Does God Answer Your Prayers?
The Lord desires to answer your prayers. He wants a personal relationship with you and the opportunity to fulfill your needs.
To receive this from Him, you must understand the principles of prayer. In this article, you’ll learn how to make requests to God and receive answers for them.
The Centurion's Faith
5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him,
6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.”
7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.”
8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.
9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.
11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,
12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
You Must Acknowledge Jesus As Lord
The Centurion was a Roman official. Despite being a gentile, he believed in God and acknowledged Jesus as Lord.
This was uncommon during their time in Rome and Israel as people served other gods or failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. When he did approach Jesus, he marveled at his faith.
The Canaanite Woman
We see the same instance with the Canaanite woman. Although her people historically served other gods, she came to Jesus and appealed to Him as Lord.
Jesus initially denies her request but rewards her later after seeing her faith.
Coming To Christ
The stories of both people reveal that you must acknowledge Jesus as Lord before you come to Him. Doing so empowers you to have a relationship with Him and receive answer your prayer. Hebrews 11:6 supports this step as it says:
“without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
You Must Believe Jesus Can Answer Your Prayers
The Centurion knew Jesus could heal others. His ministry until this point was dedicated to preaching the Gospel and healing His people.
The Centurion also understood that Jesus could fulfill His request by simply saying the word. This shows his faith and awareness of Jesus’ power based on his own experiences as a Roman official.
Lord If You Are Willing
When Jesus came down from the mountainside, a man with leprosy approached Him. The man acknowledged Jesus as Lord and asked if He would heal him. Because of his belief and trust, Jesus healed the man and sent Him to the priest.
Trusting God To Answer Your Prayers
From these two men, we learn that God can fulfill our requests. Nothing is impossible for us to receive when we trust God and ask for things based on His Will.
The Lord Can Answer Your Prayers
The Lord can do anything. If you desire to ask Him for something, you must acknowledge Him as Lord and trust His power to fulfill your request.
Although God will not always answer your prayers how you desire, know He heard you and will work things in your favor.
