God answers prayers. This is why the Psalmist said: “O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.” Prayer is the means by which we fellowship with the Lord. It is the link between the creature and the Creator, the oppressed/captives and the Redeemer, the needy and the Benefactor, the children and the heavenly Father, the sinner and the Saviour, the impoverished and the Provider, the fainting and the Sustainer, the sick and the great Physician.

Prayer is the privilege of communication between heaven and earth. If we must have the fullness and glories of heaven in this depraved world, we need prayers. Through prayers, we ask and receive forgiveness, salvation, grace, help, righteousness, strength, inheritance and the fulfillment of the promises of God. Prayers supply strength, restore our losses, give joy to the sorrowful and victory to the defeated; hence, the need to pray “evening, morning and at noon.”

God calls us to pray. He wants us to seek Him, so that, we will be able to receive what He has for us. Believers are expected to pray today because of the journey ahead and the future glory we expect. Shortly after his salvation, Apostle Paul prayed to God because it was obvious he would suffer for the sake of Christ and His cause. Without receiving divine strength, assurance and grace, he would not have been able to reach his goal. Although God’s plan for us may seem greater and mightier than we ever thought, He will grant us the power to surmount resultant challenges if we ask it in prayer. He will respond to our petitions and give us more than we have asked for .

While material things are necessary for our survival on earth, the priority of prayer is to settle our relationship with God. He is passionate and desirous about the relationship with His creatures. He wants us to settle our relationship with Him first by seeking peace, righteousness, joy and power in the Holy Ghost. Sadly, prosperity, healing, material blessings and earthly pursuits have become uppermost for some church goers. They do not recognise Jesus who admonished that we “seek… first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things (earthly treasures) shall be added unto (us).”
Spiritual blessings and Christian experiences that prepare us for heaven are more important than earthly blessings in the mind of God. If we are obedient to Him, we will make His priority ours.

Christ’s parable of the rich fool explains covetousness and the danger it poses to our lives. Covetousness is having a mind centred on acquiring earthly possessions instead of pursuing future eternal hope. Like the rich fool who was uncharitable to his fellow human beings and had no regard for God, and died prematurely, “so is (anyone who) layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” We must remember that the wealth we amass here on earth is insignificant in eternity. Therefore, “…what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Those who die without salvation and holiness will have a regrettable end. For this reason, we must set our priorities right, seek the God’s kingdom and “follow peace with all men, and holiness without, which no man shall see the Lord.”

Believers must have a fair perception of identifiable, conditional promises of the Lord. Although the Lord has given us His promises, we need to understand the conditions attached.

Obedience to God’s word is indispensable to receiving answers to prayers.Understanding and meeting the conditions attached to the promises of God enable us to pray intelligently. We must understand that there are promises in the Bible for sinners, backsliders, sons and daughters of God, as well as His ministers.

It is essential to find out where those promises belong when studying the scriptures. Besides, to receive answers to our prayers, we must be submissive to the word of God and cultivate a humble spirit. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

As New Testament believers, if we abide in Christ, let His words abide in us and keep to His terms, when we make our request in prayer, “it shall be done unto (us).”Whatever our needs, we must come to the Lord with assurance, firm persuasion, unshakable faith and confidence that He cannot fail.

Those who lack salvation, holiness, wisdom, healing, sufficiency or any other spiritual or physical need should “ask of God.” He “giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” He answered the prayers of patriarchs in Bible day; He still answers prayers in our contemporary time. We must not waver or doubt, but be “fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”
• Further reading (King James Version): Psalms 65:2; 55:17; Acts 9:9-11. Isaiah 1:12,16-20; Matthew 6:31-33; Luke 12:15-21; Mark 8:36; Hebrews 12:14. Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 28:1,2; 2 Chronicles 7:14; John 14:14-16; 15:7. James 1:5-8; Romans 4:20-22.