GOD ANSWERS PRAYER

Matthew 7:7–8 says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

John 14:13–14 states, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

Mark 11:22–24 adds, “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

But does this mean we always get what we ask for?

These verses are often cited to support the idea that as long as we ask God for something in the name of Christ, and believe wholeheartedly, we will surely receive it. But is that always true? Aren’t there also passages that show God doesn’t always hear or grant our requests?

Indeed, consider the following: Psalm 66:18 — “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Proverbs 1:28 — “Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me.” James 4:3 — “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

Are those two sets of verses contradictory? They may seem to be, but they are not—for they come from the mouth of the One who speaks only truth. God does not lie, and He does not contradict Himself (Num 23:19; Rom 3:4; Heb 6:18; 2 Tim 2:13). As the Apostle Paul affirmed, “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us… was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” (2 Cor 1:19–20).

How then do we reconcile these seemingly contradictory teachings? The answer lies in understanding the biblical and theological context of these verses.

Yes, God answers prayer. But that does not mean He is like an ATM—where we key in the right numbers and out comes the cash, no questions asked. God is sovereign and not subject to our demands, nor does He respond like a mindless machine. He answers prayer according to His own nature and will.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism (Q4) says: “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.”

Because God is who He is, He is not at our beck and call. He owes us no explanations. “God is greater than man. Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters” (Job 33:12–13). “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa 55:8–9).

Given that our God is all-wise and all-good, we can trust Him to give the right answers in His time. Sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes no, and sometimes not yet.

When God’s Answer Is Yes

God answers “yes” when we ask according to His will.

John 16:23 says, “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.” To ask in Jesus’ name is not merely to add His name to our prayers, but to pray in accordance with His character, His purposes, and His will.

Our Lord Himself prayed, “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). His prayer was answered—not with the removal of the cup, but with the strength to drink it. Hebrews 5:7–8 says He was “heard in that he feared,” and through suffering He “learned… obedience.” God’s answer was “yes” to the fulfilment of His redemptive will.

1 John 5:14–15 likewise says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

Psalm 37:4 also teaches, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” When our desires are aligned with His, our prayers will be answered.

When we obey His commandments and claim His promises, we can be confident of His blessing (Deut 11:13–14). God will surely give what is good: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts… how much more shall your Father… give good things to them that ask him?” (Matt 7:11).

So if we ask for more faith, more love, more holiness—things consistent with His nature—He will certainly give them.

When God’s Answer Is No

There are times when God does not answer because of sin.

Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” What does it mean to “regard iniquity in my heart”? Matthew Poole explains: “If my heart was false to God, and did cleave to idols or to any wickedness… If I had been guilty of that hypocrisy wherewith mine enemies charged me, and had been a secret favourer of wickedness when I pretended great piety… and whilst I cried to God with my tongue, my heart was set upon sin, or I desired only that which I resolved in my heart to spend upon my lusts….” If we approach God in such a manner—with hearts clinging to sin while pretending piety—then the Lord will not hear us.

1 John 2:15–17 reminds us that love for the world is incompatible with love for God. If our hearts are consumed with worldly desires, we should not expect God to bless us with what would only fuel our sin.

James 4:3 warns, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” The Greek word for “lusts” (hedonon) refers to selfish pleasures. This word is used five times in the New Testament and speaks of evil desire—the desire for pride, selfish ambition, and fornication (Luke 8:14; Tit 3:3; Jas 4:3; 2 Pet 2:13). God will not grant requests motivated by greed, pride, or self-indulgence.

Sometimes we may ask for something morally neutral, yet God still says no—for our own good. Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” is an example (2 Cor 12:7–9). God did not remove it, but gave Paul something better: sustaining grace. God’s “no” was a deeper “yes”—a yes to greater strength and sanctification. Paul responded with joy: “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities… for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor 12:10).

When God’s Answer Is Not Yet

At times, God delays His answer. He wants us to wait, to persevere, and to trust.

There are times when the Lord seems to look on without taking action. For instance, Saul was relentless in pursuing David to take his life. David no doubt prayed to the Lord for deliverance, but the answer did not come immediately. He had to pray—and wait—for many years. No wonder he said, “I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God” (Ps 69:3).

David often poured out “How long?” prayers in the Psalms: “O LORD, how long?” (Ps 6:3); “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD?” (Ps 13:1); “Lord, how long wilt thou look on?” (Ps 35:17). Though God seemed silent, David did not stop praying.

Even in heaven, the saints cry out, “How long, O Lord… dost thou not judge and avenge our blood?” (Rev 6:10).

Yet the Lord is faithful to His promises and will answer and act in His perfect time: “The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer” (Ps 6:9). Indeed, “He hath made every thing beautiful in his time” (Eccl 3:11).

Conclusion

Yes, God answers prayer—but He answers as God, not as a vending machine dispensing on demand. He answers as a Father—wise, loving, and sovereign. We must learn to trust Him not only when He says yes, but also when He says no, or not yet.

As we walk with Him, may our prayers be shaped more and more by His Word, His will, and His heart.

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counseller? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen” (Rom. 11:33–36). JK

NEW LIFE STUDENT CENTRE

Dear Pastor,

I would sincerely and humbly like you to know that the electricity situation in Yangon is very poor, especially after the earthquake. The government-provided electricity is not sufficient. It only comes on and off. Even then, the power is often interrupted, making it hard to do anything smoothly.

I have been using a generator for electricity up to this day. However, the generator we have is a small one—it only powers the lights, and we cannot use it continuously because petrol is expensive and difficult to obtain.

During the recent VBS, we used the generator from 9 am to 3.30 pm, but it could not handle the load and broke down after two days. I had to borrow a generator from a friend for the last day of VBS.

Installing solar electricity would greatly help solve our difficulties. The solar system comes with a five-year warranty and will cost Ks 16,400,000 (approximately SGD 5,000).

Yours in Christ,

Bro Thangno

[Ed: Session has approved this amount for the purchase.]

New Life Student Centre, Yangon, Myanmar, 20 May 2025