Based on Psalm 20 (New King James Version)
“May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob defend you; may He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion; may He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah. May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your purpose. We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright. Save, Lord! May the King answer us when we call.”
I think we would all like for God to hear our prayers and to grant us our requests. And the good news is that it is possible for Him to hear our prayers and respond to our supplications. But we must align ourselves with the Lord. It is necessary to put our lives in order before the Lord so that He listens and works in our favor. The Lord is not a cosmic genie who is there to grant wishes and fulfill desires. Our relationship with God must be much more than that so that we can obtain what we really need, or else we will have serious and eternal problems in the not-too-distant future.
The first thing we must make sure of is that God is the One who answers our prayer, and for good. And with this there is a lot to consider. One of the key things is to understand that there is a much bigger world than the one we see, and that world is much more important and affects everything we see in the present. This is what the Word says: Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses… Hebrews 12:1a. Who are these witnesses? It is God, to begin with, and the most important witness, but there are also the heavenly hosts. But unfortunately, there is also the devil and his demons. We are not alone, not even when we are in a dark room with the door closed. We always have something or someone around us. And the serious problem with that is that everyone is listening to what we say, and this can be for better or for worse. What is the importance with all of this? That when we pray, there are beings who are listening, and depending on how we are spiritually, that is the way our requests can be answered. There are many prayers that may be answered, but be careful, it is not always God who answers them, and that is a very serious problem. The devil also answers requests and has the power to do many things in this world like the prince he is of all of this, and what's more, he will do anything within his power to keep a person following the wrong path to their perdition. Neither answered prayers nor apparent blessings are indicators that God is working on our behalf, but rather the opposite can be true. We read this in the Word when the Lord Himself was tempted by the devil: “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’” Matthew 4:8-9. The devil can give much, grant much, as long as a person remains on a direct course to their destruction. When you come to understand the nature of something, then you can understand what it is capable of. The enemy is all evil, and wants all humanity to be lost, and will do anything to make sure that happens. That's why you have to be very careful.
Some may say: “As long as my prayers are answered, I don't care who answers them.” And this would be a very foolish way of thinking, but unfortunately, this is a very common problem. The vast majority of people are so concerned with the present world that they live in such a way that they will have absolutely nothing in the world to come, in the eternal. They are so focused on this world that they will be lost in eternity. And unfortunately, many so-called Christians have this same feeling, because they seek God only so that He can serve them (as if it were possible). This is what the Word says: “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.” Matthew 16:25-27. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people sacrifice their souls for very small and fleeting things, such as not wanting to let go of sin. They prefer to continue in their fornications, and adulteries, and sexual deviations, and in so many other things, than to turn from all that in order to save their soul in eternity. Many people value having possessions more than having eternal life. The majority of people want to get to heaven, but without letting go of sin and the things of the world. And even more, they want God to serve them, yet maintain a very bad mentality before Him. So, many prayers could be answered, but as we established before, it may not be God who is answering. And the worst of all is that, if they continue in their folly, they could manage to have many things in the present, but they will be lost eternally. There will be no salvation for them, even if they proclaim to believe in God. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven…” Matthew 7:21a.
So, how is it that God can answer our requests, and without us having to worry that there are evil forces involved? This is what the Word says: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.’” John 15:1-8. And here is a great example of answered prayer, as it is written: “Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:12-14. God heard Solomon's prayer, but when his heart was right before God. God did great wonders, but when there was unconditional obedience. Because the sad thing about the matter is that Salomon started very well, but ended very badly, by letting himself be carried away precisely by his disobedience. It is necessary to remain in the Lord so that God answers our requests, but even more importantly, so that we can obtain eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ. So, is your life aligned with the Lord, for your own good? Lord bless! John. God bless Israel.