Prayer can be such a wonderful, simple, and yet a complicated process at the same time. When it comes to praying, everyone prays in their own unique and different way, and still, our loving God hears every one of us all at the same time, however, getting an answer? Now that can be a whole different story. I know from experience that sometimes an answer comes right away, and sometimes we have to wait to receive an answer. (2 Cor. 1:20 - For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.)
Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us. By his Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge—a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete.Because of the desire we have to grow in him and see more of him in our lives, there are some things we can pray for that God will always answer. David, the king of Israel, the man that was declared of being a “man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22 - After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’) he said, “Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his failing love from me.” Psalm 66:20 (NLT)
Ten prayers that God will always answer:
1. Lord Please, use me to Glorify
You One of the Lord’s greatest desire is to use us to glorify him. Sometimes it can be hard to know what to do or where God is directing us. But if we simply ask him and he will answer our prayer. It could be something as big as starting a non-profit organization for a specific cause, or something small as giving your coat to someone on a street corner, or buying a homeless person a meal. It could also be using the unique talents you have been given to reach other people for him. Each of these are just as powerful as the other.You may be asking, and I have, “How can I give something to God which is His in the first place?” I tend to believe that the key is found in (1 Chronicles 16:28-29, “O nations of the world, recognize the Lord, recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. 29 Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.”) In this verse, we see six actions on our part that make up the action of glorifying God; First, we “recognize who He is” Secondly, we “recognize His glory and strength” and thirdly, we “give glory to Him” why? because “He deserves it.” Fourth, we “bring Him an offering.” Fifth, we “come into His presence” and lastly, we “worship Him” in all his holy splendor because it is apart of our worship that glorifies Him.No one else deserves the praise and worship that we give to glorify Him. Isaiah 42:8 confirms this: “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.” Today’s man, what is the offering you bring to God to glorify Him?
2. Lord Please, Forgive my Sins
We serve a loving and merciful God and every one of us are sinners (Romans 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God). There is no such thing as a perfect Christian, because we all stumble and sometimes backslide, but by opening our hearts and mouths, confessing our sins we can be redeemed (Romans 10:9 - If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.) And once you have been redeemed the Bible encourages us, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so” (Ps. 107:2). Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says, “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.” The Lord died to save us from our sins. Not just that day on the cross, but everyday of our lives.The Bible tells us that we are all in need of forgiveness from God. We have all committed sin. 1 John 1:8 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Listen to me carefully, all sin is ultimately an act of rebellion against God. David said in Psalm 51:4 - “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.” As a result, today’s man, we desperately need God’s forgiveness. If our sins are not forgiven, we will spend eternity suffering the consequences of our sins (Matthew 25:46 - “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”) John said in his letter, “The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God’s wrath remains on him.” (John 3:36)
3. Lord Please, Reveal Yourself to me
Today’s Man is busy. In the busyness of life, it can be hard to see and hear where the Lord is leading us. But if we can simply stop and ask him to reveal himself to us, he will, and it’s usually an awesome, and amazing way. He reveals himself in different ways to each and every one of us. To some of us, he is an inner voice, soft and comforting, to others he speaks through visions and dreams. He also speaks at times by revealing that job, that opportunity, or the resources we need, exactly when we need them. Today’s man, if you are really struggling in your life today, and I know and understand that many of your are, I suggest that you take some time during the day, in a very quiet place, and ask him to reveal himself to you and in your life, but then, get into the habit of noticing the smallest of things during your day. To see if you recognize God revealing Himself to you. He doesn’t always reveal himself in big ways. Sometimes he reveals himself in very small ways. In the writings of Solomon, God says, “I love those who love me, and those who search for me find me.” (Proverbs 8:17). Today’s man, you have to seek God with an earnest and pure heart, and He will reveal Himself to you.
