By knowing who you are and who God is, you can gain a deeper understanding of the power of prayer and why it works.

The Apostle Paul taught, “We are the offspring of God” (Acts 17:29). You are God’s child. God is literally the Father of your spirit. Like any parent, He wants to have a relationship with you. He wants you to communicate with Him through prayer, and He always listens when you do.

Just like earthly parents care deeply about their children, your Heavenly Father loves you and wants you to be happy. That doesn’t mean your life will always be easy or joyful. God will allow you to experience challenges to teach you important lessons and help make you a better person. But God will always answer your prayers because of His never-ending love for you and all of His children.

Our loving God wants His children to receive all the blessings He can give them. Jesus Christ explained God’s desire to answer our prayers: “What man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then … know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:9–11).

God will answer your prayers, but that doesn’t mean He’ll just give you whatever you ask for. Because He knows what’s best for you, He will answer your prayers in His way. Strive to ask for things that are in harmony with the will of God.

The point of prayer isn’t to change God’s will or to compel Him to do what you want Him to do. Prayer allows you to receive the blessings God already has in store for you. As you pray to know what God wants you to do and what He has prepared for you, you will see more blessings in your life and you will receive more answers to your prayers. Jesus taught, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7).

The New Testament teaches, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God … and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith” (James 1:5–6). Faith is a belief in things you can’t yet see (see Hebrews 11:1). If you pray and sincerely believe that God will answer you, He will.

Receiving and recognizing answers to your prayers can require some work and patience on your part.

It might sound simple, but we need to ask God for the blessings we need. Jesus taught, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find” (Matthew 7:7). When you are sincerely striving to obey God’s commandments, He will give you answers to your prayers, and you will be ready to receive them. God “heareth the prayer of the righteous” (Proverbs 15:29).

Fasting is a powerful tool to receive answers to prayer. To fast is to go without food or water for a certain amount of time. This shows God your humility and your willingness to sacrifice in order to receive blessings. When Jesus found some of His disciples unsuccessfully trying to heal a young boy, he pointed out that the righteous blessing they sought could be obtained only “by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21).

Sometimes God doesn’t seem to answer prayers right away—or at all. Does that mean He doesn’t care or that He’s not listening? Not at all. Sometimes God waits to answer our prayers because He trusts us to make the right decision. Other times, God requires us to patiently wait for an answer so we can build our faith and trust in Him. And on some occasions, God gives us answers, but they may not be what we’d hoped for. Whatever the answer, take comfort in the fact that God always listens when you pray and He wants what is best for you. Your Heavenly Father will take care of you, and He will help you become the best version of yourself.