What percentage of prayers do you get answered...

[pneu-engine]

I was going to add that one too. The Lord won't even hear our prayers when we are willfully holding on to our sin. Perhaps we can say' date=' when we are right with the Lord, He answers 100% of our prayers[/b'].

Jerry,

I should have added that qualifier, too. :smile

[pneu-engine]

Well I'm with PE and Jerry in this and I didn't vote.


Correct me if I am misunderstanding your intentions here but it seems like you are only asking for how many "yes" answers we get.

"No" is a wonderful answer.

"Wait" is a wonderful answer.

And, not every "yes" comes in a clockable time frame.

I prayed for a friend's father 14 years ago, that the man would be saved. We prayed for him on a frequent basis. If you had asked me then how many prayers I was getting answered, you might assume that God wasn't answering this prayer of ours. Guess what? The man did get saved..... just 4 months ago. Guess that will boost my percentage up a little bit? I'm not trying to be mean but how in the world are we supposed to guage what percentage of prayers God answers if we don't believe He answers each and every one.

Last year, dh and I were praying fervently that our children would be able to attend Christian school. In August of 2007 we were sure that He had "answered our prayer" because I was going to get a job at the school we were looking at that would take care of the tuition. Well, in mid-August, God made it 150% clear that it wasn't going to happen. Did God answer my prayer? Yes indeedy! He changed my heart about homeschooling. And when we prayed for Him to provide for this, He answered way above and beyond our expectations.

I could go on and on and on with many stories in our lives where God answered quickly and obviously. But there are plenty of times when we have to wait.

So my answer is...

God answers 100% of my prayers. In His time and in His way. And He does the same for every child of His.

Many thanks for posting that, Jess. I love hearing testimonies like that. :thumb

I want to tell of of one that I have, too. :Green

I've been working on a new and different engine concept for a long, long time now. I call it my PNEU-ENGINE, because it runs on a hot air-gas mix. However, unlike other engines this "air-gas mix" is first developed from fractured-water. There is an incredible amount of details to be worked out, but the LORD has been leading all along the way. E.G. The main drive-shaft of this engine spins at ~8,000 to ~8,500 RPM. Right away I have to ask myself how am I ever going to slow that down with ordinary parts and yet reliably as well??????? Vibration observes the Direct-Square Law. I.E. When the speed is doubled, the vibration increases four times. The main emphasis here is to use standard readily available parts. ALL GLORY TO GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The LORD showed me a special snowmobile belt that is capable of transmitting 160 HP at 9,000 RPM. Gates Rubber Co. makes it, and it is in their "Xtreme" series. For a 300 HP engine we use two of them side by side. There are ooooooodles of incidents of answered prayers and the LORD's leading like this in this project.

[Madeline]

Our prayers might not get answered according to our timing, so we may not be for certain whether our prayers have been answered at some point in time. And it is not just the timing (which, of course, is all important for a variety of reasons) but also the form that answered prayers come in. After all, God worketh all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose, so in a way we ought really to want what God wants for us and only what God wants for us since He is the only one who really knows what is truly good for us. I believe that that is why the prayers of mature believers have a "higher percentage" of obvious effectiveness - not only because "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much", as James assures us, but also because the closer we get to the Lord, the more we do want what He wants, and the more clearly we see what that is. God answers all that are offered in truth and righteousness. It is just that as imperfect people we don't always know what we should ask for, we sometimes ask for things that if we were honest we know we shouldn't, and until we are at a perfect pitch of maturity there will be many times that we grow impatient waiting for God's perfect timing. It is also true that there are many times that God does answer our prayers only we may not see it (for a variety of reasons). For what we ask for may have a legitimate motivation behind it, but the mechanics we ask for to achieve what we want may be not in God's will, and He may go about the answer in a way we don't expect and may not even see. Therefore our "percentage" is really more often than not a "perceived percentage". What percentage of our prayers does God answer? 100%! As long as we ask in righteousness and truth. The percentage we perceive has more to do with our own spiritual perspicacity, spiritual maturity, and spiritual circumstances than it does with the One who promised to answer every prayer offered in the Name of Jesus:

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. John 14:13-14

Love,
Madeline

[Guest Guest]

I'm a firm believer that God answers ALL (100%) of my prayers. After I explain it you'll see why I say this. I get three types of answers from the LORD::::::::

***"Yes"

***"No"

***"Your faith isn't strong enough yet, so we'll wait and see how well you do in this "school" that I want you to attend." ((((These "schools" take place deeeeeeeeeeeeeep in the valleys of life. Mountaintop experiences are great but it's in the valleys where things grow (e.g. our faith and trust in Him.

You know, that is what I have heard most of my life... It is certainly true that there are many verses that would seem to teach that God always answers our prayers if our heart is right with him. On the other hand there are also many, many, verses where the individual specifically requests that God would hear the prayer. That would seem unusual if it was a guarantee assuming ones heart was right... We don't have to ask God to keep us saved for example, it is a promise. Also we have verses like these which would seem to imply that God at times chooses not to answer...


"Lamentations 3:8 Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer."

"Lamentations 3:44 Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through."