4. Lord Please, Give me Your wisdom
Today’s man, and today’s woman, in your daily study, and I pray that you are in your word daily. The Bible tells us, that we are not to “lean on our own understanding” (Prov. 3:5). This can be especially hard in difficult times, but the key to this is in the very first part of this scripture, that many seem to overlook, and that was when the writer started off with, “Trust in the Lord.” When you are facing a situation to where you don’t know what you should do, or where you should go, ask him to give you his wisdom. James said, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (James 1:5). It may also help you to speak with your pastor or a trusted friend, because sometimes when we are all stressed out, “in our own minds” God will speak through a trusted spiritual leader or friend, as to what you should do. All too often, God will speak to you directly. In 2 Chronicles 1:9-11 Solomon’s reply to God was complexly simple, he said, “Now, Lord God, may your promise to my father David be realized, for you have made me king over a great nation as numerous as the dust of the earth.” Solomon said, 10 “Now give me wisdom and discernment so I can effectively lead this nation. Otherwise no one is able to make judicial decisions for this great nation of yours.” God’s reply was equally complex but overwhelmingly promising to those who ask in faith, you will receive. 11 God said to Solomon, “Because you desire this, and did not ask for riches, wealth, and honor, or for vengeance on your enemies, and because you did not ask for long life, but requested wisdom and discernment so you can make judicial decisions for my people over whom I have made you king, 12 you are granted wisdom and discernment. Furthermore I am giving you riches, wealth, and honor surpassing that of any king before or after you.” All you have to do is “Ask, Seek, and Knock” (Matt. 7:7), and God will give you wisdom.
5. Lord Please, Strengthen my Obedience
In living a life for Christ, we should all know that when the Lord asks us to do something, we need to be obedient. However, I know as well as many others, at times it can be a very, very hard thing to do. For example, if you have been waiting or are waiting for something to happen, it can be extremely difficult not to take matters into your own hands. Especially when you have days of anxiety and doubt. This is when we really need to ask the Lord to strengthen your obedience. Ask him to help you to do what it is that you have been commanded to do. For me, whenever I hear or see the phrase, “Be still and know that I am God.” it reminds me to relax and just be obedient. Because God is working on my behalf, even if I can’t see it. There are a lot of things that God is working out, situations that are being fixed, that we cannot see. We just have to continue to trust Him.It is important to remember that our obedience to God is not solely a matter of duty. We obey Him because we love Him. John 14:23 says, Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him”. We also need to understand that the spirit of obedience is as important as the act of obedience. Because we serve the Lord in humility, in singleness of heart, and in love. This is how God strengthens our obedience.
6. Lord Please, Help me spread Your Love
Today, the world in which we live can, and is a crazy place. It is full of opinions and thoughts and ideas that don’t line up with that of our Spiritual and Heavenly Father. Please hear me on this, the very best way that we can interact with people in today’s society, is to show the love of God, but sometimes, again, this can be a very difficult thing to understand and know how to do, especially with all the hate that is in the world in which we live today. Today’s man, when you ask God to help you spread his love, be assured, he will. It may be in the acts of working and volunteering for a Christian non-profit organization, or a charity, or just you doing something on your own, spending time sharing your faith with someone that does not know Christ. These are ways in which God helps us to spread His love to others.
7. Lord Please, Give me Clarity
More than anything, I want to be clear in my walk with Christ. In walking this path called life it can be difficult and clouded at times. Life has a way of getting us dirty. The last thing the Lord wants is for you to go down the wrong path or make the wrong choice. It may take some time and a little patience, but the Lord will always answer a prayer for clarity. He does not want you to be in darkness, but being that we are all in this dark world, we can still be the shining light that leads others to Christ; For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ. - (2 Corinthians 4:6) When we pray and ask God for Clarity, it is as a result of our faith, that we get clarity in this dark world. Clarity is not just about being able to see, but the ability to understand.
