How can I get God to answer my prayer tonight?<\/p>\n\t
Imagine a small child coming up to you and telling you, “I’m going to make mommy give me candy.” You might find it an amusing thought. Obviously, this child doesn’t understand who is in control. Or, there might be a passing sad sympathy for the parents of this child who have let things get out of hand.<\/p>\n
Or how about the woman, Cindy Sheehan, who is demonstrating of late to “make” President Bush meet with her a second time. Have you thought of why she has been so unsuccessful despite all the media coverage?<\/p>\n
The very question that you ask is of the same nature. It approaches the situation completely backward. “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures<\/em>” (James 4:2-3). Prayers are petitions to God who created the universe and is the greatest power imaginable — and then some. We should consider it a great blessing that God is even inclined to listen to the pleads of a single individual on a small planet in the vast universe. Yet, God tells us, “For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones<\/em>” (Isaiah 57:15).<\/p>\n We can ask, but we must always recall that it is God who decides to answer, not us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Question: How can I get God to answer my prayer tonight? Answer: Imagine a small child coming up to you and telling you, “I’m going to make mommy give me candy.” You might find it an amusing thought. Obviously, this child doesn’t understand who is in control. Or, there might be a passing sad sympathy…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[1510],"class_list":["post-3620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-prayers"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":83340,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-wasnt-the-child-rescued\/","url_meta":{"origin":3620,"position":0},"title":"Why wasn’t the child rescued?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, First, thank you for your ministry and for sharing. I came across your site and read the timeline for when Jesus was raised in three days. I have a follow up question on this post: \"Why didn't God rescue my friend?\" The reader asked why God didn't rescue\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40889,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-people-on-opposite-sides-are-praying-for-their-team-to-win-whose-prayer-does-god-answer\/","url_meta":{"origin":3620,"position":1},"title":"If people on opposite sides are praying for their team to win, whose prayer does God answer?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Please, I need your help on an issue. We are very fanatical about football (soccer) in our country. I was involved in a discussion some time ago with my roommate and he was saying God answered his prayer for the team he supports and that was why they were\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36920,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-we-not-to-ask-god-for-what-we-want-to-have\/","url_meta":{"origin":3620,"position":2},"title":"Are we not to ask God for what we want to have?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I thought prayer is about telling God about everything, such as how your day went, what you want to achieve, what you hope for, etc. But now I see that it is not actually that. For example, on one of the questions, I see that asking something that is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19463,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-god-answer-every-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":3620,"position":3},"title":"Does God Answer Every Prayer?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 31, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Clem Thurman via Gospel Minutes; Vol. 56, No. 3; Jan. 19, 2007. Question: \"I believe that when we pray for something, in faith, God will give it to us. If we are sick, we can pray and God will heal us. He is able to do all things. So,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/prayer-2-1-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19454,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-i-pray-without-doubt-when-i-know-that-sometimes-i-wont-get-what-i-prayed-for\/","url_meta":{"origin":3620,"position":4},"title":"How can I pray without doubt when I know that sometimes I won’t get what I prayed for?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 14, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a question about prayer.\u00a0 I understand that the Bible states that when we pray, we are to let our requests to God be given in faith,\u00a0 believing that we will receive. So if I pray that God will help me through a difficult time or give me\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40350,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-a-lack-of-faith-if-your-prayer-isnt-answered\/","url_meta":{"origin":3620,"position":5},"title":"Is it a lack of faith if your prayer isn’t answered?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 21, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Dear Sir, Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication to your website. 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