The Characteristics of an Answered Prayer

Why does God answer some prayers with a yes and other prayers with a no. There are many reasons, of course. However, one main reason is the content of the prayer and the way it is prayed. The other vital factor is the attitude of the person praying the prayer. It seems that the prayer that Jabez prayed had those characteristics, so God answered his prayer. (I Chronicles 4:10) Let's see what we can learn from this example of prayer, so we can see God answer our prayers in the affirmative more often.

We must pray with a fervent heart, like Jabez did when he began by saying "Oh." This word shows intense passion for what he was asking. He was expressing just how much he felt the need for God's blessing in his life. He wanted to grow, and God loves for us to have the desire to grow and enlarge our borders in our lives. He also loves it when we show Him that we know we need to have His hand working in our life to accomplish that growth. Of course, we do not want to be harmed in the process of being blessed in these ways, because we are seeking peace, not pain. When God hears a prayer like this that allows Him the leeway of how to answer the prayer, not demanding anything, but requesting these things from Him, God is inclined to say yes. That is what He did for Jabez, and often, if we will pray in this way, we will get a positive response, as well.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read I Chronicles 5-7.