Answers to Prayer

Call to Prayer

Title: Answers to Prayer

By: Daniel Peter

Date: 25.07.2023

Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.   John 12:28 NIV

Many times, we are put in position to see the answers to our prayers and appreciate God for them, but we find ourselves rejecting them because they come in a form opposite to that which we desire. The reason many people experience delays in receiving is not because God has not given, but because we lack the faith to receive that which he has given.

God’s response to our request goes beyond granting that which we desire, but it includes the entire process necessary for us to get to that point when we have the capacity to walk in the manifestation of the blessing we sought from Him. For example, Jesus Christ asked that the Father should glorify His name in His life, and God responded by saying that He had done so before and would do so again (John 12:28). After Jesus’ prayer, the next thing we saw was the Jewish leaders planning on how to kill Jesus, which they eventually did. Now, why would Jesus ask for glory and suffering was given to Him? That was so because suffering is a requirement of glory, for scriptures said “if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory (Romans 8:17 NIV)”. His death gave way for the manifestation of God’s power seen by his resurrection from the dead.

Some time ago, as I was in prayer, God asked me, “what do you want?” I responded by saying “I want to manifest your glory”. Immediately after this conversation with God began a season of hardness for me, where He allowed me to experience things that were painful and seemed opposite to what I requested from Him. While pondering on the situation, I realized that it was the answer to what I had requested from Him; the process necessary for the blessing to manifest. How do we handle such times? We respond by thanking God for what He has allowed, knowing that at the end we will see the manifestation of that which we desire.

The above was what Apostle Paul discovered, after He sought God to remove the affliction He was experiencing in his flesh. God’s response was “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2Cor. 12:9 NIV)”. Knowing that the end of his trial was the manifestation of God’s power, Paul responded by saying “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2Cor. 12:9 KJV)”. We glory in our situations by being thankful to God for them and are joyful despite what we endure.

Therefore, when we go through challenges, we shouldn’t give glory to the devil by claiming he is responsible, but we should acknowledge God, knowing that He is working in us to make us ready for the blessing we must have requested from Him or the manifestation of His promises to us.

Prayer Point:

Let’s thank God for His word today. Let’s ask God to help us see Him in our situations and glorify Him in the midst of it.