2nd Chronicles 7:13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;
14 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.
15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
While it is true that any human being could pray to God at any time, in any place, and in any situation, our first passage outlines some basic essentials for those who are called by His name, referring to folks who have entered into a covenant relationship with Him, thus designating them as His people.
The opening passage outlines some conditions and prerequisites for answered prayer, which have to be understood properly in order for us to pray to God intelligently, and get answers. The verses speak of a humble attitude, first and foremost, which means a contrite spirit that is dependent on God’s mercies.
Our attitudes and the perspectives we bring to the table mean very much to God, and they frequently determine whether an answer to prayer would be granted.
God should not be viewed as being subjective to our every request, where He’s duty bound to give us any and everything, nor should we believe that because He has promised, He has to respond in the positive every single time.
God does not owe us anything, and therefore, when we pray, it should be from the perspective of us not being worthy at all to receive anything from God. A humble spirit also would not seek to bully God into blessing us by clinging to our requests after He has said a positive no, as the case might be.
There is an attitude out there where some persons feel that if they pray long and hard enough, they will succeed in shaking down a blessing from God, even if He does not agree. This stop and frisk attitude is not in harmony with our first passages, and must be avoided like the plague.
The purpose of us making prayer requests to God is not to change His mind, but rather to bring us into harmony with His good and perfect will. And, the opening passages do speak of a turning away from known sin, in order to receive and answer. This is of critical importance to receiving any answers from God.
When king Saul dug in his heels in deliberate sinning God could not hear his requests, for he came to the throne of grace laden with presumptuous sins, and therefore, he could not get an answer from God, not even a no. Things have to be pretty bad for a person not to get even a No from The Lord.
There are certain prayer requests that would always get a yes answer, such as when one sincerely asks for forgiveness during their probationary time. But the requests for divine intervention, or deliverance, or a specific request such as God providing this or that in the temporal realm, those should follow the guidance given in the scriptures.
Thus, we must study the preconditions in the Bible thoroughly, so that our prayers would not hit the ceiling, instead of reaching into the heavens where God is seated on His throne.
The conditions:
Psalms 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me.
Proverbs 28:9 He that turns away his ears from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, what things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and ye shall have them.
The attitudes:
Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Whenever, and wherever possible and appropriate, we should kneel down to make our requests before The Lord. In some instances, because folks may have joint pain issues, or osteoporosis, they might not be able to kneel. God understands, but if we can kneel, we should, for it demonstrates reverence to the all Superior One, The God of the universe. Let’s read:
Luke 22: 41 And he (Jesus) was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed.
Acts 9:40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
1st Kings 18: 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and he put his face between his knees.
However, as the title to the study says, requests that are made to The Lord will usually receive one out of three responses, Yes, No, or Wait. So, it is important for us to observe carefully, what the Bible actually says about praying and receiving answers.
The reason why we must first observe the passages that pertain to prayer requests, is so that our faith in God will have intelligent direction, and folks will be more likely receive an answer. As we read, we must tread softly with the various passages because some are not absolute statements, as may be understood by some persons.
Therefore, the line upon line, precept upon precept approach must be utilized, in order for us to come away with balanced and correct views. Let’s read:
John 14:13 And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.
John 15: 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
The words “Whatsoever” and “Anything” in the two previous passages, have been a source of problems for some believers, who, upon reading these verses may jump to incorrect conclusions. When observed carefully there is a caveat in the passages which says “In my name.”
Thus, the logical question is: What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name? It does not only mean placing His name strategically after your prayer requests, even though this is necessary, since everything has to pass through Him first.
Praying in Jesus’ name means praying according to what God has promised, asking in harmony with the word of God, with a heart that is vitally connected to Christ, that is willing to be directed by Him, and a mind that is directed by The Holy Spirit.
The Holy Ghost will never move upon you to ask for something that God will not at least respond to you about, and thus, the issue of praying in Jesus’ name is one of the primary issues that will often affect the outcome, whether it be Yes, No or Wait. In other words, if it is indeed the case that one prays in Jesus’ name they will get an answer, period. Let’s read:
Romans 8:26 Likewise, the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
In fact, when you think about it carefully, in many cases where the answers were not forthcoming, the cause might be that the requests were not made in Jesus’ name, because whenever prayer requests are made in His name, you will get an answer, whether it be a Yes, a No, or Wait.
This leads us to another passage that deals with the issue of getting answers to prayer, in cases where the request is for healing. This one is huge, because to put it frankly, if one is sick, and a prayer request is made for healing we’ll most likely expect, and hope that the answer is a Yes. Let’s read:
James 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
But, according to the title of the study, the answers could also be a No, or a Wait. That’s why earlier, we cautioned against interpreting some of the passages in an absolute manner. Line must be upon line, and precept upon precept, lest we take one passage and run with it, before studying other related passages.
For instance, if persons were to pray for healing, for someone who was critically ill, and after prayer, the person dies, that does not mean that God did not hear and answer your prayer.
