Prov 15:28 tells us that the prayer of the upright is His delight and in verse 29 of that same chapter we read that God, “hears the prayers of the righteous” (NKJV). (See also 1 Peter 3:12). Psalm 34:17 declares that God not only hears the prayers of the righteous but also, “delivers them out of all their troubles” (NKJV). James also talks about the prayers of the righteous saying that, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16; NKJV). (See also Matt 7:7; John 14:13,14; 15:7; 16:24). 1 John 5:14 enlarges on this by saying that God hears us when we pray according to His will. In addition, Jesus told us that we need to address our prayers to God the Father in Jesus name (John 16:23). What is the secret to answered prayer? Praying in faith (Matt 21:22; Mark 11:23-24). We do this by believing that we receive the answers to our prayers when we are praying (that is before the answer actually comes). Faith isn’t the only thing needed; we also need to be forgiving as Mark 11:25 tells us. One last point on prayer – “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17); in other words, stay in communion with God throughout the day as much as possible. Prayer is our lifeline to God, follow the example of Jesus and make it a daily habit (Mark 1:25, Luke 5:16).