8. Lord Please, Help me Find Peace
Today’s man is trying to find as much peace as they can in their life, in their relationship, in their homes, on their jobs, and even in the church that they attend. Our own lives can be chaotic let alone all the things that are going on in the world today. With everything going on, finding peace can seem almost impossible. The Lord does not want us living in a state of anxiety and peril, he will always give us an answer to help us find peace. It was the prophet Jeremiah that wrote about God speaking to him in regards to peace. It said, “In those days you will pray and I will listen. If you seek me wholeheartedly you will find me.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13 NLT)
Seeking the Lord you are assured to find Him, not that is lost or misplaced, but the simple fact that when you are in a place of unrest, in Him there is peace. Let me make you aware of something, today’s man, one main reason that you do not have that type of peace you desire and long for, is because we have stepped away from leading from the front. God’s desire was for you and me to lead. In order for you and I to lead we will have to spend more alone time with God, getting the instruction on how to lead effectively. People won’t understand why you are spending so much time alone reading and studying the word of God. They will not understand why you no longer laugh and joke with them. They will even get a little upset with you because you don’t spend as much time with them as you used too. But the one thing you will have to come into the knowledge of, and that’s, God comes first before anyone and everyone in your life! It is setting a standard that the world is unfamiliar with. Because to them, it’s all about them.I’m not saying don’t spend time with your loved ones, God forbid, however, there needs to come a time that your family knows and understands the importance of your need to spend time with God. Until this happens, you and I will forever be seeking for peace. It is “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:7)
9. Lord Please, Align my Heart with Yours
Understand this fact, this world and the people in it, can be a mean spirited place, and it can be hard sometimes not to hold judgment, and resentment, or other feelings in our heart. Especially when they have wronged you. But, after David had sinned, and even after we sin, our prayer should be the same as that of David when he broke down and cried out of his pain and disgrace, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Ps. 51:10) It’s not until we come to grips with the fact that we have problems and issues, and go to God, as David did, asking for forgiveness, repenting of whatever sins we have committed, that our hearts will be aligned with God’s. By asking the Lord to align our hearts with his, and asking for forgiveness, he can cleanse us of all the toxic things that build up in our hearts, and then we can be more aligned with him. He loves us and wants us to be more like him so this is a prayer he will always answer.
10. Lord Please, Align my Mind with Yours
It is no secret that everyday our minds are bombarded by images, thoughts, opinions and information. As I view CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, and as others view FOX NEWS, our minds are inundated with so much that is not conducive to our spiritual welfare. As we all know, what goes in is what comes out. Be it positive or negative. Still, we can’t just totally shut ourselves off from society and the media, let’s be real, many of you would be totally lost if you could not troll Facebook, or stalk Instagram as often are you do. Lord help us if you would have to find a book to read. But, the simple fact is this, we all falter in our thoughts from time to time. But in this time of faltering, it is the best time to ask the Lord to align our mind with his. Whenever we talk about the mind, especially in church, or in Bible study, we often quote, Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” Another version says, “Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ,” But if we are to align our minds with Christ then we need to read the reminder of this Scripture… which adds, 6 who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, 7 but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. 8 And he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Yet it was because of this that God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name which is above every other name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.I can teach for days on the right attitude that today’s man or today’s woman ought to have. But until we come to awareness to know that we really are not where we should be in Christ, our minds will never be aligned with God’s mind. How do I know this? Why do I say this? Think about it, we still lie, we still cheat, we still judge, we still compromise and classify not only our sins, but the sins of others. If we are truly going to be today’s man or today woman of God, our minds will need to be realigned with Christ.
As I pray for you now; write it down, give it to your children and to anyone else in need of a prayer being answered.
Dear Lord, I want to grow in you and have more of you in my life. I pray that you will strengthen me, using me and my talents to glorify you. I thank you for loving me and forgiving all my sins each day, every day. I pray that you will reveal yourself in my life. Give me your wisdom as to what I should say and do in every situation, strengthen my obedience in what you request of me. Show me the right path to travel and correct my ways if I stray. Show me ways to spread your love to those around me. Clear and open my mind to receive crystal clear clarity when you speak. Help in aligning my heart and mind, in their purest form, to be an imitation of you. Even though I may not always understand, I thank you for answering all my prayers in your perfect timing, with your perfect answer. In your name I pray. Amen.
