God doesn't answer your prayers. He only answers His own prayers.

[seeker2122]

This question was birthed out of my other question in another thread about
if God can change his mind/be bargained with? The answer is of course no.
God cannot be surprised by something that he never thought of himself or knew
about. Whenever we see instances in the Scripture where it appears God changed
his mind due to someone praying or speaking to him, it is only for a teachable moment
for our sake.

So in the same way, I realize that God doesn't actually answer/grant our prayers UNLESS
the prayers are those of his Spirit giving us the desires to pray for what is HIS WILL.

In other words, if I am praying to God to make me successful in life, have lots of money, be healthy, drive safely on the roads etc.....He will not grant me my prayers UNLESS that is also what He wills for my life in the first place.

Prayer is not us demanding God to be our genie and make our wishes come true or come to our beckon call and aid. Rather prayer is God's way of changing us so that we see things HIS WAY and conform to his WILL. Then we desire what HIS WILL is and then we pray for it.

So ultimately, God only answers his own prayers! haha! I feel sort of clever for figuring this out just now! Like an epiphany!

 

[IoanC]

Well, God's prayers are our own, as well. This means we are close to God, that we share the same thoughts with Him. I believe God illumines us through His Grace, meaning our mind is guided by Him. So, all prayer is initiated and inspired by God. This doesn't mean we are manipulated by God. It's just that He knows what's best for us, and what prayers are eventually kept. God likes to take care of us, to be everything for us.

 

[Blade]

I kindly disagree. See Gods will is His word. God said OT delight your self in the lord He will give you the desires of your heart. NT what so ever you desire when you pray believe you receive it you shall have it. What ever you ask the Father in my name He will do it. What ever you ask Me. He said He came to give us life and give it more abundantly. If God said its better to give then to receive how do you think the Father would be? Its also written you have not because you ask not or your asking wrong. Its also written if you doubt let not that man think he will get anything from God.

Also written is if we know He hears us then we know we have the petitions/prayers we asked for. So no where is it written God answers His own prayers. So Gods will is His word. Even in this what I said here IS His will for its written.

 

[disciple Clint]

This question was birthed out of my other question in another thread about
if God can change his mind/be bargained with? The answer is of course no.
God cannot be surprised by something that he never thought of himself or knew
about. Whenever we see instances in the Scripture where it appears God changed
his mind due to someone praying or speaking to him, it is only for a teachable moment
for our sake.

So in the same way, I realize that God doesn't actually answer/grant our prayers UNLESS
the prayers are those of his Spirit giving us the desires to pray for what is HIS WILL.

In other words, if I am praying to God to make me successful in life, have lots of money, be healthy, drive safely on the roads etc.....He will not grant me my prayers UNLESS that is also what He wills for my life in the first place.

Prayer is not us demanding God to be our genie and make our wishes come true or come to our beckon call and aid. Rather prayer is God's way of changing us so that we see things HIS WAY and conform to his WILL. Then we desire what HIS WILL is and then we pray for it.

So ultimately, God only answers his own prayers! haha! I feel sort of clever for figuring this out just now! Like an epiphany!

Remember that what God wants is relationship, there is no relationship without communications, we pray to our Father he answers those requests that are consistent with His will.

 

[seeker2122]

I kindly disagree. See Gods will is His word. God said OT delight your self in the lord He will give you the desires of your heart. NT what so ever you desire when you pray believe you receive it you shall have it. What ever you ask the Father in my name He will do it. What ever you ask Me. He said He came to give us life and give it more abundantly. If God said its better to give then to receive how do you think the Father would be? Its also written you have not because you ask not or your asking wrong. Its also written if you doubt let not that man think he will get anything from God.

Also written is if we know He hears us then we know we have the petitions/prayers we asked for. So no where is it written God answers His own prayers. So Gods will is His word. Even in this what I said here IS His will for its written.

Thanks for sharing.
I want to believe you are correct but I don't. I still disagree.
I'll try to rephrase what I said using Occam's Razor.

