How does God answer prayers?

Jeremiah 33:3 (AMP)

3 ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.’

God has made everyone on purpose with a purpose.   Prayer is how you connect with your purpose.  

Prayer gives you access to the power of God.  We must pray, so we can connect with God and His power.  

Prayer changes your perspective.  There is power in prayer. There is no power in whining.  

Why doesn't God always answer our prayers? 

Isaiah 55:8  (AMP)

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.

God does not always answer our prayers the way that we ask them.   We try to tell God how to answer our prayers, but He does not.  

We ask for deliverance, but He gives us a promise.  Jesus bookended His requests with the will of God.  

Matthew 6:9-13  (AMP)

⁹ “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father, who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
¹⁰ 
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ 
‘Give us this day our daily bread.
¹² 
‘And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment].
¹³ 
‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. ^][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’

1. If the request is wrong, God will say no. 

Sometimes our prayers are selfish Matthew (20:21-23).  Sometimes it misses God's timetable (Matthew 17:4).  Sometimes our requests are crazy (Luke 9:53-55).   

2. Sometimes God says whoa.  

Sometimes I'm trying to push myself into something that's not prepared for me yet.  You may be ready, but the situation is not ready for you yet.  

Jesus told His disciples to wait for power from upon high (Luke 24:19). 

 Although Jesus had appeared to over 500 (1 Cor. 15:6), only 120 waited for the power of God (Acts 2-3).  

3. If you're not right, God may say grow.

  

You need to check yourself before you wreck yourself.   People help you grow.  

We moved toward people who affirm us, but not challenge us.  We must not label helpers as haters.  We must be around people who are more mature than us. 

James 5:16  (AMP)

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].

We need a group to hold us accountable, so our prayers will not be hindered.  

Psalm 66:18 (AMP)

If I regard sin and baseness in my heart [that is, if I know it is there and do nothing about it],
The Lord will not hear [me];

4.  When everything is right, God will say let's go.  

Philippians 4:6 (AMP)

6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.  

7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].

Sometimes, the answer is peace. If you'll pray through, God will come through.   

Jeremy Foster, Hope City Church

https://hopecity.com/sermons/how-does-god-answer-prayers/