Prayer: Does God Really Answer?

"Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord, my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." Like many children, this simple verse served as my bedtime "prayer" for many years. I recited it more out of ritual than with any true feeling or intent. It was simply another task, much like brushing my teeth that had to be completed before I closed my eyes.

Now, however, as I have matured in my faith I have come to view true prayer as a tremendous privilege and a blessing from God. My prayer life provides me with comfort during difficult times as well as everyday, practical help.

I am always intrigued by non-believers and self-proclaimed atheists who declare prayer as invalid because "God doesn't answer" or who discount evidence of answered prayers as mere coincidence.

In my experience, God always answers my prayers. Sometimes the answer is "No" and sometimes the answer is, "Not now, wait" and sometimes the answer is not what I would choose but He always answers. The key, however, is in having a personal relationship with God. I suspect that those who feel that He doesn't answer have simply not spent enough time getting to know Him and just don't recognize His voice.

Think about it. Suppose you had a friend or family member whom you hadn't seen or heard from in years. This person never visited, never called, never acknowledged you in any shape or form for decades. Then suddenly, out of the blue this individual calls and the first words out of his mouth are, "Hey buddy, I'm really in a jam. Can you loan me $5000?" What would you do? Would you rush to this person's aid? Would you fork over the money immediately with no questions asked? Would you shout, "Of course not! Are you crazy?" and hang up the phone? Or would you perhaps take some time to think it over, put the person on hold while you discussed it with your spouse or tell him that you need some time to consider his request and that you'll get back to him in a week, or a month or a year?

I believe that our relationship with God is really no different. If we neglect the relationship and only call on Him when we're in trouble we shouldn't be surprised when the answers do not come instantly. Have we ever stopped to consider that God may be silent because he is busy answering the prayers of those who are close to him every day and not just in times of crisis?

Knowing how to pray and what to ask can also increase the effectiveness of our prayer life. In the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 11, Verses 2 through 4 Jesus gives His disciples the "Model Prayer" which Christians have also come to know as "The Lord's Prayer." These verses still provide an excellent guide for sincere and heartfelt prayer. After respectfully addressing the Father, Jesus instructs us to begin our prayers by recognizing that God is in control, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven." God has the ability and the power to do anything and everything, but He allows us to make our own choices through the gift of free will. By asking that God's own will prevail, we demonstrate our trust in Him by voluntarily relinquishing our ability to choose and putting our fate entirely in His hands. When we feel that God isn't answering us, it may be that we are not allowing him to demonstrate His will in our lives. We want to be in control. God never forces Himself upon us and will likely step into the background when He perceives that we aren't yet ready to let go of the wheel and allow Him to steer.

Jesus next tells us to ask the Father to, "Give us this day, our daily bread." I think here the message is to trust God enough to ask only for what you need in the short run. When we ask to win the lottery we're seeking long term financial security, a "one and done" deal. From our perspective we're probably thinking, "If I could just win a million dollars I'd be set for life. I wouldn't ever have to worry again." But in a way we're also saying that we never want to have to trust God again. We never want to be dependent on Him again. Like a loving parent, God will let us go if that is our choice but he would probably much prefer that we stay close to him even as we grow so that He might share in all our joys and sorrows.

Perhaps most importantly, Jesus tells us to ask the Father to "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." So, we shouldn't be going to God and asking for revenge against an enemy or approaching God requesting love and understanding in spite of our faults just moments after having raged at some poor, confused soul who cut us off in traffic.

I have noticed a real change in the effectiveness of my own prayer life since I have taken a new approach to prayer. I generally start by simply thanking God for all the good things in my life. I try to express my gratitude each day for His many wonderful gifts. After that I simply ask God to please continue giving me more of the good things that He wants me to have. By acknowledging that God has done a great job meeting my needs in the past, telling Him that I sincerely appreciate it and requesting that He "keep up the good work" I find that even the bumps along the way are smoothed out in short order.

I think prayer really is mostly about developing that close, spiritual relationship and learning to let go and trust. I encourage everyone to try it. The results are nothing short of miraculous.