A Key To Answered Prayer

Max Lucado writes: ‘Ours is the wealthiest generation of Christians ever. We are bright, educated, and experienced. We can travel around the world in 24 hours or send a message in a millisecond. We have the most sophisticated research and medicines at the tips of our fingers. We have ample resources. A mere 2% of the world’s grain harvest would be enough, if shared, to erase the problems of hunger and malnutrition around the world. There is enough food on the planet to offer every person 2,500 calories of sustenance a day. We have enough food to feed the hungry…When your grandchildren discover you lived during a day in which 1.75 billion people were poor and 1 billion were hungry, how will they judge your response?’

More importantly, what will God say? When the Israelites complained that God wouldn’t answer their prayer, He told them: ‘Let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke. Share your food with the hungry, take the poor and homeless into your house, and cover them with clothes when you see them naked. Don’t refuse to help your relatives. Then your light will break through like the dawn, and you will heal quickly. Your righteousness will go ahead of you, and the glory of the Lord will guard you from behind. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer. You will cry for help, and He will say, “Here I am!”… The Lord will continually guide you and satisfy you.’ (Isaiah 58:6–11 GWT)

So instead of focusing on your own needs, focus on the needs of others. That’s a key to answered prayer.