Sometimes I wonder if the old "God always answers yes, no, or wait." is just a excuse for us not getting the same results biblical characters seem to get. I guess what bothers me is that in scripture I seem to read that fairly quick answers are normal for a man of God(with some exceptions of course) and that is not what I see in life so far. Jesus said: "Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?" I have seen God give some very major and very direct answers to prayer, but the keyword is "some". Not a great deal of it and certainly not every day. We need daily bread after all. I feel like I and most of the people I know, even the ones that seem quite Godly, get some bread and a whole lot more stones... And I am not talking about physical requests that are asked to be "consumed upon our lusts" I am speaking of those things that are in the bible and clearly the will of God. Now I am pretty sure that I am not supposed to be getting so many stones with the bread so that is why I began to wonder if their might be more to it. Obviously the fault does not lie with God but I am not overly pleased with what I see and get, there is some, but not enough to live on so to speak.

Anyway, just being completely honest, hopefully no one will shoot me for it.
If you think I am wrong here(and it is quite possible) just pray that I get more to eat spiritually because I think I am on starvation rations. To little food starts playing with your mind after a while. :wink

[John81]

Seth, is there anyway you can be more specific?

Scripture says if we are in God's will and if we ask according to His will, then we know we have what we ask for.

John R. Rice wrote a popular book on asking and receiving in prayer that I've heard is excellent and I would like to read that someday.

In some areas where we might ask of the Lord there are more factors involved than just us and the Lord; such as when we pray for someone to come to be born again. In cases such as that, there is another person involved (the one in need of salvation) and unless we believe the Lord will force some people to be saved (which would in some aspect have Calvinistic aspects to it) then that person themselves will have a major impact upon whether or not they are saved or not.

Which, in the case of praying for the lost, we need to be mindful to pray the Lord would work in their hearts and minds and send that someone to them the Holy Ghost can use to bring them to Christ rather than simply praying that "Fred" will get saved.

Then there are aspects to consider such as if a person is ill and they pray for healing that doesn't come. Did God not answer? Did God say "no healing"? Or does/did God have a greater purpose to be served in the person not receiving the healing?

Without having a more specific idea of what sort of things and prayers you are talking about, it's difficult to really discuss.

[Marcus2Israel]

I voted 50-60% but then I thought, 100%. All my prayers get answered, its just sometimes He says no, sometimes yes, and sometimes maybe/not yet.

[5dumplings@home]

I voted 50-60% but then I thought' date=' 100%. All my prayers get answered, its just sometimes He says no, sometimes yes, and sometimes maybe/not yet.[/quote']


Yes, but he specified those prayers that are answered the way you wanted.

[cskirksey]

I get all my prayers answered. God either says yes, no, or wait. Just because I don't like the answer or He does not answer in the way I want, doesn't change the fact that He has answered.

[Guest Guest]

I get all my prayers answered. God either says yes' date=' no, or wait. Just because I don't like the answer or He does not answer in the way I want, doesn't change the fact that He has answered.[/quote']

Re-read the OP...

[Guest Guest]

100%........just not always how I want BUT always correctly because He's God and not me myself!

[kevinmiller]

I never voted in this poll cause it makes God sound too much like a vending machine to me.

[John81]

I never voted in this poll cause it makes God sound too much like a vending machine to me.

Scripture is clear that God loves us and wants to give to us. Just as an earthly father wants to provide good things for his children, so God wants us to walk in His will and ask and receive.

That said, God isn't sitting there waiting for us to tell him all our wants, no list for new sports cars, seven mansions and a Publishers Clearing House check for a million dollars every month!

God isn't a vending machine, but He is our Heavenly Father who delights to hear our rightful prayers and to answer them.

[Guest Guest]

This is an old thread but since I wrote the OP and it has come back to the top I will give "the rest of the story" so to speak. About two weeks after I started this thread(more or less complaining and wishing for more) answered prayers really started to take off. :thumb

Since then I haven't had anywhere near the levels of unanswered prayers that I had been having. Other than complaining about it here nothing changed to my knowledge, so I guess maybe publicly complaining about it was the right thing for me to do. Perhaps the change was due to the prayers of others on my behaf, or maybe because publicly admitting and complaining about it(which I was loathed to do) showed enough importunity, or possibly a combination both. Either way, I feel much better about the current situation. :Green

[John81]

This is an old thread but since I wrote the OP and it has come back to the top I will give "the rest of the story" so to speak. About two weeks after I started this thread(more or less complaining and wishing for more) answered prayers really started to take off. :thumb

Since then I haven't had anywhere near the levels of unanswered prayers that I had been having. Other than complaining about it here nothing changed to my knowledge, so I guess maybe publicly complaining about it was the right thing for me to do. Perhaps the change was due to the prayers of others on my behaf, or maybe because publicly admitting and complaining about it(which I was loathed to do) showed enough importunity, or possibly a combination both. Either way, I feel much better about the current situation. :Green

That's good to know! :thumb

Reading the book, "Prayer, Asking and Receiving" by John R. Rice was a real blessing to my prayer life.

[Cototheburn]

I say 100% of my prayers are answered. People will look at it like "you are very blessed". The 100% does not mean I am blessed and I am God's favor. The 100% means it is answers one way or another. If I pray, and it could be any where, even walking down a street, it is answered. It could be a no, it could be a yes, it could happen later on, or it wont happen at all. But God hears my prays, and He answers them in His way, not ours.