Praying Your Way Through the Scriptures

Have you ever prayed for something and then found that God didn’t answer in the way you hoped he would? I suspect every follower of Jesus can think of times when this has happened. This is part of what it means for God to be God and for us to be human. He knows things we don’t know, sees things we don’t see, and does things we don’t understand, even as we trust that he always hears us and always responds according to his power, his wisdom, and his love.

But what if I told you that God guarantees answers to some prayers? Would that embolden your prayer life? Would you pray for more things if you knew God was definitely going to do what you asked?

Consider Jesus’ promise to his followers: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). This is one of my favorite Bible verses. Jesus is guaranteeing us answers to our prayers in this world when we pray according to his Word.

And so, this third step in experiencing intimacy with God through studying the Bible—pray—is vital for faith and spiritual growth. What makes it even more life-giving is the fact that neither prayer nor Bible study is a one-way street. Through studying the Scriptures, we hear from God as we spend time with him, and this naturally (or better put, supernaturally) leads to expressing our hearts to him as he hears from us.

That aligns with another Scripture, Matthew 6:7–8, which warns against wordy, empty prayers and reminds us that “your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

And let’s not forget who we’re talking about here: the God who spoke all creation into being; the God who causes the sun to rise and calls the stars by name; the God before whom mountains quake and seas roar; the God who rules and reigns over all things everywhere. This God wants to speak to you and hear from you. Even more than that, he guarantees to give you what you ask when you ask according to his Word.

Pray

O Lord, please help me to pray with confidence that you will act in the world whenever I pray according to your Word. Amen.