What Kind of Prayer Brings Answers?
Many Christians wonder why some prayers seem to go unanswered. Over the years in my walk with God, I’ve met sincere believers — faithful, devoted, and prayerful — who’ve grown weary after trusting God for long without seeing results. It would be unfair to dismiss such believers as faithless or sinful. Some are truly pious Christians who have shown remarkable, even unsettling, faith.
The Scriptures give us a clue:
“He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination.” — Proverbs 28:9 (KJV)
Clearly, we are not speaking here of those who live in willful sin or rebellion. Their prayers are detestable before God. Our concern is for genuine believers who wait for answers and grow weary while waiting.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” — Proverbs 13:12 (NIV)
When prayers seem delayed, our hearts grow tired and discouraged. God understands this — He knows how fragile our patience can be and how bruised our spirits become while waiting. Sadly, some have lost faith during such seasons. Yet waiting is a divine discipline. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit — evidence that we belong to God.
God Is Not Slow to Answer
This is not to suggest that God is ever slow. Jesus affirmed:
“And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly…” — Luke 18:7-8 (NIV)
If an unjust judge could respond to a widow’s persistence, how much more will a righteous God answer His children? God desires to answer us — not to weary us with delay.
The Struggle of the Human Will
Man, however, is impatient by nature. Our fallen nature wants control — the freedom to act, to decide, and to see instant results. We resist anything that limits our will. That’s why the illusion of control in systems like democracy feels comforting: it gives us the sense that we are in charge. But in prayer, this same desire for control becomes a barrier.
When life limits us, we turn to God in trust — yet when answers delay, confusion sets in. People around us may offer explanations:
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“You need more faith!”
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“Are you living in sin?”
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“Maybe you haven’t prayed enough.”
While such advice may carry fragments of truth, it misses a deeper reality. The key question remains:
What kind of prayer, according to Scripture, truly brings answers?
The Prayer That Aligns With God’s Will
“When you ask, you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives…” — James 4:3 (NIV)
“…Yet not as I will, but as You will.” — Matthew 26:39 (NIV)
Here lies the secret: answered prayer flows from a heart aligned with God’s will. God delights to answer His children, but His will must remain central. His will is always good, perfect, and loving — even when it challenges our desires.
Jesus Himself modeled this surrender in Gethsemane, praying, “Not as I will, but as You will.” The ultimate prayer of power is one that yields — not insists. We must let God’s sovereign will prevail.
Knowing the Will of God
How do we know God’s will? It’s revealed in His Word.
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” — Jeremiah 17:9 (NIV)
Our hearts can deceive even us, cloaking selfish motives in spiritual language. We need divine illumination to expose our true intentions. King David understood this and prayed:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” — Psalm 139:23 (NIV)
Only when God searches and purifies our motives can our prayers align with His perfect will.
Love — The Heart of Answered Prayer
Epictetus once said, “Self-interest is the motive behind all human conduct.” But when love becomes the motive of our prayers, everything changes. Love aligns us with God’s heart.
When our requests are rooted in love — not selfish ambition or fear — we pray the kind of prayer that touches heaven. Whether we pray for healing, provision, or direction, our intention must be to glorify God and bless others through it.
This is the kind of prayer that brings answers:
a prayer born of love, shaped by humility, and aligned with the perfect will of God.
Final Thought
God still answers prayer. But the prayer that moves heaven is not one that demands its way — it’s the one that bows to His will. When we pray in love, with a surrendered heart and pure motive, God delights to respond swiftly and graciously.
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” — 1 John 5:14 (NIV)
