Find the Answer to Your Prayer Before You Pray It

I John 5:14-15

¹⁴ This is the confidence we have in his presence: if we ask anything that accords with his will, he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — then we know that we have what we have asked from him. 

Probably a good number of both believers and unbelievers (those who pray, because that is what you are supposed to do) would be shocked by the title above.  To them, the whole point of prayer is to find the answer for which they are looking.  According to Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, prayer can be defined in a general sense as, “the asking of a favor, and particularly with earnestness.” This could describe the prayers of many believers and nonbelievers; “God, I have this need and am asking you to please provide for it/fix it.”

A second definition of prayer from Noah Wester’s dictionary gives a more Biblical perspective to prayer.

It says that prayer is a “petition which specifies the request or thing desired to be done or granted.”  In essence, this type of prayer goes to God with the answer from His Word and petitions Him for the desired outcome. This type of prayer provides a better way for the believer to pray (but certainly not the only way).

God’s Word provides the answer for every situation that can arise in this life. You might be thinking… “Well, it doesn’t tell me specifics, like who to marry, or what church to attend.”  That is true.  But there are scriptures that cover even these areas; scriptures abound concerning God’s Wisdom which is made available to us in His Word for the smallest detail of our lives. Whether it is a scripture that addresses a specific issue or one that gives guidance in areas that may not be specifically addressed, Word-based prayers are prayers that are based on the strongest of foundations.

What does a Word-based prayer look like?  The following are some of the areas where challenges occur in our lives:

Health – when faced with any health issue, but especially one that is life-threatening, base your prayer on Isaiah 53:5.  Father, in the Name of Jesus, I stand on Isaiah 53:3 for the restoration of my health, because according to Your Word, Jesus was … “⁵ punished for what we did. He was crushed because of our guilt. He took the punishment we deserved, and this brought us peace. We were healed because of His pain.” (ERV)

Finances – when faced with lack in a financial area, base your prayer on Philippians 4:19.  Father, in the name of Jesus, I stand on Philippians 4:19 and believe for this financial situation to be taken care, because according to Your Word, … “¹⁹ My God will use his glorious riches to give me everything I need. He will do this through Christ Jesus.” (ERV)

Protection – when faced with physical danger (tornado, hurricane, or even just traveling) base your prayer on Psalm 91:9-11.  Father, in the name of Jesus, I stand on Psalm 91:9-11, and believe for safety because according to Your Word … 9 I trust in the Lord for protection.  I have made God Most High my place of safety.¹⁰ So nothing bad will happen to me.  No diseases will come near my home.¹¹ He will command his angels to protect me wherever I go. (ERV).

Word-based prayers are powerful for two reasons: 1) the Word is living and powerful (Hebrews 4:6) – it has the ability to bring to pass what it says; 2) faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word – meaning each time you confess or even think about the scripture you are standing on, you are increasing your capacity to believe.

Like the teacher who gives his class the answer to a test question on the test because he doesn’t want them to get it wrong, so God, in His Infinite Love, has given His children the answers to ALL the questions they will ever face in life.  It’s called living the GRACE-life.   All that the GRACE-life requires is for us to believe in that Infinite Love!  

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