Lord, Hear My Prayer and Answer Me - A Blessed Morning Prayer To Start Your Day

I want to talk to you today about prayer, but not just prayer in a general sense. I want to talk to you about answered prayer, because there is a difference. Now, many of us pray. We pray in the morning. We pray before meals. We pray when trouble comes. But how many of us are seeing our prayers answered? How many of us are praying with real power and real expectation and seeing the hand of God move in response? You see, prayer is not just a ritual. Prayer is not just words spoken into the air. Prayer is warfare. It's a spiritual engagement with the throne room of heaven. It's like any form of warfare. It calls for an understanding of the rules of engagement. The Bible says in Mark 11, verse 22 to 24, Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, Be taken up and thrown into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. That is a staggering promise from the mouth of Jesus Christ. But it comes with a framework. And the first condition of answered prayer is faith. Have faith in God is what Jesus says. Before you open your mouth to pray, before you bring your request before the throne, you must have faith. Now, think about Abraham. The Bible calls him the father of faith. And in Romans 4, verse 17, the word of God tells us that Abraham believed God, the God who gives life to the dead, and calls into being things that do not yet exist. Abraham didn't have a child. He was old. His wife Sarah was old. By every natural measure, it was impossible. But Abraham believed God. He took God at his word. And God honored that faith. And then Hebrews 11, verse 3 says, By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. The entire universe was spoken into existence by the word of God. Everything you can see was made from what is invisible. And if God can do that, if He can create the heavens and the earth out of nothing, then why would you doubt that He can answer your prayer? Faith is the foundation. And without it, your prayers have no ground to stand on. The Bible says in Hebrews 11, verse 6, And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. You must believe that He exists, and you must believe that He rewards those who seek Him. That's the starting point of every answered prayer. And furthermore, when we pray, we ought to approach the Lord as children. Think about blind Bartimaeus in Mark chapter 10. When Jesus was passing through Jericho, Bartimaeus cried out, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me! And when Jesus stopped and asked him, What do you want me to do for you? Bartimaeus didn't give a vague answer. He didn't say, Oh Lord, just bless me. He said, Rabbi, I want to see. He was specific. He was direct. He knew exactly what he needed, and he wasn't afraid to ask for it. The Bible says in John 15, verse 7, If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. Ask whatever you wish. God's not intimidated by the size of your request, and He's not overwhelmed by the details of your situation. He wants you to come to Him with clarity and boldness, and He wants you to pray with conviction, not with timidity. Jesus said in Matthew 17, verse 20, I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Nothing will be impossible. But you have to speak to the mountain. You have to name it. You have to address it. And vague prayers produce vague results. Specific faith-filled prayers move mountains. Now, here's where many believers get it wrong. We pray, but then we put boundaries on God. We say, Lord, I believe you can do this, but probably not that. We say, God, I trust you, but let me also have a backup plan just in case. We limit God based on our own understanding of what is possible. But the word of God says in Mark 9, verse 23, Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. All things, not some things, not the easy things, and not the things that make logical sense. All things are possible to him who believes. Think about the woman with the issue of blood in Mark chapter 5. She had been bleeding for 12 years. She had spent everything she had on doctors, and she had exhausted every natural option. But when she heard about Jesus, she didn't put a limit on what she could do. She didn't say, well, maybe he can help a little. Now, she said to herself, If I can just touch the hem of his garment, I will be healed. That is unlimited faith. That is faith without ceiling. And the moment she touched his garment, she was healed instantly. Jesus said in John 15, verse 16, You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit. Fruit that will last. And so that whatever you ask in my name, the Father will give you. Whatever you ask, don't put a limit on God. Don't shrink your prayers to fit the size of your faith. Stretch your faith to fit the size of your God. Now, another condition of answered prayer is that you must refuse to doubt in your heart. Now, I want you to pay close attention to this because doubt is the silent killer of answered prayer. You can have faith in your mind, but if doubt is lurking in your heart, it will sabotage everything. The Bible says in James 1, verse 5 to 8, If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. Let me just pick out a few words from this passage of Scripture. Double-minded, unstable, like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That's what doubt does to your prayer life. It makes you unstable. It makes you unpredictable. One day you believe, and the next day you don't. In one moment you're standing in faith, and the next you're sinking in fear. And doesn't that remind you of Peter? When Jesus called him to walk on the water in Matthew 14, Peter stepped out of the boat in faith. For a moment, he walked. He actually walked on water. But the moment he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the wind and the waves, doubt crept in, and he began to sink. That is a picture of what happens in our prayer lives. We pray in faith, and we believe God for something. But then we look at the circumstances. We look at the bank account. We look at the doctor's report. We look at the situation that hasn't changed yet. And doubt starts to creep in, and we begin to sink. So refuse to doubt. Not because it's easy, but because your God is faithful. Anchor your request in a single-minded commitment to God. And don't be tossed by every wave of circumstance. Stand firm and believe in God's word that tells us he's able to do exceedingly above all that you could ask or think. And the fifth condition of answered prayer is that you must believe that whatever you have asked is already given. Now, this is perhaps the most challenging of all five, because it requires you to believe before you see. It requires you to give thanks for something that hasn't manifested yet. It requires you to walk by faith and not by sight. Think about the centurion in Matthew chapter 8. He came to Jesus and asked Him to heal his servant who was paralyzed at home. And when Jesus said, I will come and heal him, the centurion said something remarkable. He said, Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but