Expect God to Answer Your Prayers

by Rick Warren — August 26, 2021
From 40 Days of Prayer

“If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him . . . but . . . if you don’t ask with faith, don’t expect the Lord to give you any solid answer."

James 1:5-8 (TLB)

God wants to direct you in life, but two things need to line up: You need to ask the right person, and you need to ask with the right attitude. The right person is God, and the right attitude is in faith—trusting him to provide the answer.

The Bible says, “If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him . . . but . . . if you don’t ask with faith, don’t expect the Lord to give you any solid answer” (James 1:5-8 TLB).

Have you ever asked God for something while not expecting to get it? That’s why you didn’t get it. God works in your life according to faith.

So often we say, “God, please guide me!” and we walk away without waiting for guidance. We just immediately get to work on the problem. We may say that we want God to give us wisdom and help us make the right decision, but we don’t really expect him to. We think it all depends on us.

But God has promised to give you wisdom—if you ask for it. Wisdom is seeing life from God’s point of view. Wisdom is the ability to make decisions the way God makes decisions.

Think about this: God never makes a bad decision. He never makes a mistake. He says if you trust him and listen to him, he will guide you. But you must first ask in faith.

Talk It Over

  • Have you ever asked God for something and didn’t expect to get it? What did you ask for? And how did God answer?
  • What do you tend to do while waiting for God to answer your prayers?
  • What can you ask God for today in faith, expecting him to answer?

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.