Psalms66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear [me]: 
66:19 [But] verily God hath heard [me]; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. 
66:20 Blessed [be] God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.  

 I highly recommend keeping journals of blessings and answered prayers. Story details are more accurate when recorded at the time of the event. You may forget it even happened after 10 years. It is important to remember and keep thanking God. Thanksgiving time is a good time to review your answers to prayer.  Also when everything seems to be going wrong, get out the journals and review what God has done for you in the past. It increases your faith to look back at what God has done for you.

Many ask how they can pray and get answers. It is really simple. It is like A,B,C. ASK, BELIEVE and CLAIM.

Ask Jesus according to His will.

Believe Jesus can do what you ask and much more.

Claim: Repeat back His promises. He likes you to give His word as reason to answer you. Make sure you obey the conditions.

It seems children have simple faith that brings great answers

THE POWER OF PRAYER


Whoever said the Creator doesn't have a sense of humor?

 A true story about the pastor of his church. 

He had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard and was afraid to come down. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, etc. The kitty would not come down.

The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and drove away so that the tree bent down, he could then reach up and get the kitten. He did all this, checking his progress in the rear view mirror frequently, then figured if he went just a little bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten. But as he moved a little further forward, the rope broke. The tree went "boing!" and the kitten instantly sailed through the air - out of sight. The pastor felt
 terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they'd seen a little kitten. No. Nobody had seen a stray kitten. So he prayed, "Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping," and went on about his business.
 A few days later he was at the grocery store, and met one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. Now this woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her, "Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?"
 She replied, "You won't believe this," and told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child had begged again, so the Mom finally told her little girl, "Well if God gives you a cat, I'll let you keep it!"
 She told the pastor, "I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won't believe this,
 but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her!"

      Is God Great Or What       

"Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near:  let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:  let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon."  Isaiah 55:6,7

What are the conditions I must meet if my prayers are to be answered?  What is one of the first of these?  Am I meeting these conditions?

Must feel our need:  "There are certain conditions upon which we may expect that God will hear and answer our prayers.  One of the first of these is that we feel our need of help from Him."---Steps to Christ, page 95

Wholehearted consecration required:  "All who consecrate soul, body, and spirit to God will be constantly receiving a new endowment of physical and mental power.  The inexhaustible supplies of heaven are at their command. . . . Through cooperation with Christ they are complete in Him, and in their human weakness they are enabled to do the deeds of Omnipotence."---Desire of Ages, page 827

Obedience necessary:  "Prayer can never take the place of duty. . . . Those who bring their petitions to God, claiming His promise while they do not comply with the conditions, insult Jehovah.  They bring the name of Christ as their authority for the fulfillment of the promise, but they do not those things that would show faith in Christ and love for Him."---Christ's Object Lessons, page 143

"As the giver of every blessing, God claims a certain portion of all we possess. . . . But if we withhold from Him that which is His own, how can we claim His blessing?  If we are unfaithful stewards of earthly things, how can we expect Him to trust us with the things of heaven?  It may be that here is the secret of unanswered prayer."---Ibid., p.144

"If we render to Him only a partial, halfhearted obedience, His promises will not be fulfilled to us."---The Ministry of Healing, page 227

Faith another condition:  "Another element of prevailing prayer is faith. . . . Do we take Him at His word?"---Steps to Christ, page 96

"We are too faithless.  Oh, how I wish that I could lead our people to have faith in God!  They need not feel that in order to exercise faith they must be wrought up into a high state of excitement.  All they have to do is to believe God's Word, just as they believe one another's word.  He hath said it, and He will perform His Word.  Calmly rely on His promise, because He means all that He says.  Say, He has spoken to me in His Word, and He will fulfill every promise that He has made. . . . Act as if your heavenly Father could be trusted."---Selected Messages, b. 1, pp. 83,84

Why some do not get answers to prayer:

Many have asked me why I get answers and they do not. Maybe they just forget to write it down and remember what God has done for them. On the other hand, there are some things people do to block God's answers. The Bible tells us some reasons people do not get answers.

1. Prayerless. Some just do not ask for anything. James 4:2 says some do not have because they do not ask.

   Some are afraid to ask for big things. If you bring Him a thimble, He will fill it. If you bring a 5 gallon bucket, He can fill that. He says He can open the windows of heaven and pour out so much, you won't have room for it, if your return your tithes and offerings. (Malachi 3:9-10) He can do abundantly more than you ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20) "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, ..."

2. Unconfessed Sin . The Bible says if I regard or hide sin in my heart God will not hear me. Isaiah 59:2. The wrong doings need to be confessed and made right.

