Have you ever prayed for something for so long that you wondered if God was hearing you? When answers are slow, it’s natural to feel like your prayers are not being heard, but the Bible tells us the exact opposite. The Apostle John writes to believers in 1 John to remind them that they shouldn’t cower from God but have confidence toward him. This is an astounding promise: “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And we if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).
When we pray according to his will, he hears and answers us! How do we know if we’re praying according to his will? If what we ask for aligns with what he’s revealed in Scripture, we’re praying according to his will, but if we’re unsure we keep praying and keep waiting. It’s been said that God answers prayers in three ways: yes, no, and wait awhile. You may not know what his answer is right now, but consider these Scripture promises while you wait.
20 Bible Verses About God Answering Prayers
- Mark 11:24 (ESV)
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. - Philippians 4:6 (ESV)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. - Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV)
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” - James 5:16 (ESV)
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. - Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. - 1 John 5:14-15 (ESV)
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. - John 14:13 (ESV)
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. - Jeremiah 29:12 (ESV)
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. - Ephesians 3:20 (ESV)
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us. - James 4:2 (ESV)
You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. - James 1:5 (ESV)
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. - Psalm 145:18 (ESV)
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. - 1 Peter 3:12 (ESV)
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” - John 16:24(ESV)
Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. - Luke 1:37 (ESV)
For nothing will be impossible with God. - Job 22:27 (ESV)
You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you, and you will pay your vows. - Psalm 54:2 (ESV)
O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth. - Psalm 91:15 (ESV)
When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. - Micah 7:7(ESV)
But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. - Matthew 6:9-13(ESV)
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Sue God to Answer Your Prayers
When we pray according to God’s will, we can confidently approach our heavenly Father and ask him for what we need. But it goes a step further than that…
When we know what God’s Word says, we can remind him of what he’s promised. It’s not that he’s forgotten us or his promise, but in our confidence, we can quote his Word back to him, which delights him. Puritan Thomas Goodwin encouraged us to go so far as to sue God in our prayers!
“Sue Him for it, sue Him for it. Do not leave God alone. Pester Him, as it were, with His own promise. Tell Him what He has said He is going to do. Quote Scripture to Him…It pleases Him. The child may be slightly impertinent, but it doesn’t matter. The Father likes it in spite of that. God is our Father, and He loves us, and He likes to hear us pleading His own promises, quoting His own words to Him, and saying, in light of this, can you refrain from answering me? It delights the heart of God. Sue Him! That is, demand that He answers you because He has promised to do so!”
If you are in Christ, pray confidently because your God hears!
Cara
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2 Responses
Can the 20 Bible verses be printed off
Great idea, Angela! Please see above for a printer-friendly version of the verse.