“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” ~Philippians 4:6
We know the importance of prayer. I talk about it a lot here on the blog, from how to pray a prayer of praise to prayers for our homes and families to journaling our prayers.
Recently I was blessed to see God answer a prayer that’s been on my heart for months. In His goodness and faithfulness, He granted the request.
As I thanked Him for His answer, I realized that certain blessings come along with having our prayers answered. Yes, we get an answer to our request, the granting of what we prayed for. But there are other benefits to answered prayer.
Here are five amazing blessings of answered prayer.
1. It reminds us that God loves us.
I already know this in my head. God sent His Son to earth to die for me so that my sins could be forgiven. When I trust Jesus as my Savior, I get to live with Him forever in Heaven. Yet prayer adds another layer to us grasping that love.
God hears our prayers and understands our concerns. Nothing happens in our lives that’s not allowed by Him. And just as a loving earthly father answers the requests of his child, so our Heavenly Father loves us and wants to give us good gifts.
2. It encourages us to continue praying for other requests that we have.
When we see a prayer answered, it reminds us that God is listening. He heard us asking for something, and He responded.
Maybe there’s something we’ve prayed about for years. Think of Zacharias and Elisabeth in Luke 1. How long had they been praying for a child? Likely for many years. They were living righteously, the Bible says, yet their prayer went unanswered…until it didn’t.
Having a prayer answered encourages us to continue praying about other needs.
3. It helps us understand that God always wants what’s best for us and for those for whom we pray.
If it seems that He’s not answering our prayer, we can trust that He will work in His own way and in His own time to bring His will to pass. We pray with the limited knowledge that we have. Thank God for his Holy Spirit that intercedes for us and helps us when we don’t know what to pray. [Romans 8:26-27]
4. It reaffirms in our minds that nothing is too hard for God.
We know the Bible verses that say that nothing is impossible with God. Yet how exciting it is when we see God do something in answer to our prayer that seemed beyond what could be accomplished. There are times when it is especially evident that God has worked in ways that man cannot explain.
5. It gives us another reason to praise Him.
While we already have so much for which to be thankful, answered prayer is yet another reason to praise God. It also allows us to bring honor and glory to Him by telling others what He has done for us.
If you keep a prayer list, make sure to note when specific prayers are answered. Or maybe keep a separate list of answered prayers that you can review from time to time and use the list to praise God for all that He’s done.
May God grant us all the blessings of seeing answered prayer in our lives!
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