What Must I Say or Do For God To Hear My Prayers?

There is no prayer our Creator is unable to hear… He is all knowing and all seeing. God also has all power over all things so He is not limited in what He can do in response.

God has the ability to hear all prayers but obviously does not grant all requests made in prayer. What if two people entered into a contest and both prayed for victory… they both can’t be given what they want. So, God must decide when to act and when not to act.

Let’s ask the question a slightly different way.

Is there anything I can do, or must do, to get God to grant my requests, to rescue or assist me in times of distress… or get Him to use His awesome power to help me accomplish my goals?

There is no set formula for prayer that would obligate God to grant a request. If that were true then God would be more like a magic genie in a lamp. We cannot control or manipulate God through any words,  actions or rituals… He chooses to answer, or not, as He pleases. We are specifically told not to pray like this (Matthew 6:7-8)

… If I say the right thing and/or repeat it often enough the requests I make in prayer will be granted.

A modern example of repetition and rote would be: a person who goes in for confession and is told to say three hail Mary’s and two rosaries. The idea of prayer as an incantation or performance that would summon the power of the gods was very common in ancient Egypt, and pre-Christian Rome and Greece. The prayer and ritual had to be said and/or performed perfectly to have this power… they also had to do it at the right time etc.

God spent a lot of time trying to break Israel of this concept.

He wants us to know He is available to help, to rescue and to heal… but not to do our bidding in return for flattery or appeasement.

In the prophets we have record of Him saying “ I hate your sacrifices and rituals… what I really want is for you to obey me, to seek out my will and to do it”. [Isaiah 1:11-16, Amos 5:21]

The Prayer of Faith

James 5:13-16 is this a promise of healing and answered prayer if we are careful to follow the prescribed formula? [step 1 get annointed, step 2 then comb through your life for un-confessed, un-repented of sins so you can confess, repent and be healed]. No, what we have here is instruction to submit our self to God's authority over our lives and show faith in the salvation He offers.

Verse 14 - when a person goes to the elders of the church to be annointed they are not requesting some kind of healing ritual with magical properties trying to bend the spirit world to do their will. A member going to the elders for annointing is making an outward profession of their submission to God's authority. They are putting their case before God, through His ministry (the designated authority within the church) and  submitting themself to God's authority to decide what is best for them. And presumably their willingness to accept His decision.

Verse 15 - the promise here is that their faith in the face of trial will lead to salvation and resurrection (raised up). That same faith enables the forgiveness of their sins.

Verse 16 - tells us to acknowledge sin that crops up among us and deal with it. Reconcile yourself to one another... so that anger, resentment, hatred don't hinder your prayers. 

Matthew 5:22-23 bad relationships can hinder your prayers 1 Peter 3:7

Now… James 5:16 definitely says... "So that you may be healed"... the healing referred to here can be physical relief from a sickness or it could be the healing that comes about through forgiveness towards one another. This forgiveness leads to salvation, which leads to resurrection into the family of God [ex. Matthew 13:15]

Luke 5:17-24 Jesus priority was the type of healing that came about through the forgiveness of sin. The physical healing was secondary. I’m sure it was very important to person who was suffering. I’m sure he was grateful to be healed. I’m confident that Jesus was happy to give him physical healing… but Jesus top priority was the man’s spiritual well-being.

Jesus Instruction on Prayer

Matthew 6:9-10 notice the importance of praying for the will of God to be done. Which also logically implies we submit ourselves to His will.

Our actions and attitudes can influence God’s decision to grant a request made through prayer… How?

On the negative side, indifference or disobedience to His commands, violence, dishonesty, pride, and injustice create a separation between us and our creator. God does not give attention to the prayers of people who act and think like that. He may act in mercy towards them to get their attention and lead them towards meaningful change… but He acts as He pleases. See (Isaiah 59:1-2)

On the positive side, taking His commands seriously and trying to live by them, seeking peace, honesty, humility, personal integrity, generosity and fairness… these please our creator and draw us close to Him. God will give careful attention to the prayers and requests of such people. He will consider our requests and choose to act, or not act, according to what is good for us. See (1 Peter 3:12)

Our Father Knows What it Best For Us

The good that God desires for us is to learn to think and act like Jesus Christ, so we might receive the gift of everlasting life, sonship, and be seated with Christ when He rules with the authority that comes from the heavenly realm. The path to that good involves suffering and perseverance just as it did for Jesus Christ.

Consider that Jesus prayed the night before His execution. He prayed that God the Father not require Him to endure the painful suffering and death only hours ahead. His request was not granted. Jesus’ long session of prayer that last night ended with His total submission to the will of the Father (Matthew 26:39-44). Jesus’ suffering was the only path to the greater goal... God’s desire that many children receive eternal life.

Submission To God’s Will

Like Jesus we may boldly [but respectfully] unload our deepest desires before God. His will might be otherwise. If that is the case we ought not to blame ourselves, or assume there must be some unacknowledged sin in our life that is holding us back from getting what we desire. Clearly that is a possibility… but there is more going on in the mind and will of God than we can even imagine.

We might pray for release from pain, sickness or suffering… we might pray for specific blessings... and our Father is happy to give us these good things. But if granting a certain request actually held us back from achieving our full potential as an eternal child of God… would it be good for us?

We must have confidence that God knows the difference between the two and can make a better decision that we alone can.

Paul’s Prayer For Healing

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 [review the context of boasting]

We don’t know what problem Paul was suffering from. Most speculation is that it was related to his eyesight. It is believed that Paul dictated his letters to someone else who would write them down. In one of his letters he notes that he included some handwriting of his own and the end of the letter… “see what large letters I write with my own hand”… he did this to authenticate that the letter was indeed from him and not an imposter.

It is easy to imagine how Paul could see being healed of such a problem as in agreement with the will of God. I’m doing God’s work, I’m a writer, communicator, public speaker… I’m doing God’s work… I need my eyes to do it well… why of course God would want to heal me of this. Of course I am asking for something that is within His will.

God had given Paul amazing visions, Christ had interacted directly with him, he had great success is raising up churches… plus, consider Paul’s past, he was superbly knowledgeable about the scriptures… he was a scrupulously righteous man.

God had indeed listened carefully to Paul’s prayers. Surely, God had weighed all the criteria I just mentioned. God’s decision was to let Paul continue to suffer with the problem… so that Paul not become conceited, proud, or full of himself.

Maybe Paul could have been more efficient and productive if his prayer had been answered. God could have gotten even more work out of this powerful workhorse… but the Father’s concern was what was best for Paul. What would keep him in the mindset of Christ. What would help him achieve the amazing goal of that better resurrection to everlasting life that happens at the return of Christ.

Is Submission To God’s Will a Modified Form of Fatalism?

Whatever will be will be…whatever God will He wills… so, what’s the point of prayer?

Go back to the prayer of Jesus before His execution… Jesus knew the Father’s will. He wasn’t asking “what do you want me to do?”, or “what is your will?”. His prayer was really about getting His mind, His emotions, and His spirit in sync with the known will of God.

We should pray completely convinced and confident that God hears our prayer and is fully capable of answering our every request (Hebrews 11:6). We should also pray with a humble attitude, understanding that what we think is best for our lives may not be the way to achieve the greater goal our Creator has in mind for us.

We must not give up prayer thinking we are powerless to influence events. We are instructed to pray constantly, to keep hanging in there, and to expect an answer. 1 John 5:14-15

What does it mean to ask and pray according to His will? Let us think on that. Give serious thought and reflection to what God’s will really is… what is He working to accomplish in this world… what is He working to accomplish in you.

Romans 12:2-3