God Answers Prayers

Scripture Reading

Matthew 5:25-33

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Devotional

As I reflect on the past two years (2020-2022), I can’t help but to pause and realize what the pandemic and fear took from everyone in the US and globally. Millions of people lost their jobs, prices of food and housing have skyrocketed, churches weren’t allowed to have people attend in-person, and it took a mental, spiritual, and financial toll on a lot of people. I’ve had friends and relatives who passed away, friends who could not find work, friends whose hope dwindled, friends who sometimes didn’t know where their next meal or rent payment would come from despite applying for jobs non-stop. But in this period of darkness, God also showed his light. Because my friends who struggled the most and were close to God, did not worry, they did not stress. Their focus was to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. You know, sometimes people don’t realize the power of prayer is real. I’ve heard other believers even confess that they’re not really sure if they’re doing it more for themselves than God. But I want to tell you today that God hears our prayers and they are answered. Psalm 27:13-14 says this:

13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Sometimes reading or saying words is easier said than done, but the more you’re struggling, the more you need to look to the Lord. Our God is always on time. He may not show up when you want him to, but God knows everything and his plan for you is perfect despite our imperfection and sin. So now I want to share with you the significant prayers that have been answered in my life from 2020-2022. And I share this because I believe God wants you to clothe yourself in faith and be encouraged based on what we know about Him, which is:

1. God hears and answers our prayers

2. God is working for our good

3. He will make a way out of an impossible situation

4. He will always be on-time

5. He will reward those who seek him

I’d like to ask that you keep these traits in mind while reading these testimonies.

Testimony 1

My friend who lost her job during the start of the pandemic in 2020, struggled deeply both financially and emotionally. She applied for job after job, went to job fairs, expanded her skillsets, but an opportunity never presented itself. She is a mature Christian though, and through it all, she had confidence that God would provide, she just didn’t know how. By the middle of 2022, she was still in the same situation except most her savings was gone, the rent and utilities were past due, no jobs were on the horizon, and it was amongst the hardest seasons of her life. And then God did what only God can do, he made a way out of no way. He blessed her with a way to retire. He blessed her with the finances to catch up on the past due bills. And just this week an employer called her back wanting to do an interview. And let me tell you that all of these things God did in about the span of one week, but it took her waiting in faith for two full years.

Testimony 2

My friend was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in his 20s about a year before the pandemic began. His whole world was flipped upside down. To make matters worse, his cancer was not responding to treatment. He had terminal cancer and there was no one under his insurance that could offer treatment that his body would respond to. At this time, he was also not a believer. He believed that there was a God, but wasn’t completely sure about Jesus. Nonetheless, I remember him saying to me, “If God (Jesus) gets rid of this cancer, I’m going to get baptized.” Normally, it’s said not to test the Lord, but God had plans for him. God opened the door for him to be treated at MD Anderson at no cost to him. He had access to the best treatment any person could ask for. Some initial treatments failed, but ultimately after over two years of treatment, he was declared cancer free in 2022. And yes, he remembered his promise to the Lord and was baptized at my church shortly thereafter.

I know someone who is reading this is facing a circumstance where it just seems impossible to overcome. Maybe you’ve been waiting a long time for God to answer your prayer and maybe it’s starting to feel like he’ll never answer it. But never lose sight that God is there, he hears your prayers, he will answer them when the time is perfect, and it will not just meet your needs, it will exceed them. So, if you’re feeling discouraged in this moment, pray and cry out to God. Seek his kingdom, then take confidence that if he can do it for my friends, he can do it for you. Let’s pray.

Prayer

Father God, you are an awesome God. Thank you for being a God that listens and answers my prayers, whose plans for me are always perfect, who makes a way out of no way, who is always on-time, and who rewards those who seek your face and your kingdom. Thank you for the reminder today that no matter what I’m going through, big or small, you will be there for me and I can count on it. Thank you for answering my prayers in the past and the ones you’re working on today. In Jesus’ name, Amen!