Does God Answer Prayers?
Prayers from your heart to God. Receive prayers. Experience the power of prayers.
Does God Answer Prayers?
Life is tough, and sometimes, God is seemingly silent. This problem is a concern felt by many and the barrier to some people's faith. If God is all-loving and cares about us, why does He not speak to us amid our pain? How can we go through such terrible things and not receive any guidance or comfort in return? These questions sometime weigh heavily on our hearts.
But what if God wasn't silent at all, but we merely have not taken the opportunity to be silent and listen to Him? God desires to reach into our lives and radically alter the path we are on. He wants to meet our needs and bring us joy and peace, the likes of which we have never known before.
How do we hear God's answers to our prayers?
Create Space to Listen
Our lives are filled with numerous distractions and a lot of noise. It can be hard to find the space and time required to truly listen. We may find a moment to cry out to God, seeking help, but do we take the time necessary to hear and receive that help? We often move on quickly and conclude that our prayers have not reached God's ears when indeed, He is trying to reach us.
Keep an Open Mind
God does answer prayers, but sometimes the answer He provides is not the answer that we want; it does not align with our human desires. When that happens, accept His response. Don't be so set in the answer you want to satisfy yourself that you are unwilling to hear other options. Remember, prayer often is not to change God's mind, but to align our hearts to His will for us: "I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart" (Ezekiel 36:26, NLT).
Seek God in Everything
It is impossible to hear God's voice if we are not attuned to Him in our everyday lives. Look for signs of God's presence in your daily activities, at home, work, school, and even at the grocery store. Notice the little things where God's love shines: a loving word from your spouse, a hug from your kids, or a kind word from a stranger. Recognize that even though situations may be challenging, God is still at work. This awakening to His continual presence will allow you to hear better when He speaks to You.
How Do I Restore My Faith?
Life has a way of diverting us away from our destined path. Our burning faith sometimes fades under the daily demands of our adult responsibilities. The weight leaves us with a hole in our souls that we end up trying to fill with so many things. These things draw us further away from our faith. They also fail to satisfy the hole inside of us that we're trying to fill.
Jesus is the only one who can fill that void inside of us. The faith we find in Him fulfills us, leaving us focused to tackle everything else that life brings. But where do we begin on our journey to rekindle a faith that we lost? Here are three to find our way back
Pray
Communication is the foundation of any healthy relationship. Prayer is talking to God. When we speak with Him regularly, He guides us, leads us, and restores us. If we saturate our lives in prayer, we find constant encouragement and guidance in our faith. Start by picking specific times during the day to devote yourself to prayer. Tell Jesus that you welcome Him back into your heart and thank Him for His sacrifice on the cross. As you get more comfortable in prayer, share your joys, sorrows, and concerns with God. (Jeremiah 29:12, NIV).
Read the Bible
Each morning, meditate on a passage of Scripture. Sign up here for a daily scripture-based prayer. Take your lesson with you throughout the day. Let His words be a light that guides your steps. Through the scriptures, God helps us form a newfound sense of identity, strength, and purpose. By living out what it says, we learn how He desires us to live. The life that He offers allows us to be the best version of ourselves that we possibly can be. God designed each of us for something great. He wants to reveal your purpose to you through His Word.(Proverbs 30:5, NIV).
Connect With Your Local Church
The fellowship that you find in a community of believers provides unmatched spiritual motivation. God calls us to live life with others. Find a local church and reach out to the pastor. Let the pastor know you are interested in renewing your faith and want to learn more. Understand that much as you want to learn and receive mentoring, your life experiences mean you are also equipped to pour into the lives of others. There is profound truth found in Jesus' words in Matthew 18:20: "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them" (NIV).
Faith believes without seeing. Even when the future seems dim, God's strength is available to us. Beloved, there is nothing you can or have ever done that prohibits you from returning to Jesus. He is always ready to welcome us back into His loving arms, ready to restore our faith.