Different Kinds Of Prayer (Part 10)

THE DAILY WORD
By Jim Seekamp

Monday August 10, 2009

Does God hear every prayer?

1 John 5:14,15 (NIV)
14. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15. And if we know that he hears us-- whatever we ask-- we know that we have what we asked of him.

The Greek word for "he hears" in both verses is "akouo". It means "give audience, come to the ears, hear, understand." From this passage we see that God hears (gives audience to) every prayer that is asked according to His will.
That means that on the flipside, God is not obligated to hear prayers that are NOT according to His will! Now we can see the importance of knowing God's will!

What is God's will? Obviously, God's overall will for the church is found in the New Testament. Anything that the New Testament tells us is God's will, is God's will.

Examples:

1 Timothy 2:3,4 (NIV)
3. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4. who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

From this verse, we can see that it is God's will that ALL be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth! That means if we pray for someone's salvation, God gives audience to us and hears our prayer. The person we are praying for still has a free will to reject salvation, but God will lead people to be witnesses to that person, and He will do what He can to help that person understand the greatness of the salvation being offered.

James 1:5 (NIV)
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.

From this verse, we can see that it is God's will that we ask Him for wisdom when we need it, and also that it is His will that we RECEIVE the wisdom we asked for!

1 John 3:11 (NIV)
This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

From this verse, we can see that it is God's will for us to love one another! That means that if we pray for harm to come upon someone, God does not hear us, because God is love:

1 John 4:7,8 (NIV)
7. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Since God is love, He is both patient and kind:

1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV)
Love is patient, love is kind.

And He keeps no record of wrongs:

1 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)
It (love) is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

That means that if you pray harm on someone, you are not praying God's will for them, so He will not hear you. When Jesus was dying an awful death at the hands of evil men, He still prayed God's will for them:

Luke 23:34 (NIV) (Jesus speaking, while hanging on the cross)
34. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Many people do hurtful things because they "do not know what they are doing." They need prayer FOR them, not against them! When we pray, we should always have New Testament scripture to stand on, so we can be assured we are praying in line with God's will!

PRAYER
Thank You Father for Your Word that tells me so much about You. Help me remember to always have New Testament scripture to stand on when I pray. Help me understand Your Word better so I can allow You to govern my life in every way.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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