Do You Recognize Answered Prayer?

by Karen S. Roberts         

Do you recognize answered prayer?  Probably you do when you pray about something big and see quick results.  But it’s not always so easy when you pray about small things or when the big prayer request isn’t turning out the way you hoped.  This devotion about prayer should help you recognize answers to prayer that you are receiving.

Prayer is a Conversation

The idea that prayer is a conversation sounds simple on the surface. But when you first start praying, it can feel more like a monologue. Learning to be quiet and listen for God to speak to you can be difficult.  When you do all talking, you might think you’re not hearing anything.  But are you? 

Perhaps after you prayed you read some Scripture verses or a devotional, and something seemed to jump out at you.  Maybe you underlined a verse or copied it into your journal.  That was one way that God was speaking, but you might not have realized it.

After you prayed, did a friend call you and encourage you?  Or perhaps a friend even prayed for you over the phone or texted a prayer to you.  That was a conversation sent by God in response to your prayer.

Has this happened to you?  After you prayed for direction or wisdom,  some thoughts entered your mind that helped to clarify something you should do or how to deal with a situation.  Or when you read an article or turned on a Christian TV program, you received some insight.  Maybe it was something that your pastor or Bible study leader said that opened your understanding.  Perhaps you turned on some Christian music, and the words from a particular song spoke to you.  All of those are ways that God carried on the conversation with you.    

Overlooked Answers to Prayer

It’s easy to miss God’s voice, for He doesn’t always respond right away or in the exact manner we’d hoped. You might have prayed about money worries  and later found twenty dollars in a dresser drawer.  Or maybe you found an error in your checkbook, revealing that you actually had $100 more than you thought.  At the time, you may not have connected that to an answer to prayer.

Perhaps you prayed about a friend’s upcoming surgery, but didn’t think about how her speedy recovery was God moving in response to prayer.

Today my daughter texted me about how a flight had been cancelled, causing her and her husband to have to drive from New York to Minnesota for testing at the Mayo Clinic for their special needs child.  She had asked us to pray previously about her child’s fear of people in uniforms, which might make going through security at the airport difficult.  As I read her text, sent to me as they are traveling, the thought occurred to me that the cancelled flight was an answer to our prayer about going through airport security.

Yes, things like that are answered prayers.  However we simply aren’t always aware and don’t make the connection.

Start your conversations with God by asking Him to open your eyes to the way He’s working in your life and in the lives of those around you. Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you and make you aware of all the answered prayers that are happening.

Make a prayer list

Some Christians find it helpful to keep a list of what they prayed about. Make sure to add the date to your prayer requests. Later on you’ll be able to look back and see how God has answered the requests you’ve made.  You might want to check off answered prayers with the dates and a note about how God answered.

Or better yet, keep a prayer journal so that you have a record of your prayers and answers to prayer.  If you don’t want to buy one, download  My Monthly Prayer Requests and Answers, a free printable prayer journal that I have developed for you.

If you missed our last post, Prayer Journaling Ideas, check it out to see ways that you can benefit from journaling your prayers.