God Does Answer Prayers

Modern-Day Examples

A young woman in India was in serious need of comfort. Married at 21, she had two children. But soon after the birth of the second child, her husband died. Suddenly, at the age of 24, she was a widow with a 2-month old daughter and a 22-month old son. No wonder she needed comfort! Where could she turn? One night. In deep distress, she prayed, saying, 'Heavenly Father, please comfort me through your Word."

The next morning, she had a visitor. He was one of Jehovah's Witnesses. That day, his house-to-house ministry had been difficult because few had opened the door to him. Tired and rather discouraged, he was about to go home, but somehow he felt impelled to visit just one more house. That was where he met the young widow. She invited him in and accepted a publication that explained the Bible. The woman drew great comfort from reading that publication and from her discussion with the Witness. She learned of God's promise to raise the dead and of God's Kingdom, which will soon make the earth a paradise. Most important, she came to know and love the one true God, Jehovah, who had answered her prayer. Nora, who lives in the city of George. South Africa, set aside a month to share in the full-time evangelizing work. Before starting, she earnestly prayed to Jehovah to help her to find someone who was genuinely interested in studying the Bible. The territory she was assigned to work included the home or a person who had been very rude to Nora on previous visits. Courageously, Nora called at that home again. To her surprise, she found that a new tenant, named Noleen, had moved in. Moreover, Noleen and her mother had been praying to god for help to understand the Bible. "When I offered them a Bible study," explains Nora, "they were delighted." Noleen and her mother progressed quickly. In time, they both began to share with Nora in the spiritual healing work.

Another example showing the power of prayer is that of a couple who live in the South African city of Johannesburg. On a Saturday night in 1996, Dennis and Carol's marriage reached the breaking point. As a last resort, they decided to pray for help, which they repeatedly did until late into the night. The next morning, at 11 o'clock, two of Jehovah's Witnesses knocked at their door. Dennis answered the door and told them to wait until he called his wife. Dennis then warned Carol that if she invited the Jehovah's Witnesses in, it might be hard to get rid of them. Carol reminded Dennis that they had been praying for help and that this might be God's answer to our prayers. So the Witnesses were invited in, and a Bible study was started in the book Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life. Dennis and Carol were thrilled with what they learned. That same afternoon, they attended their first meeting at the local Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. By applying the knowledge they had learned from the Bible, Dennis and Carol found solutions to their marital problems. They are now happy, baptized praisers of Jehovah and regularly share in their Bible - based beliefs with their neighbors.

Next time: What if You Feel Unworthy to Pray?

Watchtower, 2000