Dr. James Banks’ life is marked with answered prayers and the profound reality of God’s love.
“As a child I was blessed with a mom who really prayed,” Banks reflects. “In fact, she had a friend who was involved in the occult. My mom prayed for her for years and brought me into that. Eventually my mom’s friend and her whole family came to Christ.”
Decades later, Banks followed his mother’s lead, investing years praying that his son, Geoff, would be freed from addiction.
“When a person’s will is that strong, God alone can get through,” Banks shared. “Over time I had a growing awareness of Jesus’ words, ‘Apart from me you can do nothing.’ On the flip side, when you see what only He can do, there’s nothing like it.”
Banks’ wonder over God’s power never tired.
“Even though I was praying for Geoff, what God actually did was ultimately more than I could’ve asked or imagined,” Banks emphasized. “He’s now a grounded follower of Jesus, serving in ministry. That challenges me. Why didn’t I expect that when I was asking for it?”
Despite the spectacular answers he’s received, Banks knows the heart of prayer is still very simple.
“Prayer is about relationship; just being with Jesus,” Banks said. “We tend to make prayer substantive in nature—about a certain subject or goal—but God desires that we be with Him. What’s fascinating is that real substance comes out of that. Our prayers and praise can be outpourings of our love for God.”
And what about the prayers that seem to go unheard? Banks believes that unanswered prayers are never easy but that showing up to pray even though nothing seems to be happening is really important.
“It’s in those moments God meets us unexpectedly,” Banks encouraged. “We gain fresh awareness of His presence, love, and peace. He’s always the best answer to prayer whether what we’re asking for happens or not. That reason alone is the best reason to pray and trust Him.”
Perhaps there’s really no such thing as an unanswered prayer. The answer is always Jesus.
Check out books by James Banks like Prayers for Prodigals and Prayers for Your Children on our website.
