Are you wondering about the signs that God is answering your prayers after leaving your prayer closet? Prayer is a powerful and divine way of communicating with the Lord. Through prayer, we present our requests to God, we thank Him for what He has done, and we give Him praise and honor. Jesus asks us to be alert and pray always. When we pray, we expect that God will hear us and answer our prayers. But, does God answer prayers? Yes, God listens to our voices when we pray and answers us.
How Does God Answer Prayers?
The reason we don’t believe that God answers prayers is because we always expect Him to do what we want right away. However, this is not how God works. God answers in three different ways:
· He answers with a ‘yes’
Matthew 7:7 (NKJV) – “Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you.”
There are times when God’s answer to our prayers is yes. He responds immediately to our voices and grants us our heart desires. When we knock, He opens doors of blessings and opportunities for us.
· He answers with a ‘no’
Not all our prayers receive ‘yes’ for an answer. God may decide to reject our prayers for various reasons. One of the most common reasons is when we ask God for something with an ill intention.
James 4:3 (NKJV) – “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
God will not grant you something if you want to use it to harm or exploit others. Are you asking God to grant you a job so that you can show off like some people you know? God expects us to use what He has given us to bless others and to give glory and honor to Him. If we are asking God for things with wrong intentions, He answers with a no.
· God says wait
God knows us so well that He knows what we need and when we need it. He may take us through a period of waiting to test our patience and to prepare us for the blessings ahead. But how long does God take to answer? In Isaiah 60:22, God says that in His right time He will make it happen. Therefore, do not always expect that God will answer your prayers right away. You may need to be patient and wait.
Psalms 37:7 (NKJV) – “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way.”
Clear and Evident Signs That God Is Answering Your Prayers
· When You Have Confidence in Him
1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV) – “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
When you feel confident that God will do whatever you ask in His will, it indicates that God is about to answer your prayers. The confidence that you have in the ability of God to answer you is an assurance that He is answering you. People who are unsure of the power and ability of God do not receive an answer from God. Therefore, any little confidence in Him is one of the signs that God is answering your prayers.
· When You Have Unshakable Faith in God
James 1:6-7 (NKJV) – “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting. For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. Let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.”
You must approach the throne of God with unshakable faith. Without faith it is impossible to touch the heart of God and make Him answer your prayers. In Mark 11:24 (NKJV), the Bible says that when we believe, God will grant us whatever we ask from Him. When your faith grows after praying, it is a sign that God is answering your prayers.
· Provision Is One of the Signs That God Is Answering Your Prayers
Philippians 4:19 (NKJV) – “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
What other better way there is than God answering your prayers through abundant provision. When you ask God for anything according to His will, He provides it to you. This may come in the form you expect or in a better form designed by God.
Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV) reads, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”
God is able to provide you with more than you ask for in prayer. The provision in your life is not out of your smartness or effort. Rather, it is one of the signs that God is answering your prayers.
· You Experience Calmness in Your Mind
Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV) – “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.”
God calls us to go to Him with a relaxed and calm mind. However, many of us go to Him with a lot of anxiety and fear. The pressures of life push us to the point where we cannot have peace of mind. But there is power in genuine prayer. The prayer that comes from the heart causes a great impact in the spiritual realms. And, the outcome of this is that you will experience peace deep within your heart and mind. Peace and calmness are signs that God is answering your prayers.
· Some Dreams Show Signs That God Is Answering Your Prayers
God may answer the puzzles of our lives through a dream. We may have asked God for answers to some situations or for directions. And, He may respond by showing us the way we should go through a dream.
In Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV), God says, “Call to me, and I will answer you. And show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
God may show us these great and mighty things through a dream. Therefore, never ignore what you dream about. The dream could be one of the signs that God is answering you.
· God Answers Prayers Through Others/Helpers
God uses us to fulfil His purpose on earth. He may use other people to carry out His work in our lives. When we pray for some help, He may send people our way as a sign that He has heard our prayers.
Isaiah 46:11 (NIV) – “From the east I summon a bird of prey. From a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.”
God may use a person you have never seen before in response to your prayers. These people come into your life so that God can bring about what He has said and planned. When God answers your prayers, destiny helpers will come into your life. So, when people come your way, be in the know it is one of the signs God is answering your prayers.
· Feelings of Contentment Are Signs That God Is Answering Your Prayers
Psalms 121:2 (NKJV) – “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
When God is answering your prayers, you will not worry about anything. All help comes from Him and this is what your heart will stand on. In Psalms 23:1 (NIV), the Psalmist says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” When you start making positive affirmations after praying, it is a show of contentment in the Lord’s doings. If you are having any feelings of contentment, it is a sign God is answering your prayers.
Conclusion
What are the signs that God is answering your prayers? And, how do you know when God is answering your prayers? All the above signs show How God answers prayers and how you can tell that He is answering you. Be alert in the spirit, and watch out for these signs.
How Do You Get God to Answer Your Prayers Immediately?
- Ask whatever you want with a genuine motive, James 4:3.
- Humble yourself before Him so that He can exalt you by answering your prayers, James 4:10.
- Repent so that your sins may not block His ears from hearing your voice, Isaiah 59:2.
- Believe and have faith in Him, Mark 11:24.
- Seek righteousness, James 5:16.
