Answered Prayer

~ Do You Understand God’s 4 Answers to Your Prayers? ~

Over my years as a Christian I have found the following summary of answers to prayer to be helpful. The original source of the four terms is unknown.

answer #1: “SLOW”  ~  Your heart is okay and the request is okay but the timing is not right. Have patience because God will grant your request at the proper time. 

answer #2: “GROW”  ~ The timing is okay and the request is okay but your condition is not right. You need to work on your spiritual character before God will grant that particular request.   

answer #3: “NO”  ~  The problem with your request is that the request is not acceptable to God. In this case neither the timing nor you are factors. 

answer #4: “GO”   ~  Your condition is good. The request is good. The timing is good. Therefore God grants your request. 

In chart form these four answers to prayer look like this.

Four Answers to Prayer
	The Timing	Your Condition	The Request	God’s Answer
1	Not right	Okay	Okay	“Slow”
2	Okay	Not right	Okay	“Grow”
3	Okay	Okay	Not right	“No”
4	Okay	Okay	Okay	“Go”

All four responses are “answers to prayer” including when God says “no.” Prayer is not a method for changing God’s mind but rather a way to take hold of God’s willingness to work all things for good on your behalf. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW