Praise, thanksgiving, and faith are keys to answered prayer. If you want to receive answers to your prayers be sure to:
1. Praise Him and Thank Him. As we read the Lord’s Prayer we observe Jesus teaching the disciples to begin their prayer with PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING. Psalm 100:4 states, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.” Begin by praising and thanking Him for being your provider (Jehovah Jireh); your peace (Jehovah Shalom); your healer (Jehovah Rophe); your shepherd (Jehovah Rohi); and your righteousness (Jehovah Tsidkenu). Praise creates an atmosphere in which God can move and miracles happen. When you are in trouble; praise Him. When you are sick; praise Him.
Have you ever stared into the dark clouds of a tornado? I was literally standing at my front door looking at this huge wall cloud and saw a tornado forming and dropped its tendrils. I had already prayed Psalm 91 over my property and when I saw the tornado forming I said, ‘devil, get away from my house because nothing here belongs to you’. I stood my ground and that tornado lifted right back up into the sky. Praise God. I tell you, God’s word works. Get into the habit of praising God all day long no matter how bad things look.
Did you know that praise and thanksgiving will bring God into focus and remove the focus from your problem? So instead of praying the problem; pray the solution. Consider the situation in which Jehoshaphat found himself in 2 Chronicles 20. In verse 15, God told him ‘the battle is not yours‘; in verse 17 God said ‘be still and see the salvation of the Lord‘; in verse 18 ‘they fell before the Lord and worshipped the Lord‘; in verse 21 he appointed ‘singers unto the Lord that they should praise the beauty of holiness‘; in verse 22 ‘at the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting amongst themselves‘; in verse 28 ‘they marched into Jerusalem to the music of harps, lyres, and trumpets, and they proceeded to the Temple of the Lord’. That was the power of PRAISE.
When we continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God (the fruit of our lips giving thanks), we will reap a great reward. We know that everything we have comes from Him and everything in our future will come from Him. He will provide everything you need if you just trust His Word. “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9) and what a marvelous light it is. So start and end your prayers with thanksgiving and praise and watch what happens.
2. Pray in Faith
Faith begins where the will of God is known. I remember the first time I heard that statement and I thought to myself, ‘Wow, that is a simple concept, yet very powerful’. What is faith? “By faith [that is, with an inherent trust and enduring confidence in the power, wisdom, and goodness of God]” (Hebrews 11:3 AMP). It is impossible to please God without Faith, for He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
You cannot pray beyond your faith. How can you pray when you do not know God’s will for that situation? You can’t claim healing in your body if you do not know that it’s God’s will for you to be healed. How can you determine the will of God? It starts by studying the Word and by reading the Word out loud so you can hear the Words of Faith; thus, Faith comes by hearing the Word (Romans 10:17). You also have to believe (in Faith) that you receive what you are asking for (Mark 11:23-24).
Here is another example from my life about how to receive from God. You cannot have a testimony with a test. I remember when I was in Bible School and the cupboards were not just looking very bare; they were bare. I remember I had a conversation with God reminding Him of His promise to me. God had directed me to come to Bible School and He said that He would meet my needs and my immediate need was food for my family. It was not a long prayer; however, it was a fervent one (loud, powerful, burning, aggressive, strong, forceful, militant, targeted). This is how Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion (Luke 22:44). After praying for several minutes, I thanked God for the answer to my prayer and went about my day. Less than 12 hours later; I walked out of my front door and found a box of food on my front porch. However, the blessings did not stop there. Later that day I received a package in the mail which also contained food.
Faith begins where the will of God is known. I cannot stress this enough. Was it God’s will for my family to have food? Yes, it was. How do I know this? Because the Word of God specifically tells me that He will meet this need (Matthew 6:31-33) and He will not only meet it for me; He will meet this need for your family as well. So pray, in Faith, believing you will receive what you are asking for and you will receive it. God keeps His promises. Hope you enjoyed this series on Secrets to Answered Prayer. I trust you gained some insight. Be blessed.
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