WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
OCTOBER 6, 2022
TOPIC: GOD WILL ANSWER YOUR PRAYERS
BY T. O. BANSO
“The poor and needy people look for water, but they can’t find any. Their tongues are dry with thirst. But I, the Lord, will answer their prayers; I, the God of Israel, will not leave them to die” (Isaiah 41:17 New Century Version).
Some people don’t feel a need for God in their lives until they are in a tight corner or at their wits’ end. When they have tried all that they could do on their own or with the help of others and nothing seems to be working, they suddenly realize that they need God. The truth is that they have always needed God but they have chosen to live their lives independently of Him. Because God is a merciful God, He doesn’t force anyone to seek Him. Nevertheless, He will allow some things to happen to secure people’s attention or acknowledgment of Him.
Through prayer, we fellowship and communicate with God. We also present our requests to God through prayer. While some people don’t pray, some pray only as a last resort. But others acknowledge their limitation and pray regularly to God for His participation and intervention in their lives.
I don’t know the category you belong to but I want to encourage you to cultivate the discipline of prayer if you have not been praying. If you’ve been praying to God, I also want to encourage you to believe that God will answer your prayers. Don’t be discouraged as you pray to God. God answers prayers if we pray according to His will. 1 John 5:14 says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (New King James Version).
Some rules govern prayer such as forgiving others, praying in faith, being specific in your request, praying with the right motives, and asking according to God’s will. If you abide by these rules, you will receive answers to your prayers. However, you must be patient, as the answers may not come at the exact time you want them. Your time is not always God’s time. Nevertheless, God doesn’t come late. He will answer your prayers at the right time. Many people who have received answers to their prayers have had to overcome impatience. Thank God that they waited for God.
Those who didn’t wait for God but were in a hurry are regretting already or will regret it later. Wait for God’s light; don’t make your own light. God will answer your prayers. Have faith and patience. Hebrews 6:12 says you should not become sluggish or lazy, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8 New Living Translation).
Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22 New King James Version). Also, Psalm 37:5 says you should commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Pray always and don’t lose heart (Luke 18:1). God will answer your prayers.
Take your needs to God in prayer instead of worrying. As Jesus asked, can you by worrying add one cubit to your stature or a single hour to your life? (Matthew 6:27; Luke 12:25). Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6).
Present your needs before God in prayer. Jesus said, “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:8-11 New King James Version).
Pray to God. He will answer your prayers. In Isaiah 41:17, the Bible says, “The poor and needy people look for water, but they can’t find any. Their tongues are dry with thirst. But I, the Lord, will answer their prayers; I, the God of Israel, will not leave them to die” (New Century Version). Take note of the phrase “But I, the Lord, will answer their prayers.” God would not leave the poor and needy to die thirsty. This is another assurance that God will answer your prayers. God will meet your needs; you won’t die in that sickness or condition.
What will God do in answer to the prayer of the poor and needy people who were looking for water, but couldn’t find any, as stated in the last scripture, Isaiah 41:17? How would God solve their problem? Verses 18-20 say, “I will make rivers flow on the dry hills and springs flow through the valleys. I will change the desert into a lake of water and the dry land into fountains of water. I will make trees grow in the desert — cedars, acacia, myrtle, and olive trees. I will put pine, fir, and cypress trees growing together in the desert. People will see these things and understand; they will think carefully about these things and learn that the Lord’s power did this, that the Holy One of Israel made these things” (New Century Version).Â
God will answer your prayers. He knows the right answer and the right time the answer will manifest. Sometimes what you’re asking for is not really what you need. You may unknowingly be asking for a serpent, and, as a good Father, God won’t give you that. He will rather give you a fish. You could also ignorantly be asking for a stone but God will give you bread instead. God has your best interest at heart. Trust in Him. He will answer your prayers. Nothing is too hard for Him to do (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32;17, 27).
Psalm 107:35-36 says, “He turns a wilderness into pools of water, and dry land into watersprings. There He makes the hungry dwell, that they may establish a city for a dwelling place” (New King James Version). God turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of waters (Psalm 114:8).  Â
Have faith in God. Don’t be weary or discouraged. God will answer your prayers. Your current needs or condition will soon be a thing of the past. “For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,  and streams in the desert.  The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; In the habitation of jackals, where each lay, There shall be grass with reeds and rushes” (Isaiah 35:6b-7 New King James Version). God will do a new thing for you. He will make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert (Isaiah 43:19). When the answer to your prayers comes, your prayer points will change! It will happen soon in Jesus’ name.
God will answer your prayers.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Holy Spirit, help me to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Father, I will wait for the answers to my prayers; I will not be impatient in Jesus’ name. Father, let the long-awaited answers to the prayers of those crying to You be delivered to them in due season. Let them not give up before the answers come.
(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
  
  
  
  
