阅读经文 

在《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》一书中，主人公哈克，正如他的名字一样，需要一些鱼钩。有人告诉他上帝总是回应祷告，所以哈克为鱼钩祷告了三天。但他什么也没有收到。所以他总结说：“什么也没有。”

雅各告诉我们，义人的祈祷大有功效。耶稣说我们奉祂的名，无论求什么，就必得着。（参约壹 5:14-15）以赛亚书六十五章第二十四节告诉我们，我们还未呼求的时候，神已经应允了。然而，我们似乎有很多祷告并没有蒙应允。我们祈求医治，医治没有发生。我们祈求出路，一扇又一扇的门却砰然关上。我们恳求神帮助我们胜过成瘾行为，却没有任何改变。

神真的回应祷告吗？当然回应。

但神回应祷告并不意味着我们能得到想要的一切。神应许我们，当我们按着神的旨意为自己和世界祈求时，祂就会应允我们所求的。（参约壹 5:14-15）

我们祷告，是为了与神相交，表达我们对神的感谢，感谢祂为我们成就的一切。祷告是我们与主沟通的途径。祂垂听我们一切祈祷，并按着我们的需要和祂的旨意来回应。

In the book Huckleberry Finn, the main character—Huck, as he was called—needed fishhooks. Someone had told him that God always answers prayers, so for three days Huck Finn prayed for fishhooks. But he received none. So he concluded: “There ain’t nothing in it.”

James tells us that the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective. Jesus said that if we ask anything in his name, he will do it. In Isaiah 65:24 we’re told that God answers before we even call on him. And yet there seem to be so many unanswered prayers. We pray for healing, but healing doesn’t happen. We ask for open doors, but one door after another slams shut. We plead with God to help us overcome an addiction, but there’s no change.

Does God answer prayer? Of course he does.

But prayer is not meant to give us anything we might want. God promises to give what we ask for when we ask in line with his will for our lives and for his world (1 John 5:14-15).

We pray in order to connect with God and to share how thankful we are for who he is and all he has done for us. Praying is our communication line with the Lord. He hears all our prayers and answers them according to our needs and according to his will.