Prayer Will Be Answered
The sermon emphasizes that prayer will be answered, and God always responds to the general design and intention of His people's prayers, even if the answer is delayed.
Charles E. Cowman preaches on the importance of earnestly seeking answers to our prayers, emphasizing the need for Christians to be vigilant and expectant in their petitions to God. He highlights that every prayer made in faith, according to God's will and in Jesus' name, will be fully answered, either for temporal or spiritual blessings. Cowman reminds believers that God always answers prayers in a way that brings glory to Himself and promotes the spiritual and eternal welfare of His people. He encourages the congregation to trust that God hears and responds to their prayers, even when the answers may be delayed or not immediately visible.
Text
"My expectation is from him" (Ps. 62:5).
Our too general neglect of looking for answers to what we ask, shows how little we are in earnest in our petitions. A husbandman is not content without the harvest; a marksman will observe whether the ball hits the target; a physician watches the effect of the medicine which he gives; and shall the Christian be careless about the effect of his labor?
Every prayer of the Christian, made in faith, according to the will of God, for which God has promised, offered up in the name of Jesus Christ, and under the influence of the Spirit, whether for temporal or for spiritual blessings, is, or will be, fully answered.
God always answers the general design and intention of His people's prayers, in doing that which, all things considered, is most for His own glory and their spiritual and eternal welfare. As we never find that Jesus Christ rejected a single supplicant who came to Him for mercy, so we believe that no prayer made in His name will be in vain.
The answer to prayer may be approaching, though we discern not its coming. The seed that lies under ground in winter is taking root in order to a spring and harvest, though it appears not above ground, but seems dead and lost. --Bickersteth
Delayed answers to prayer are not only trials of faith, but they give us opportunities of honoring God by our steadfast confidence in Him under apparent repulses. --C. H. Spurgeon
Sermon Outline
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Prayer Will Be Answered
- The Christian's Expectation from God
- Faith and the Will of God in Prayer
- The General Design and Intention of God's People's Prayers
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The Nature of Answered Prayer
- Prayer Made in Faith and According to God's Will
- Temporal and Spiritual Blessings
- The Influence of the Spirit in Prayer
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The Assurance of Answered Prayer
- Jesus Christ's Rejection of No Supplicant
- The Promise of God's Answer to Prayer
- The Steadfast Confidence in God
Key Quotes
“The answer to prayer may be approaching, though we discern not its coming.” — Charles E. Cowman
“Delayed answers to prayer are not only trials of faith, but they give us opportunities of honoring God by our steadfast confidence in Him under apparent repulses.” — Charles E. Cowman
Application Points
- We should be in earnest in our petitions, expecting God to answer them.
- Delayed answers to prayer give us opportunities to honor God by our steadfast confidence in Him.
- We should pray in faith and according to God's will, trusting in His promises and aligning our prayers with His will.