PRAYER
INTERACTIVE BIBLE STUDY
Does it help? Study what the Scriptures teach about prayer, its benefits, the proper way to pray and whether or not God will answer.
"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7).
To begin, click on the "Start" button. Use the "Next" and "Back" buttons to navigate through the study.
Does it help? Study what the Scriptures teach about prayer, its benefits, the proper way to pray and whether or not God will answer.
"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7).
To begin, click on the "Start" button. Use the "Next" and "Back" buttons to navigate through the study. Prayer - Does it work?
The following answers present several options:- A. God does not hear prayers.
- B. Answered prayer is really just coincidence.
- C. God answers prayer according to His will.
- D. God answers prayers exactly as we request.
Does God hear prayer?
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"O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come" (Psalm 65:2).
"Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you" (Jer. 29:12).
"Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee" (2 Chron. 6:39).
Does God answer prayer?
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"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not" (Jer. 33:3).
"For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened" (Luke 11:10).
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Scripture is also full of evidence that God answers prayer!
Examples of answered prayer
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"Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years" (Is. 38:5).
"And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes" (Judges 16:28).
"But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John" (Luke 1:13).
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The many stories in the bible testify of God's direct answer to prayer.
Who's prayers does God answer?
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"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16).
"The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous" (Prov. 15:29).
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The prayers of the righteous are heard and answered by God.
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"Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:12-13).
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The prayers of those seeking God will be answered by God.
The prayers of those who are sincere, seeking with all their heart, will be answered by God. However small, even the slightest turn toward God or the desperate cry, He will answer.
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"And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood" (Is. 1:15).
"He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination" (Prov. 28:9).
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God doesn't hear or answer prayers by the wicked, such as those who shed innocent blood or who purposely don't heed His law.
How to pray: With all your heart
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"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13).
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The heart (mind) should honestly want to find God and seek after Him as a first priority.
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"Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Tim. 2:22).
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Prayer should come from an attitude of honesty with pure motives.
How to pray: Follow the perfect example
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"And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples" (Luke 11:1).
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The disciples must have realized the importance of prayer and asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.
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"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen" (Matt. 6:9-13).
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Jesus provided an example of a perfect prayer, after which we can model our prayers. Let's take a look at His example in more detail...
How to pray: Pray to God only
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"Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray" (Psalm 5:2).
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As per Jesus' example in the Lord's Prayer ("Our Father, which art in heaven"), prayer should be addressed to God.
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"And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven" (Matt. 23:9).
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God's names shouldn't be applied to any other and should be used reverently ("hallowed by thy name").
How to pray: Submit to God's will
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"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" (1 John 5:14-15).
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Jesus prayed "Thy will be done." God knows what we need and what is best for us. Prayers are answered when they fit into His plan and for our best good and the good of His kingdom.
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"And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt" (Mark 14:36).
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Jesus' own example teaches this principle. He submitted to the Father's will, even though He pleaded for a different outcome.
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"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts" (James 4:3).
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God doesn't answer prayers that are asked for sinful and selfish purposes, which don't match the good He has planned.
Submitting more and more to Jesus, means reflecting Christ's character more and more, which brings the will more and more into line with God's will, thus making prayers more and more effective.
How to pray: Pray for your daily needs
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"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" (Matt. 6:26).
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Asking God to provide for daily needs ("Give us this day our daily bread") reconfirms our trust in Him for all our needs.
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"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things" (Matt. 6:31-32).
"The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing" (Psalm 145:15-16).
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The key is to ask and trust. Any good thing comes from God, whether we recognize it or not. Do not worry and spend so much precious time seeking earthly security. God knows what we need and we can be satisfied with what is provided.
How to pray: Pray for forgiveness
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"For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee" (Psalm 86:5).
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
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Jesus said to ask God to "Forgive us our debts." Much Bible evidence shows how willing God is to forgive and how eager He is to cleanse and heal us.
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"Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him" (Luke 17:3).
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When we ask God for forgiveness, He expects us to exhibit the same spirit of forgiveness to our fellow man ("as we forgive our debtors").
How to pray: Pray to overcome temptation
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"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41).
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13).
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God is ready and able to give victory over sin and to protect from temptation against those things which we are not able to stand.
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"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man" (James 1:13).
"But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil" (2 Thess. 3:3).
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God doesn't tempt you, but guides you away from temptations and protects you from the tempter ("Lead us not into temptation"). He "stablishes" you, which means to turn resolutely in a certain direction.
How to pray: Pray for deliverance
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"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call" (Joel 2:32).
"And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me" (Psalm 50:15).
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Pray for deliverance ("Deliver us from evil") from sin in one's own life, from other evil people and from Satan and his angels. God has promised deliverance to those who ask Him for it.
