God always answers prayers, but His reply is not always what people expect. However, there are some people who complain that their prayers remain unanswered no matter how fervently they pray.
Pastor Rick Warren from Saddleback Church shared four secrets on his website that will guarantee answered prayers.
First, Warren said that people should base their requests on God's character.
"Pray like you know God will answer you: 'I'm expecting you to answer this prayer because of who you are. You are a faithful God. You are a great God. You are a loving God. You are a wonderful God. You can handle this problem, God!'" he said.
Then, Warren urged people to confess their sins. This is what Nehemiah from the Bible, who was responsible for rebuilding Jerusalem during the Second Temple period, did when he prayed to God. Even though he wasn't responsible for the fact that Israel went into captivity, he included himself in the national sins and told God, "I've been a part of the problem."
Third, Nehemiah claimed the promises of God when he said, "I want you to remember what you told your servant Moses." Warren said God need not be reminded of anything, and He never forgets His promises. However, when Nehemiah prayed so, he was reminding the Israelites what God had promised.
Another thing about prayer is that people need to be very specific in what they ask for. "If you want specific answers to prayer, then make specific requests. If your prayers consist of general requests, how will you know if they're answered?" Warren said.
So when people ask God for success, Warren said they have to be specific about their definition of success. Personally, when Warren prays for success, he is hoping to fulfill "God's purpose for my life in faith, love, and the power of the Holy Spirit and expecting the results from God."
"That is a worthy life objective that you should be able to pray for with confidence," he said.
