Answered Prayers.

Psalm 34:4, 15-22
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

Over the course of the new few days I'll be discussing our prayers and different ways God responds to them.

First, he can answer them, as the first few verses imply, as we want him to - "he delivered me from my fears." The rest of the passage is just encouraging.

How many times do you turn to God when you're in fear? I know I frequently turn to him when I'm fearful because God says do not worry. I do my best to turn over those fears and concerns to God. In fact, whenever I think something is suspicious I pray. It's comforting to know that he's there.

When you pray to God, do you see God as a genie? If so, try to get out of that mindset. Keep in mind, that God is more willing to answer your prayers if: you are obedient in his name, following God's will, and putting others first - before yourself. Ask God if you are doing these things. He will tell you. I guarantee that the more you pray and the more you become actively involved in the Bible, the more insight you will gain on your faith.

Too often we forget how much we ask of God and all the prayers he's already answered. Sometimes we move on too quickly without appreciating what he's given us. Thank goodness he still hears our voice when we call out for help.

The greatest thing about prayer is that it's pretty open-ended. You can pray anywhere and anytime. Use that 10 minutes down time you have today and just pray. Praying is easier than you think. Just learn to let the spirit move you. Don't worry about using big vocabulary to impress him. Ask what you want from God using faith and understand that it will be given to you if it's in accordance to his will.

The main thing is that you must trust and have faith in your prayers being answered by the Almighty. More tomorrow!