Three prayers God will always answer “yes”

Many times God answers our prayers with a firm “no”. But there are three prayers to which God’s answer will always be “yes”.

These aren’t magical incantations that I’ve teased out of Scripture—and I guarantee they won’t feature in the next bestselling self-improvement book. They’re biblical prayers that are centered on the very heart of God’s purpose, prayers he already wants to answer “yes” to because they request exactly what he intends to give. These prayers don’t treat God like a divine slot-machine that yields desired rewards when presented with the right combination of words. They reflect instead the heart of one already yielded to his desire—for the rewards he wants to give, and for the means by which he wishes to give them. 

Yes prayer 1: Cleanse my sin

God is all about eradicating sin, not only through a new believer’s first prayer of faith, but also throughout the life of a Christian as the layers of sin get pulled back, revealing the depths of sin from which we must be saved. This prayer grows more earnest, even urgent, as the life of a believer continues. Being the object of spiritual purification is hard, but by asking him to do this work we participate with him in it. Praying “cleanse my sin” helps us to embrace the painful demolition process of sanctification as fruitful, constructive, and beneficial. And he’ll never say “no”.

Yes prayer 2: Reveal yourself in my suffering

We don’t have to ask for suffering; God will bring it to us in just the variety, timing, and degree that he knows will benefit us most. The real question is, what will we ask him for in the midst of that suffering? There’s nothing wrong with asking for relief, that the suffering would be lifted, but in doing so remember that what you are really asking for is that God would reveal himself. When Job’s suffering lifted, his prosperity was increased by the end of the story, not only in material wealth, but more importantly in his perfected knowledge of God (Job 42:2-6). Amazingly, suffering also “perfected” Jesus (Heb 2:9-10, 17-18), who models for us this prayer, “reveal yourself in my suffering” (John 12:27-28), which is just what God intends to do.

Yes prayer 3: Make me like Jesus

Whether it be a difficult relationship, financial distress, chronic illness, or just the wearing, daily struggle of living in a fallen world, “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). And lest we think that purpose has anything to do with our present comfort, success, or prosperity, the next verse tells us: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Rom 8:29). We’re like blocks of rock, constantly being chiseled by God through trials and suffering—both individually and together—to resemble the Son he loves. God saved us to make us more like Jesus because Jesus delights his Father’s heart like no other thing. He just can’t get enough of his precious Son, so, to our eternal joy, he’s making many more like him—namely, us. When we pray “make me more like Jesus”, we can be sure he will.

In essence, these prayers seek the new creation. In that place we will be completely cleansed of sin (1 John 3:2-3). We will stand with God in full view for our eyes to behold (Job 19:25-27). We will be perfected in the glory of God’s Son; in undying bodies we will live forever with him in a new heavens and earth unmarred by sin (Rev 21:1-5).

God has already begun the construction of that place in our hearts as he dwells in us by his Spirit, and in our midst as we form the new humanity of the new creation. The “yes” prayers reflect our enthusiasm for this project. When Christ returns, these prayers will be complete, “for all the promises of God find their ‘yes’ in him” (2 Cor 1:20).