God answers his own prayers through us.
UNPACKED:
1) God's will is PERFECT and UNCHANGING (because anything that is perfect needs not change otherwise
it would not be perfect)

2) If God's will is perfect that means His will for you and me is also PERFECT.

3) If God's will is perfect for you and me, that means, nothing we ask for (by prayer) that is APART
from his perfect will for our lives WILL BE GRANTED TO US. God won't or can't change his mind
based on your asking and go against his own will.

4) So then prayer is not us asking God for things we want from our own will/desires. Prayer is an
invitation from God to us so that we may have intimacy with him and receive his heart and Spirit
in us, so that what we want ends up being the same thing God always wanted (His perfect will in
us).

5) So now when we pray for the same things of God's perfect will, HE WILL grant your prayer requests
and petitions. He WILL not grant your prayer requests if it is anything outside his perfect will no
matter how much you wanted it and how good of a person you were, only what is WITHIN HIS
PERFECT WILL will be granted.

Therefore, God really only answers his own prayers.

It sounds kind of selfish the way I titled it, but that was the point (the shock value/draw attention).
As we become more intimate with God in prayer, we receive the same heart and Spirit, same longings,
same desires, same passions as God himself, which is why we end up praying God's prayer in us for our own lives and others and the world...it is his ultimate perfect will he wants us to see and receive for our lives. Not that we can make up something nice for him and convince him somehow to make it happen if it wasn't part of his will.

 

[disciple Clint]

Thanks for sharing.
I want to believe you are correct but I don't. I still disagree.
I'll try to rephrase what I said using Occam's Razor.

God answers his own prayers through us.
UNPACKED:
1) God's will is PERFECT and UNCHANGING (because anything that is perfect needs not change otherwise
it would not be perfect)

2) If God's will is perfect that means His will for you and me is also PERFECT.

3) If God's will is perfect for you and me, that means, nothing we ask for (by prayer) that is APART
from his perfect will for our lives WILL BE GRANTED TO US. God won't or can't change his mind
based on your asking and go against his own will.

4) So then prayer is not us asking God for things we want from our own will/desires. Prayer is an
invitation from God to us so that we may have intimacy with him and receive his heart and Spirit
in us, so that what we want ends up being the same thing God always wanted (His perfect will in
us).

5) So now when we pray for the same things of God's perfect will, HE WILL grant your prayer requests
and petitions. He WILL not grant your prayer requests if it is anything outside his perfect will no
matter how much you wanted it and how good of a person you were, only what is WITHIN HIS
PERFECT WILL will be granted.

Therefore, God really only answers his own prayers.

It sounds kind of selfish the way I titled it, but that was the point (the shock value/draw attention).
As we become more intimate with God in prayer, we receive the same heart and Spirit, same longings,
same desires, same passions as God himself, which is why we end up praying God's prayer in us for our own lives and others and the world...it is his ultimate perfect will he wants us to see and receive for our lives. Not that we can make up something nice for him and convince him somehow to make it happen if it wasn't part of his will.

He WILL not grant your prayer requests if it is anything outside his perfect will no
matter how much you wanted it and how good of a person you were, only what is WITHIN HIS
PERFECT WILL will be granted.

But it could simply be part of God's permissive will and non conflicting with His perfect will.

 

[Tolworth John]

God answers his own prayers through us.

What is lacking in your analysis is that we do not know what Gods will is in the daily details of our lives and the fact that God has commanded us to pray to him about the details of our lives.

Yes he has a plan, yes our prayers are part of that plan, yes our obedience is part of that plan and yes our prayers our part of our love and Gods love for his people.

A question for you.

How are you showing your love and concern for Christians in turkestan, in Somalia, Mexico, China, North Korea to name just a few places where Christian face perscution?

Are you prayers for those in need based on intelligence or a vague ' God bless the unknown?

 

[Paul4JC]

Interesting. It would be better suited in...

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[Paul4JC]

God can answer prayers against his will.

[Psa 106:15 NIV] So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease among them.