WHAT PRAYERS CAN WE EXPECT GOD TO ANSWER

I was recently asked, "What prayers can we expect God to answer?". It was asked concerning praying for our government's actions. It was a good question and one that many wonder about. Unfortunately, the question is one that has many qualifiers. We are taught by Jesus to pray , "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." - Matthew 6-10. One of the qualifiers on our prayers is if it is God's will and when it is God's will to happen. God has a plan and He has a timing to His will. As the angel said to Daniel

Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. (Dan 7:22 )

Even though Daniel prayed for Israel's captivity in Babylon to be ended, it was only in God's timing that it was done. Does this mean he should not have prayed? Certainly not! But neither should we be discouraged when it doesn't happen exactly when we would like. History is strewn with those who thought to build the kingdom of God on earth, but it will happen in God's perfect timing.

Then [cometh] the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. (1Cr 15:24 )

We know, according to Paul's teaching that the time is coming when all earthly rule and authority and all Satan's authority and power will be subjected to Jesus but that occurs at the end of this age (Rev 11:15). Until then, we are His ambassadors on earth and He has given us authority to do His will. In the Great Commission, Jesus said,

All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Mat 28:18-20)

We have authority to carry out this commission, and that even includes power over demonic forces who are trying to stop this commission from being fulfilled. In fact, one of the signs of a true believer is that they drive out demons (Mk 16:17). But the authority of the Great Commission covers much more than demons. It covers anything that stands in the way of the commission - as Jesus said:

Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Mat 18:18 )

All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus to accomplish this commission and that is a qualifier for our authority. We do not have authority to do our will, only His. Neither do we have authority to change timing of events, Jesus said only the Father has that authority:

It is not for you to know the times or the dates the Father has set by His own authority. (Acts 1:7)

Now, with this introduction, let us look at what we can claim. 1) It is God's will that none should perish (2 Pet 3:9) so we can certainly pray with authority that sinners would come to Jesus. While we cannot force people to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we can bind every hindering evil spirit that tries to block this. This is especially true of parent's prayers for their children. Because of God's many commands to parents to "raise up" their children in the fear of the Lord, there is a special authority to see those prayers answered. God created family and He delights to see them functioning as a holy unit. All of society is built on the family; church, community, and government. That is the reason why Satan attacks the family so vehemently, but it also why God is so willing to answer prayers on its behalf. When anyone tries to promote the break-up of the Godly family unit, we have the right and the obligation to pray against them. That includes government, so-called entertainment, and societal norms that are anti-family and glorify such anti-family issues as divorce, homosexual-lesbian lifestyles, etc..

2) Because we are told to witness to the good-news of Jesus' salvation, we can pray for everything that promotes the freedom to do this, such as freedom of speech in public and in private settings. We have authority to bind all forces that would hinder us in our witness. When Elymas (a false prophet) tried to withstand Paul's witness to Sergius Paulus on the island of Paphos, he said, "O full of deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. (Acts 13:6-11). When "political correctness" doctrines hinder the witness of Jesus, it is time for true believers to pray against them and exercise authority over the evil spirits behind them!

3) We have a right to pray for truth. Jesus said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32). He also said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." (John 14:6). All government, news media, education, and society must be held to this standard. All authority is based upon truth. If an elected official lies, he looses his authority and does not need to be obeyed. If the news media do not care for the truth, or try to bend it to suit their agenda, they have lost any reason for existing. If education does not hold to the standard of truth in every area of the curriculum, they need to be replaced. Now we must be careful not to mistake differences of opinion as lies because, before the truth of an issue is fully known, there are often differences of opinion. But when a politician states he or she said something and is clearly caught saying the opposite, they should be held in disrepute and prayed for accordingly. When an educator teaches something that is clearly substantiated as false, they should be corrected and asked to repent. If they refuse, their influence over children should be bound in prayer. We should be vigorously active in all areas of the public arena acting as watchmen for the truth.

4) God given us two standards to use for truth, the creation itself and the Holy Bible. He clearly wants us to know the truth, therefore, we have the right and obligation to study both the creation and the Bible in search of the truth. Since God is the Truth behind both of them, they will not contradict each other. If there appears to be a contradiction between them, it is because we have not fully understood the truth yet. We have the right to pray for wisdom to understand both of them.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives us liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5)

This brings me back to the first prayer I introduced, The Lord's Prayer. "The kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." We need to know what the will of God is in every circumstance to be able to pray with power. John writes, "And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight." (1 John 3:22). When we know His will and are keeping His commandments, we can have the confidence to pray and receive answers to our prayers.

This just a short introduction to prayer but I hope it will encourage you to take a stand in prayer for the Lord's will to be done in your life, your families life, and our nation's life.

Pastor Charles Cooley