It Just means that the answer was a No, and if that request was made with a humble spirit, a No will be viewed as a positive, for all things work together for the good of those who love God. Persons should not stumble at a No, for there are three main answers to prayer, Yes, No, or Wait.
If the one for whom the request was made, makes a full recovery, the answer was a Yes. If the person in question continues to be sick, for a period of time, the answer is a Wait. But, if the person in question dies after prayers were made, the answer was a No.
This point is of critical importance for individuals to understand, for some might be in danger of thinking that God did not hear a particular prayer for healing if the person died after being prayed for, or that sin was present in the ones making the request. This is not necessarily the case.
When we pray, a humble spirit would defer to God’s wisdom, with the understanding that He knows the end from the beginning, and that He knows what is best for the person in question. In fact, there are a number of cases where a No is the very best answer to your prayers. Let’s read:
2nd Kings 20:1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, thus saith the Lord, set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying,
3 I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
4 And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus, saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord.
6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
7 And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
12 At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
13 And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.
14 Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, what said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, they are come from a far country, even from Babylon.
16 And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord.
17 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord.
21 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.
2nd Kings 21: Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzibah.
2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.
3 For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.
4 And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.
5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.
6 And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.
[Ministry of Healing, 229] God knows the end from the beginning. He is acquainted with the hearts of all men. He knows whether those for whom prayer is offered would or would not be able to endure the trials that would come upon them should they live.
[Ministry of Healing, 230] This is one reason why, while presenting our petitions with earnestness, we should say, “Nevertheless not my will, but Thine, be done.” Luke 22:42 In praying for the sick, we are to pray that if it is God’s will that they may be raised to health; but if not that He will give them His grace to comfort, His presence to sustain them in their suffering.
This leads us to another passage which deals with the issue of prayer requests, for we previously read of the words: “Whatsoever” and “Anything” but the next passage adds another dimension, because it says that “Anything” and “Whatsoever” should be in harmony with God’s will, in order for the request to be granted, in most cases.
This is very important too, for our will should be in subjection to God’s will, and if for any reason there’s a difference between the two, the person who is making the request should defer to God. Let’s read:
1st John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.
15 And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Luke 22:41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.
This leads us into the study for today which will be the springboard for all prayer requests. It has to do with the parable of a widow, who had some issue to be addressed by a local judge. She then pressed her petitions to the judge in question, until she got an answer.
For purposes of this study, we will place her outside of the judge’s door, where she remains, persistently asking for redress, and not giving up until she hears a definite word from the judge. She knocks, and she keeps on knocking until the answer is given. Let’s read:
Luke 18:1 And he spoke a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
2 Saying, there was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man.
3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, avenge me of my adversary.
4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
5 Yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
In other words, she has an axe to grind, some issue that needed redress, some person, who apparently had made her life bitter. Just because you believe in God, and are a Christian, does not mean that from time to time, you wouldn’t have an axe to grind with someone or some company, or with some church.
There are times when even among brethren, there are matters that need to be resolved, issues, which if left to foment could cause a root of bitterness to spring up, whereby many might be defiled. Thus, if, and whenever this is the case, the best thing to do is to take it to the Judge for redress.
In cases where the Christian has an axe to grind, the Judge should be Jesus, and all grievances, insults or injustices, should first be taken to Him in prayer, for redress, and if He directs us to a human agent, then we should follow His directives.
Too often we find ourselves seeking redress without the Judge and whenever this is the case persons are almost sure to make blunders in judgement. In the parable, the widow doesn’t get immediate answers, but she persists patiently, until an answer is given.
The parable actually provides two of the 3 answers mentioned in the title of the study, and the third one will come in the form of a No. Therefore, let us start with the answer we most love to hear, a Yes.
There is no doubt that ‘Yes” is our favorite answer. For healing? Yes! For wherewithal to pay bills? Yes! For anything and for everything we ask God for, our favorite is Yes. Let’s read:
Luke 18:5 “I will avenge her.” That’s a Yes.
There isn’t anything wrong with a yes, and we are encouraged to pray in the positive, believing that God will hear and give us an answer. This is why The Lord instructs us to believe when we pray, that we will receive the petitions we asked. The key is to expect a Yes, with the possibility of a No, or a Wait. Let’s read:
2nd Corinthians 1: 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.
20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
The other answer given in the parable was a Wait, whereby we are encouraged to continue pressing our petitions to the throne of grace, until we get a definite answer. The Wait answer could be observed in the following passage, where it says that “He would not for a while. Let’s read:
Luke 18:4 And he would not for a while: but after- ward he said within himself…..
Here is where some believers often stumble, for it is often the case that we mistake a Wait for a No. Until a definite answer is given it is in order for us to keep on praying. That’s what Elijah did, when he prayed for rain, and it did not come until after the seventh prayer request. The final answer was actually a yes, but during the interim period, he had to wait. Let’s read:
1st Kings 18: 41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
43 And said to his servant, go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, there is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there arises a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, go up, say unto Ahab, prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stops thee not.