How to pray: Praise God
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"They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations" (Psalm 145:11-13).
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God rules all of creation and there is no other ("Thine is the kingdom and the power"). All honour, praise and recognition are due Him for He is good, just and righteous.
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"O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people" (Psalm 105:1).
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Praising God involves recognizing His power and goodness and acknowledging it openly and thanking Him for it. When Christ returns to earth the second time, all will bow to Him, admitting He is God and recognizing His power and kingdom.
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"For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God" (Romans 14:11).
How NOT to pray: For show
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"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly" (Matt. 6:5-6).
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It is always good to pray to God by yourself, away from distractions. Praying in public is fine too, as long as you don't do it for show.
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"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation" (Matt. 23:14).
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Here again, Jesus warns us about praying a certain way for show, in this case, by praying for a long time.
How NOT to pray: With many words
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"Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few" (Eccles. 5:2).
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God is a friend and we can tell Him anything that is in our heart. Don't be in a hurry. Think about the words before speaking them, just as you would when speaking to a friend.
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"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking" (Matt. 6:7).
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There is no need to repeat the same thing over and over to get God's attention. In fact, that is a heathen practice.
How NOT to pray: Proudly
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"Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess" (Luke 18:10-12).
"Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off" (Psalm 138:6).
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A proud spirit and elevating self by putting others down is not the proper approach to prayer.
How NOT to pray: Without understanding
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"For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also" (1 Cor. 14:14-15).
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It is important to pray and fully understand what you are praying.
Who to pray for: Pray for the sick
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"Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him" (James 5:13-15).
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These are just a few of the examples in the Bible of the power of prayer to heal the sick.
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"And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him" (Acts 28:8).
Who to pray for: Pray for others
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"Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job" (Job 42:8).
"I prayed therefore unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand" (Deut. 9:26).
"Brethren, pray for us" (1 Thess. 5:25).
"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16).
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The prayer of a person who is whole-heartedly following God, can help other people and even save others' lives.
Who to pray for: Government leaders
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"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty" (1 Tim. 2:1-2).
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Pray for the president, judges, senators, congress, governors, mayors, and all people in leadership positions.
Who to pray for: Enemies
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"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matt. 5:44).
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What better way to stop the harassments and rude behavior of others than to pray that God changes their heart.
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"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots" (Luke 23:34).
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Sometimes, people may treat you badly because they haven't yet heard the good news. They do not know what they do. As Jesus' example shows, we should pray for them.
Who to pray for: Those spreading the gospel
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"Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf" (2 Cor. 1:11).
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Everyone can contribute to the spreading of the Gospel by praying for those in the field.
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"Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest" (Luke 10:2).
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We can also pray that more people become part of the army that is spreading the Gospel.
When should we pray?
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"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up" (Psalm 5:3).
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A great way to start the day is with prayer!
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"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice" (Psalm 55:17).
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It is good to establish regular times for prayer throughout the day to stay in tune with God.
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"Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17).
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Always pray on the appropriate occasion and do not let anything interrupt or keep you from your established prayer times.
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"Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer" (Romans 12:12).
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Instant means to be earnest towards and constantly diligent.
Don't delay prayer
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"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near" (Is. 55:6).
"When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are" (Luke 13:25).
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There will be a day when each person's eternal destiny has been decided and it will be too late to begin seeking God.
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"But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb. 3:13).
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Putting off prayer will make you more susceptible to deceit and to sin. Closing ears to the Holy Spirit, which hardens the heart, is the worst thing a person can do!
Prayer is especially important during the last days
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"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer" (1 Pet. 4:7).
"Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is" (Mark 13:33).
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come" (2 Tim. 3:1).
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The end times are especially perilous and prayer is critical. Prayer enables people to be ready to meet Jesus at any time.
The key to prayer: Believe
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"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive" (Matt. 21:22).
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:24).
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Belief in God and His promises is the key to effective prayer.
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"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Rom. 10:14).
"17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17).
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True belief is achieved by hearing and heeding God's Word.
Review the original question
Prayer - Does it work?- A. God does not hear prayers.
- B. Answered prayer is really just coincidence.
- C. God answers prayer according to His will.
- D. God answers prayers exactly as we request.
End of Study
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Copyright ©2020 Dennis Wagner. Reproduction and/or distribution of this Bible study is encouraged. However, no part of this Bible study may be modified in any way without the written consent of the copyright holder. For comments and questions, please contact us.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV). Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The "NIV" and "New International Version" are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV). Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The "NIV" and "New International Version" are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
But does He hear all of them and does He answer all of them? What can we do to pray more effectively? Let's continue examining the Bible evidence...