"God Answers Knee-Mail"

In talking with his disciples Jesus instructed them saying, "Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened." (Matthew 7:7-9)

For those of you who struggle with or ever wondered if God answers prayer, this scripture confirms that He does indeed. Just as our earthly fathers know how to give gifts to their children, how much more will our Heavenly Father give what is good to those who ask Him.

So what then is prayer? In a word, it is "Knee-mail." Our modern- day computers are equipped so that people all over the world can communicate with each other. A girl living in New York can talk to an individual in Japan. This form of communication is done through a process called email. While I don’t own a computer nor am I interested in emails, I am a firm believer in knee-mail and its results.

Prayer is communication between God and the individual. Through prayer, we express our inner needs and find strength, wisdom, joy and peace. The peace that God gives is not like the world’s peace and can only be obtained through prayer.

During his earthly ministry, Jesus spent a lot of time praying. He would often leave the people’s presence and go to a private place to commune and talk with His Father.

According to one author, prayer involves more than kneeling for a few minutes and then getting up. It involves several important aspects some of which include "expressions of our trust in God, confession of sins, praise for God’s mighty deeds and concession of sin."

The Lord’s Prayer is our perfect prayer example. It is the model Jesus used during his most difficult and trying times. He prayed to His Father for strength and guidance. He knew that Calvary was ahead and he would often steal away to pray. Just as God loved His Son and answered his prayers, He (God) promises to answer our prayers and supply all of our needs.

Many people treat prayer as a succession of "Can I Haves"? They are unaware that prayer is pure communication with God, and not a means of bringing him a supply list to be answered one by one.

Prayer is our way of talking with God. It is not a magical trick designed to get everything you want, nor is it a "quick fix" for the problems you bear. According to the writer of Psalms, God answers our prayers in His own way at His appointed time. "I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry." (Psalms 40:1)

Another important aspect concerning prayer is that God does not grant requests that are "against His Word, selfish in nature, not in our best interest, and those made with impure motives" see Psalms 66:18, Proverbs 28:9, Isaiah 59:2, I John 5:14-15.

I have counseled both young and old who believed if their prayers were not answered immediately, then they would not be answered at all. That premise could not be farther from the truth. God answers prayers in a manner that is radically different from what we expect. The problems with these individuals is not that God won’t answer their prayers, but that He requires patience and he may answer in a way that is different from what they expect.

The solution to the problem is that we should pray according to God’s will. For those of you who don’t know what the will of God is, God’s will is outlined in His Word. "Thy Will be done in earth as it is in heaven."(Matthew 6:10)

In dealing with patience and prayer, we must ask God, wait, and keep believing. The scripture declares, "whatsoever ye desire when you pray, believe ye shall receive it and ye shall have it." (Mark 11:24) We believe if we ask anything according to God’s will, he hears us" (I John 5:14)

The prophets of old spoke to God directly, but we communicate with Him through prayer. Therefore, prayer is not choice, it is a must. Although he won’t appear to us directly, God speaks to us through the Bible. It is our key source into the will of God for our lives. It is as one writer says, "the basis for everyday life."

People, if we are going to survive in these last days, we have got to acquire a continual prayer life. We got to pray just to make it today!

By Naomi J. Brown