A Study on Prayer - #3

Requirements for Answered Prayer: Faith and Knowledge of God’s Word

(Revised June 30, 2025 – Raleigh Avenue Baptist Church)

Over 40 years ago my cousin, Donny H., was pastoring a church in Dalhart, Texas. He had a wife and five kids. They needed $400, and being people of great faith, they asked the Lord to provide. Several days later strangers drove up to their house and handed Donny’s wife, JerylAnn, a roll of bills - $400 exactly – and drove away without explanation. Many years later in Clarendon, Texas, when JerylAnn was speaking at a church banquet, she spotted the lady who had given the $400. That lady told her that her own brother (Johnson), an alcoholic who lived in south Texas, woke up one night and God told him to send $400 to his sister who lived in Arizona at the time, and that she was to take the money to the pastor of the Assembly of God Church in Dalhart. God works in mysterious ways. Later Johnson became a believer in the Lord and a church pastor.

FAITH

Heb. 11:6 –

“Without faith it is impossible to please God, for anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

Very clear – if we pray without faith, God will not be pleased with our prayers.

Like a son coming and asking you for $15 to go to a movie but then says, “I don’t really believe you will give it to me.” How pleasing is that attitude to you?!?

If a person does not believe that God exists, he is not likely to come to God in prayer. And when we come to God in prayer, we must come with the attitude that God WILL answer our prayer WHEN WE SEEK HIM. Prayer is not just asking. Prayer is how we draw near to God – closer fellowship – seeking to understand God better and His will regarding our prayer. If a son comes to his father or mother only when he needs something, but rarely ever just sits down to talk and share, to build their relationship, then the parent is less likely to give the son what he is asking for. So, as we pray, we should be SEEKING THE FACE OF GOD and come to understand that God really does want to bless us. 

WHAT IS FAITH?

Hebrews 11:1 –

“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 

On first reading this text seems to say that faith is a feeling “being sure”, “being certain”. But that sure, certain feeling is not based on our wishes or our personal feelings or our personal desires. That certainty is based on what God has promised us in the Bible. Like my sister, Dale, when our dad was dying of cancer – linitus plastica . She said, “I’m sure that God is going to heal daddy.” But he died. God had not made us any promises that He would heal dad.

Examples of faith we find in the Bible:

Abraham - Rom. 4:20-21 –“No doubt made him (Abraham) waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith, as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.”

God had promised to give Abraham and Sarah a son in their old ages, and that through this son, Isaac, God would give innumerable descendants to Abraham and Sarah.  And then one day God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on an altar. Abraham still believed God’s promises BECAUSE God said it. No distrusting God; no doubting God’s promise.

Noah – built an ark at God’s command. Noah had faith that God was going to send a flood and save his family in the ark, BECAUSE God said it would happen.

Moses – left his herd of sheep and went to Egypt at the command of God, to bring Israel out of slavery and lead them to the land God has promised to give to Israel since the days of Abraham. Moses obeyed because he believed what God had promised.

Hebrews 11:24-26 –

“By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”

Moses knew the promises of God for the Hebrew people and he chose to follow God in spite of all the difficulties which he faced. He had faith in the Promises of God.

Numbers 23:19 –

“God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

So, faith is not based on our feelings but on what God has said in the Bible.

This is one very important reason that all Christians must continue to read and study the Bible all our lives – we need to know what God has promised and claim those promises in prayer.

Illustration:  A son needs a car. He is starting the university soon. He does not have money to buy one. His father does! The son is dependent on the father to provide him a car. And the father is prepared to give him one. One day the father gives his son a book – “How to take care of a car.” At that point his father says nothing about giving a car to his son. He just says, “Read this book.” The son was not very happy. Now, in the book the father had written in three separate places this note: “Son, I will give you a car if you will come to me and ask politely saying: ‘Father, I need a car.  I have read the book, and I have found your promise to give me a car. Based on your promise to me, will you please give me a car?’ If you ask this, then I will give you a car.”

If the son reads the book, he will discover the promise of his father. And if he asks the father, he will get his car, because his father loves to do good for his son.  But if he does not read the book, he will not be aware of the promise of his father! No car!

In Matthew 22, we find Jesus in a theological debate with the Sadducees who did not believe in the existence of angels or spirits, the resurrection of the dead, or the concept of an afterlife or a spirit realm. Jesus reprimanded them – “YOU ARE WRONG, BECAUSE YOU KNOW NEITHER THE SCRIPTURES NOR THE POWER OF GOD.” (Matt. 22:29)

We have God’s BOOK – full of many wonderful promises. In order for us to claim those promises in prayer, we have to KNOW what God has promised! Read the Book – know the promises.

Someone asked Charles H. Spurgeon, “What is more important – reading the Bible or prayer? He replied, “Which is more important – breathing in or breathing out?!”

Knowing the scriptures and prayer are inseparable – like Siamese twins!

One of the most amazing promises and instructions Jesus gave us regarding prayer is John 14:12-14:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

1. Whoever believes in Jesus – FAITH

2. Whatever you ASK in my name

3. If you ASK ME anything in my name

4. Will do the works Jesus does – GREATER WORKS BECAUSE I AM GOING TO THE FATHER.

What does going to the Father have to do with the works we can do? Because the Father was about to send the Holy Spirit to empower us and use us to do greater works. And what can be a work greater than what Jesus did? Miracles? Casting our demons? Jesus told his disciples in Luke 10:20:

“Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you. But rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Leading thousands of souls into the Kingdom of God – I believe this is what Jesus means by “greater works”.

We ask, God ACTS. “THIS I WILL DO”; I WILL DO IT.

The end result – THAT THE FATHER MAY BE GLORIFIED IN THE SON.

That is a great promise you should know.

But that promise is not unconditional. In the very next chapter of John (15), Jesus lays out some of the conditions – requisites of prayer.

John 15:7-8:

“If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

The Conditions? 

We abide in Jesus – that intimate relationship we have when we walk with God daily – holy, righteous living.

We have a great knowledge of the scriptures – know it like our right hand. We have a deep love for and understanding of the Bible.

The Actions:

WE PRAY

God takes action in response to our asking. (NOTE: we’ll speak another day about how our prayers must be in line with the will of God.)

WE will bear much fruit

God the Father and the Son will be glorified through our prayers. (Note – the same results in John 14 – God is glorified.)

2 Tim. 2:15 –

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, and who correctly handles the word of truth."

Knowledge of the Bible is essential to using the Word of God in proper ways. If we don’t know the Word, we are likely to find ourselves ashamed. It equips us to deal with the issues of life.

Paul’s instructions to his disciple, Timothy, not too long before Paul was martyred.

2 Tim. 3:14-17 –

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and of which you have become convinced, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation by faith in in Jesus Christ. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

The focus of Paul’s admonition to Timothy is the scriptures – a thorough knowledge of the Bible. The Bible is our training manual for doing every work God has given us to do. “Every good work” – what does that include? A LOT of things – all we do for God. And especially PRAYER. Knowledge of the Word of God.

 The better you know the scriptures, the better equipped you will be to pray.

 Jesus is your God.

The Bible is your book.

Know Him and His Word.