Five Keys to Answered Prayer

1. Don’t expect everybody to understand your desire.

There can be people in your family who have no clue why you desire what you desire. 1 Samuel 1:8: “Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” Eli did not have an understanding of Hannah’s desire.

2. Pray through your disappointments.

1 Samuel 1:10: “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.” You have to learn to pray through your disappointment. Disappointment is a feeling of sadness and can lead to despair if unchecked. Despair is a feeling of hopelessness. You have to get to a place where you are praying through disappointment.

“Your feelings will dictate to you—if you let them” – Pastor Billy Johnson

3. Be specific in your request.

Learn to be specific in your request. The way you are going to give glory to God is to go ahead and give birth to what God has put on the inside of you. What specific request do you need to ask of God? What is on the inside already has the favor attached to it to bring it to pass. Read Mark 11:24 and John 15:7-8

“God is not a wasteful investor”—Pastor Billy Johnson

4. Cooperate with the process.

1 Samuel 1:19: “Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.” You cannot do God’s part and God will not do your part. There has to be cooperation with the process. Many times we are praying but it is the opposite direction of what we are praying for. Cooperate with the process! Hannah had to cooperate with God. What practical steps do you need to take to cooperate with God?

“God will begin to give you the ability to do what you are praying for” – Pastor Billy Johnson.

5. Give God time.

1 Samuel 1:20 “So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel,[e] saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.” What you want is going to come to pass in the process of time. Just because you’ve not seen it doesn’t mean the answer is not on the way. When you pray—God heard you the first time but you have to give God time to manifest the answer.

“God will answer in time”—Pastor Billy Johnson