3. Unresolved Personal Conflict. If there are things you have done to hurt others, these need to be made right and forgiven before you ask God for things. (Mathew 5:23 & 24)

Husbands will have their prayers hindered if they fail to live with and  honor their wife.       (I Peter 3:7) "3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with [them] according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. 
3:8 Finally, [be ye] all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, [be] pitiful, [be] courteous: 
3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 

4. Selfishness. You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts. James 4:3

Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts...Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up. (James 4:7,8)

You draw near to God by prayer, thinking about God, and reading His Word. We also draw near by secret examination of our own hearts. Tell God where you see you are weak and ask for help.

5. Uncaring Attitude. Some people have unanswered prayers because they do not care for others. Proverbs 21:13 says whoever plugs his ears to the cry of the poor, he will not be heard either. Isaiah 58 states what God expects His people to do. WE are to loose the bands of wickedness. The oppressed are to be set free. We are to give food to the hungry, and clothe the naked. If we do these things, the Lord will satisfy your soul during drought. You will be like a watered garden when everyone else's is dried up. Best of all it says the Lord will guide you continually.

6. Inadequate faith. James 1:6 says we are to ask in faith. If we do not have faith, we are like tossing waves of the sea that are driven by any wind that blows.

Without faith it is impossible to please Him.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the WORD of God. We gain faith by remembering what God has done for us, and by reading in the Bible what He has done for others. As we share our experiences, it strengthens the faith of others.

Romans 10:17 So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

7. Some people rob God by not returning  tithes and offerings and expect Him to give to them. Why should He answer prayer while we are robbing Him? If a robber broke into your home and took your things, would you feel like helping him if he asked you to give him a ride to the bank with the money he stole from you? People do this to God. Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 
3:9 Ye [are] cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, [even] this whole nation. 
3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it]. 
3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 
3:12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts. 

8. If you have gone through this list and none of these problems seem to fit and you still are not getting answers, ask God to help you search your heart. Maybe you missed the problem. Maybe you can't see what the problem is. God will gently help you see the block and remove it. You can pray like David did in Psalm 139: Search me!

 Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 
139:24 And see if [there be any] wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

9. When you remember to say thank you, it is more fun for God to give you more. "The Lord desires us to make mention of His goodness and tell of His power. He is honored by the expression of praise and thanksgiving." Christian Service p. 214   by Ellen White.

"David declares, "I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live" (Ps. 116:1, 2). God's goodness in hearing and answering prayer places us under heavy obligation to express our thanksgiving for the favors bestowed upon us. We should praise God much more than we do. The blessings received in answer to prayer should be promptly acknowledged."  {AG 325.4} Amazing Grace   by Ellen White.

One last special quotation on thanking God. My sharing of what God had done was extremely important for my growth in my friendship with God. I was a timid teenager but God wanted me to share. It had to be or I was not thankful.

"Filled with gratitude, we communicate to others the blessings that have been freely given us. Thus receiving and imparting, we grow in grace; and a rich current of praise and gratitude constantly flows from our lips; the sweet spirit of Jesus kindles thanksgiving in our hearts, and our souls are uplifted with a sense of security. The unfailing, inexhaustible righteousness of Christ becomes our righteousness by faith. {ML 171.4}
Let the fresh blessings of each new day awaken praise in our hearts for these tokens of His loving care. {ML 171.5}
When you open your eyes in the morning, thank God that He has kept you through the night. Thank Him for His peace in your heart. Morning, noon, and night let gratitude as a sweet perfume ascend to heaven. . . . {ML 171.6}
The angels of God, thousands upon thousands, . . . guard us against evil and press back the powers of darkness that are seeking our destruction. Have we not reason to be thankful every moment, thankful even when there are apparent difficulties in our pathway? My Life Today  p. 171   by  Ellen White

I have been young and now I am old but I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his (her) seed begging for bread. Psalms 37:25

Jesus is my youth, my joy, my happiness. He helps me forgive. I praise Him for without Him I have no joy or meaning in life. With Him constantly at my side, I am satisfied no matter what state I am in. My security does not depend on a palace or worldly fame or wealth. We all can know we are daughters and sons of the KING. Only a few more months  and this world will go into its final end stages as prophesied in Revelation and Daniel. Those who believe Jesus enough to keep His commandments will pass His loyalty test. "My sheep know my voice" Jesus knows who love Him and obey. He will come for them. My friend, accept His love and trust and obey. I want to meet you in the courts of heaven.

. My first prayer answered inspired me to love and adore My JESUS. Sharing this has increased this friendship for over 30 years.