45 And it came to pass in the meanwhile, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
The answer was actually a yes, but like Naaman, the prophet Elijah had to dip seven times. There is a great lesson for us in this, as it pertains to persons persevering in prayer. Not because the preliminary answer is wait, means to say that you will throw in the towel, nor should we mistake Wait for a No.
Wherever Wait is the interim answer, we must press on in faith, believing all things and hoping all things. Our problem in too many instances is that we don’t like to wait. In our day where everything seems to be on the fast track, waiting on God seems to be too much for some believers.
We are living in the now generation, an age of fast foods fast cars and bullet trains, while chatbots such as Claude and Gemini give us answers immediately, even at our fingertips. Thus, hardly anyone wants to wait anymore, and persons often believe that God is taking too long, to answer prayers.
This perspective will have to change, especially as we head into prime time, because every Christian who would survive the perils of the last days, must learn this vital lesson, that of waiting upon God for everything, and in every situation. And practice makes perfect. Let’s read:
Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Revelation 14: 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
We must now turn our attention to the last of the three answers to prayer, the one most believers do not like, and the one which often causes persons to get discouraged, and question the goodness of God in the process. We are speaking of No.
When prayer requests are made, sometimes, in the wisdom of God He may see fit to deny the request with a definite No. This should never cause persons to stumble, neither should faith in God be shaken to the point where doubts arise and discouragements may set in.
One of the most important lessons we will all have to learn is that of receiving a No answer from God, with a cheerful spirit. The Yes and the Wait might be easier to bear, but it’s the No that shows whether or not we are truly humble.
There are two prominent Nos in the Bible that we must now examine, because they shed great light on the humble spirit we spoke earlier of. The first one has to do with none other than Christ Himself, who prayed earnestly to the Father, and received not only a Wait, but also a No.
The No came at a very difficult time for Jesus, as the powers of darkness were coming in for the kill, and the prince of darkness wrung the soul of Jesus with terrible temptations. One of those temptations had to do with what the Father testified of Christ, as it pertained to Him having the power to lay down His life and the power to take it back up again.
There’s only one big problem with that testimony, in that Christ would have to die first, in order to find out the truth in the matter. That is the equivalent of telling a person that they have the power to walk on air, but to find out, they would first have to jump off a high cliff.
When you see Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, clinging to the cold ground with much weeping, it is because the prince of darkness was tempting Him with the thought that separation from The Father would be eternal, and that the cross was the means by which God was seeking to get rid of Him. A brutal temptation indeed. Let’s read:
[The Desire of Ages pp 753] Satan with his fierce temptations wrung the heart of Jesus. The Savior could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell Him of the Father’s acceptance of the sacrifice. He feared that sin was so offensive to God that Their separation was to be eternal.
Matthew 26:37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death: tarry you here, and watch with me.
39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: never-the-less not as I will, but as thou wilt.
42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
Like Elijah who had to wait until he got a definite answer, Jesus also had to wait until God gave Him a definite answer, and it was a No. It was very tough for Christ to move forward with the agenda, but He did it for you and me, and in the process, He took No for an answer.
The same answer of No occurred with the apostle Paul, who on three separate occasions, had prayed for healing, and the answer came back as a No. He did not fret, nor would he turn back, and he would not allow his confidence in God to be shaken, just because he did not get what he asked for.
Was it tough for Paul too, yes it was, especially since he had been given the gift of healing to the extent where those who received handkerchiefs from him would be healed, and yet, here he is, praying for his own healing, and the answer is a No. Let’s read:
2nd Corinthians 12: 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Obviously, the answer was a no. Question: what should you do if after praying on several occasions, the answer comes back as a No? Should the person in question, continue to press their petitions to the throne of grace, or should you stand down, like Paul and Jesus with a humble, understanding spirit?
After a definite answer is given to prayer, there is no need to continue banging on the gates of heaven, if God has made His good will clear to you. A humble spirit will accept His final answer as being the very best response, in your given situation.
Currently, you might be praying about some issue in your life. It may be that, like the widow, you have an axe to grind with someone, or like Paul, you may be asking for healing, or deliverance from a situation that is causing you grief, and sleepless nights.
God wants us to remember Christ, and Paul and the many others who went before, who at times got a Yes, a Wait and in some instances a No. Let not your heart be troubled, because whatsoever the answer may be, God knows what He is doing, and the final answer will always be for the best good of all those concerned.
Therefore, zip up your boots, lift up the hands that are drooping and pray in the positive, with a humble spirit, and in the fullness of time, God will make His good and perfect will known. We therefore end with two passages of Scripture that will encourage us to pray and continue praying, because God is faithful, who has promised. Let’s read:
Jeremiah 29: 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
12 Then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
Matthew 7: 7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
8 For everyone that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.
God Bless!