How to Get the Most out of Your Prayers

“We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' Then you can tell them, 'They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the LORD's Covenant went across.' These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever" (Joshua 4:6,7)

If your answered prayer was like a loaf of bread, how many people could it feed? Just you? Your family? What about thousands? This month, we learned a recipe for answered prayer (combining your desires with God’s will; adding the powerful ingredient of faith; and keeping it in the prayer oven until God answers). Now how will you use that bread when you get it?

Jesus’ followers faced the same issue. At the end of a long day of teaching and healing, His disciples wanted to send the crowds away to find their own food. But Jesus said: “’They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’ ‘We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,’ they answered. ‘Bring them here to me,’ He said” (Matthew 14:16-18). Jesus then took the disciples’ small bit of food and caused it to feed 5,000 people.

The loaf of your answered prayer can feed thousands too. Just like the Bible gives a recipe for answered prayer, it also gives “serving suggestions” for that finished loaf. Here’s what to do when you get that answered prayer:

• Eat it: You prayed for it, now enjoy it! Paul said, “"You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain." And in another place, "Those who work deserve their pay!" (I Timothy 5:18). Use the gift God has given you to glorify Him, and thank Him for it! But there are more uses than just eating it all right away…
• Save it: There will be times that you feel hungry, waiting for God to answer your prayers and not sure if He will. Use the bread you have from the past to remind yourself of God’s faithfulness! That’s what the Israelites did when God did something great. They set up stones to remember God’s faithfulness so that their kids would know how powerful God is. Tell yourself, “I know God will come through for me this time, because He came through for me last time.
• Share it: This is what the disciples did, and it fed 5,000. Your answers to prayer are not only for you—they are for the encouragement of others! How many times have you been encouraged by someone else’s story of God’s faithfulness? You can do the same for many others by sharing how God was faithful to you. Every time I get down, my mom tells me of all the times God has come through for her, and it strengthens me. Your one answer to prayer can feed so many people, just like the disciples’ few loaves!

God will answer your prayer, if you keep praying and trusting! And when He does, use your loaf to feed yourself in times of waiting and to feed others who need encouragement. In this way, there is no limit to how far your loaf of bread can stretch!

My Prayer for You: I pray God would reignite your hope in Him, that you would give your life afresh to Him and watch Him bless and love you in surprising ways. If you have gone astray, I pray that God would bring you back to His house and throw a party for you, like the prodigal son.

Share some of your loaf today! Let others know on the Prayer Wall how God has helped you in the past! Who knows, your story might be the encouragement someone needs to keep going!