Topical Bible: Answers To Prayer: Paul

Bible > Topical > Answers To Prayer

◄ Answers To Prayer: Paul ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The Apostle Paul, a pivotal figure in the early Christian church, is renowned for his missionary journeys, theological insights, and epistles that form a significant portion of the New Testament. His life and ministry were marked by numerous instances of answered prayer, demonstrating the power and faithfulness of God in response to the petitions of His servants.

Conversion and Calling

Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus is one of the most dramatic examples of answered prayer in the New Testament. Before his conversion, Paul, then known as Saul, was a zealous persecutor of Christians. However, the early church was fervently praying for deliverance from persecution. In Acts 9:3-6, Paul encounters the risen Christ, who calls him to be an apostle to the Gentiles. This divine intervention is an answer to the prayers of the early believers for relief and the spread of the Gospel.

Guidance and Direction

Throughout his ministry, Paul frequently sought God's guidance through prayer. In Acts 16:6-10, Paul and his companions were traveling through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. During the night, Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." This vision was an answer to prayer, directing Paul to bring the Gospel to Europe, which significantly impacted the spread of Christianity.

Deliverance from Persecution

Paul often faced intense persecution and danger. In 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, he recounts a time in Asia where he was under great pressure, far beyond his ability to endure, so that he despaired of life itself. He writes, "Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us again. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers." Here, Paul acknowledges the role of the prayers of the saints in his deliverance, highlighting the communal aspect of prayer and its efficacy.

Provision and Support

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul expresses gratitude for the support he received from the church in Philippi. Philippians 4:19 states, "And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." This assurance comes in the context of Paul's own experience of God's provision, often in response to prayer. Whether through the generosity of fellow believers or through unexpected means, Paul experienced God's faithfulness in meeting his needs as he carried out his apostolic mission.

Strength and Endurance

Paul's prayers for strength and endurance were consistently answered by God, enabling him to persevere through trials and hardships. In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Paul speaks of a "thorn in the flesh" given to him, a messenger of Satan to torment him. He pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away, but the Lord said to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness." This response to Paul's prayer illustrates how God sometimes answers not by removing difficulties but by providing the grace and strength to endure them, thereby manifesting His power in human weakness.

Spiritual Insight and Revelation

Paul's epistles are filled with profound theological insights and revelations, many of which were received through prayerful communion with God. In Ephesians 1:17-18, Paul prays for the believers, asking "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him." Paul's own understanding and articulation of the mysteries of the Gospel were undoubtedly the result of his deep prayer life and God's gracious answers to his prayers for wisdom and revelation.

Paul's life and ministry provide a rich tapestry of answered prayers, demonstrating the dynamic relationship between divine sovereignty and human petition. His experiences encourage believers to approach God with confidence, knowing that He hears and responds to the prayers of His people.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Acts 28:8
And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Robbie Goodman's Prayer
Touching Incidents and Remarkable Answers to Prayer. ... up with perfect confidence as
he said, "The Lord will answer Robbie's prayer, won't he. ... "But Paul," said Mrs ...
/.../touching incidents and remarkable answers to prayer/robbie goodmans prayer.htm

Answers to Prayer
... himself repeatedly proved that the Lord hears and answers prayer! ... our surprise when,
at our evening prayer meeting, this ... a hill, I was stopped as Paul was, and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/various/the wonders of prayer/answers to prayer.htm

The Prayer of Faith.
... This case of Paul, and that of Christ just adverted to, were both of them cited
as instances to prove to ... Why, that God will grant answers to prayer when it ...
/.../finney/lectures on revivals of religion/lecture v the prayer of.htm

Letter v. Prayer and Fasting.
... And when Paul and Silas were thrown into the dungeon, with their feet fast ... With the
evidence here presented, who can doubt that God hears and answers prayer? ...
/.../letter v prayer and fasting.htm

God's Pathway to Human Hearts.
... four great, striking instances of delayed, or qualified answers to prayer. ... are Moses'
request to enter Canaan; Hannah's prayer for a son; Paul's thorn; and ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on prayer/gods pathway to human hearts.htm

The Word of Jesus on Prayer.
... I want to know that there is a God that answers prayer, that I may ... in weakness.'
God had a better thing for Paul than granting his prayer and removing ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macdonald/unspoken sermons/the word of jesus on.htm

Prayer --Fills Man's Poverty with God's Riches
... the plain letter and spirit of the Bible when we affirm that God answers prayer,
and answers by giving us ... Paul came on the stage too late to define prayer. ...
/.../bounds/the reality of prayer/ii prayerfills mans poverty with.htm

The Christian Prayer
... Prophets and teachers at Antioch (Acts 13:1-3) and Paul and the ... Give the divisions
of the model prayer and explain them. What can be said of answers to prayer? ...
/.../sell/studies in the life of the christian/study vii the christian prayer.htm

A Sheaf of Prayer Arrows
... lesson is, Leave God to settle how He answers your prayer. ... This is the true inmost
essence of prayer"not that ... The Apostle Paul said, in his last letter, with ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/a sheaf of prayer arrows.htm

Bear up the Hands that Hang Down, by Faith and Prayer...
... pray, and hear no voice, but stay till God answers. ... us the all-potent and far-reaching
possibilities of prayer. Paul was might for God because he knew how to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bounds/purpose in prayer/chapter ix bear up the.htm