8]

Six times Jesus makes the point that God hears and answers prayer. It’s more than encouragement; it is a foundational truth. But is it true of our prayer lives? Are we seeing answers to prayer? If not, there has to be a reason--because God’s intention is that everyone who asks will receive.

We understand that sometimes God answers no, and sometimes He leads us to persevere. Those in themselves are answers; God has responded. But not every prayer is answered "no" or "wait"--on balance, if we are living in a personal love relationship with our Lord, we should be seeing frequent answers to prayer. If we’re not, that should itself be a matter for prayer.

It could be we’re not praying, or our prayers are not specific enough to recognize the answers. Or perhaps, we’re asking amiss [James 4:3]--a wrong request, a wrong motive, or a prayer offered when our fellowship is broken. Sometimes, we simply don’t recognize God’s answer; He may have given an acorn, when we prayed for an oak.

Pray with me now -- Lord, we want to see Your answers to our prayers, in Jesus’ name, amen.

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