Praying With Confidence

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). How do you pray with confidence? How do you know if God will answer your prayers? Four key words answer this question

Abide
Abiding is the key to successful praying. In John 15:7, Jesus states,

“If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask whatever you will and it shall be done for you.”

Colossians 3:16 says,

“Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you.”

Abiding means you want to stay as close to Christ as possible.
Ask
Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:7-8,

“Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For every one who asks receives; and he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks it shall be opened.”

We can ask God for anything and He listens - He will answer. Ask specifically!
Someone has said when we get to heaven we’ll find a lot of unopened gift packages with our name on them because we did not claim them through prayer.
Believe
In Matthew 21:22 we read,

“Everything you ask in prayer, believing you shall receive.”

Faith, which is an attitude of believing, pleases God. With Him, all things are possible. Remind yourself of this verse when you pray.
Receive
If you are abiding in Christ and you have asked and believe, get ready to receive the answer. In other words, when you pray for rain, carry an umbrella. John 16:24 says,

“Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.”

Remember these four words to pray with confidence:

• abide,
• ask
• believe
• receive

Father, teach us to pray with confidence. To abide in Jesus, to ask, to believe You will answer our prayers and to be ready to receive Your answers. Amen.

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