Bible Study Corner
Prayers
Answered & Unanswered
C . Suthakar , Mudalur
Prayer moves the Hand that moves the world . Let us turn to the Scripture and glean some facts that will move the Hand and those that will not . God answered Abraham ' s prayer because Abraham obeyed God ( Gen 18:22 , 23 ; 19:27 ). God answered Moses ' prayer because he was humble , and he was silent when criticized (
Ex 32:32 ; Num 12:13 ; 14:19,20 ). God answered Joshua ' s prayer because he obeyed the word of the Lord ( Jos 7:6,10 ; 8:35 ). God answered Samuel ' s prayer because Samuel knew the heart of the Lord ( 1 Sam 12:18 ). God answered Elijah ' s prayer because he stood before the Lord God of Israel ( 1 Ki 17 : 1 ,
18:37 ).
God answered Daniel ' s prayer because he purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself ( 1:8 ), he had good companions ( 2:17 , 3:18 ), he was faithful and blameless ( 6:4,5 ), he respected the king ( 6:21 ), he searched the Scripture diligently ( 9:1-3 ) and he prevailed in prayer ( 9 : 1-18 ). God answered the prayer of Ninevites because they wholeheartedly repented ( Jon 3:8-10 ). God did NOT hear their prayer because they refused to hear the Word of God ( Is
59:1,2,15,16 ; 1:10,15 ). God did NOT answer because they did not care for the poor , they did not truly repent ( Jer
7:16 ; 11:11,14 , 14:11,12 ; 15:1 , 7:5,6 ). God did NOT answer their prayer because something else became their ' god ' ( Eze 8:5 ). God did NOT answer the Israelites because they grieved the Holy Spirit of God and refused to hear the word of God ( Zec 7:12,13 ). God will NOT answer our prayers if we do not execute justice ( Zech 7:9 ) and speak the truth ( 8:16 ). God will NOT hear our prayers if we do not forgive others ( Mat 6:15 ). Our Response We should be persistent in prayer ( Lk 18:1 ). We should pray without ceasing ( 1 Thes 5:17 ). We need to abide in His Word ( Jn 15:7 ). We need to give thanks in all circumstances ( 1 Thes 5:18 ). We need to be watchful in prayer ( 1 Pet 4:7 ). We should be earnest while praying ( Js 5:17 ).