What possible answers does God give to legitimate prayers offered with thanksgiving?
When believers come before God with legitimate petitions accompanied by thanksgiving, God may answer yes, no, or maybe later. A yes may be immediate, a no may leave the situation unchanged, and a maybe later calls for patience while God works in His timing.
Les explains that prayer should not be frivolous, silly, or a waste of God's time with superfluous requests. When a person comes into God's presence asking and petitioning with thanksgiving for legitimate things, the answer can be yes, no, or maybe later. He illustrates this with a desperately ill loved one: God may answer yes, as when a class member's mother was diagnosed with cancer but exploratory surgery found none. God may answer no and leave her with the cancer, or say to be patient and make her better down the road. Les says the same possibility applies to any other request.