just say the word and my servant will be healed. Just say the word? The centurion didn't need to see Jesus walk into his house. He didn't need to see Jesus lay hands on his servant. He believed that the word of Jesus was enough, that if Jesus spoke it, it was already done. And the Bible says Jesus marveled at his faith. The son of God was astonished by the depth of this man's belief. So Jesus said to him, Go, let it be done for you as you have believed. And the servant was healed at that very hour. So let me bring this all together for you today. Have faith in God. Believe that He is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do. Do not put a ceiling on what God can do. Don't shrink your prayers to fit your understanding. Refuse to doubt. Now let us pray. Lord Jesus, we come before you today, not with timid prayers or half-hearted requests. We come before you in faith. The kind of faith that believes you can move mountains and calm storms and raise the dead. Father, we believe that you are who you say you are. We believe that your word is true. We believe that when you make a promise, heaven and earth will pass away before that promise fails. Like Abraham, we choose to believe you even when the circumstances say otherwise. Like the woman with the issue of blood, we reach out to touch the hem of your garment, believing that one touch from you is enough. And like the centurion, we believe that you only need to speak the word and it is done. Father, I pray for every person listening right now who has been praying and waiting. Person who's been crying out to you for weeks, for months, perhaps even for years. The person whose faith has been tested by the silence. Lord, I pray that you would strengthen them and remind them that your timing is perfect. Remind them that delay is not denial and remind them that you are working behind the scenes even when they cannot see your hand. Lord, where there is doubt, uproot it. Where there is double-mindedness, replace it with a single-minded devotion to you. Where prayers have been vague and lifeless, ignite them with the fire of your word and the boldness of the Holy Spirit. We declare your word in Jeremiah 33 verse 3 which says, Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. Lord, we are calling to you and we believe that you will answer. We believe that you will show us great and hidden things, things beyond what we could ask or imagine. Help us to pray without limits. Help us to believe without ceilings. Help us to stand in faith without wavering. We praise you, Lord, because you are the God who answers prayers. You are not a distant God who ignores the cries of his children. You hear every word. You see every tear and you respond in your perfect way and in your perfect time. We praise you because nothing is impossible for you. Not the diagnosis, not the financial crisis, not the broken relationship, not the prodigal child. Nothing is too hard for you. We praise you because you're faithful. You've never broken a promise. You've never failed anyone who trusted in you and you will not start now. We thank you, Lord, that even as we pray these words, you are already at work. The answer is already in motion. The breakthrough is already on the way. Today, we choose to abide. Your word says in Psalm 23 verse 1 to 3, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his namesake. Father, as our good shepherd, lead us today. Guide our steps. May we be found in the right place at the right time, not because we're so smart or talented, but because you, King Jesus, are our good shepherd, a shepherd who leads us beside still waters. A shepherd who leads us in the paths of righteousness. Lord, we pray that your word would come alive in us today as we read the scriptures. Breathe on them. Make them living and active in our hearts. Give us a word that we can carry into this day. A word that will be a sword when the enemy comes. A word that will be a lamp when the path is dark. And a word that will be an anchor when the storms of this life try to move us. We declare your word in Joshua 1, verse 8, which says, Keep this book of the law always on your lips. Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Lord, we will keep your word on our lips. We will meditate on it day and night and we will be careful to live it out. Not for the applause of man, but because we love you. Father, teach us to pray without ceasing. And let this morning prayer be the first note of a conversation that continues all day long. In the car, at the desk, in the kitchen, in the quiet moments, and even in the chaotic ones. May we never be too busy or too distracted to talk to you. Help us to obey your commands, Lord. Not out of religious duty, but out of genuine love for you. And sensitize our hearts through your Holy Spirit so that we recognize when you're leading and we follow without hesitation. And we acknowledge today that without you, we can do nothing. We depend on your spirit for every breath, every decision, every step. Fill us afresh this morning, Lord. Empower us to walk in a way that brings glory to your name. And Lord, we rest in your love today. We rest in the truth that nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Not our failures, not our weaknesses, not our past, not our present, not our future. But your love holds us. Your love sustains us. Your love is the foundation upon which we build this day. We praise you, Lord, because you're faithful to meet us every morning. When we show up, you're already there. You never miss the appointment and you never grow tired of hearing our voice. We praise you because your word is living and powerful. It defeats the enemy and it gives life to our prayers. It lights our path and restores our soul. We praise you because you are the vine and we are the branches. And as long as we remain in you, we will bear fruit that lasts. Give us a discerning spirit so that we may not walk in the path of sin. Strengthen us so that we will not be lured by the world and its pleasures. But instead, King Jesus, we declare that we shall not want because you are all that we want and need. We are content so long as you are with us. We thank you for hearing this prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen. By the word of the Lord, the heavens were made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the deep in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spoke and it was done. He commanded and it stood fast. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his mercy to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord. He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him because we have trusted in his holy name. Let your mercy, oh Lord, be upon us just as we hope in you. Abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you unless you abide in me. Bible says in Mark 11 verse 22 to 24. Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, be taken up and thrown into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours. The Bible says in James 1 verse 5 to 8. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.