Aug 15, 2014 WHEN PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED
Prayer is a popular subject. We often hear statements like: “I will pray for you”-“just pray about it”-“talk to the man upstairs”-“God answers when we pray”. The fact that we can pray, or talk to God and God will talk to us is an awesome truth. I fear that we may take prayer for granted or at least take it lightly. What I share today is certainly no exhaustive study of prayer but I do want to share some truth about prayer we see in scripture. I understand that God is sovereign and I understand that you can’t put God in a box when it comes to prayers being answered, but we can glean some insight to prayer. Does God always answer all prayers? When does God answer prayer? I think these are questions that we wrestle with on occasion. In 1 John we find some conditions on prayer. I John322: “ and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.” In verse 10 we read: By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.” We cannot ignore the emphasis that scripture places on keeping the commandments of God and doing the things that please Him. We don’t keep His commandments to be saved or earn His love; we keep His commandments and do the things that please Him BECAUSE we belong to Him. Scriptures tell us that His commandments are not burdensome, but they are life. The book of 1 John is all about the love that God has for His people. Once we come to know this great love that God has for us, it is only natural to love Him and obey Him. Somehow, when God’s love is known in our hearts, we are changed. This change causes us to want to be pleasing to Him, to walk with Him and to love Him in return. When this “change” takes place in us, we discover that keeping His commandments, His ways is something we want to do-praise the Lord! Now, we find that the scriptures are there to help us discover who we are and they teach us what is pleasing to our Father. So, back to prayer. The whole idea of prayer is about love-the love of our Father to us and our love for the Father. Because we can rest in this love, prayer is not a burden and it is not complicated. The key is that we have come to know the love that God has for us. This love of God and our love for Him un-locks the door to a new way of living. In prayer, we not only make our request to Him, we also worship Him and we listen to Him. We can rest assured that however God chooses to answer our prayer is best. Whether God says “yes” or says “no” or says “not now” is absolutely ok and whatever His answer might be, it does not affect our relationship with Him BECAUSE He loves us. Even if we don’t understand, it’s ok. To keep His commandments and to do the things that are pleasing in His sight is a joy-if we know His love for us. The obvious admonition to us is not to let our love grow cold but to be about the things that please Him. We please Him in the way we think, what we believe, how we bless others, how we conduct our lives and by worshiping Him. The scriptures are not “theory” but are instructions for life. The challenge: after reading this, find something that pleases Him AND DO IT asap!
Blessings,
Buddy
James 5: 16: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much..”
Philippians 4:6-7: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer is a popular subject. We often hear statements like: “I will pray for you”-“just pray about it”-“talk to the man upstairs”-“God answers when we pray”. The fact that we can pray, or talk to God and God will talk to us is an awesome truth. I fear that we may take prayer for granted or at least take it lightly. What I share today is certainly no exhaustive study of prayer but I do want to share some truth about prayer we see in scripture. I understand that God is sovereign and I understand that you can’t put God in a box when it comes to prayers being answered, but we can glean some insight to prayer. Does God always answer all prayers? When does God answer prayer? I think these are questions that we wrestle with on occasion. In 1 John we find some conditions on prayer. I John322: “ and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.” In verse 10 we read: By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.” We cannot ignore the emphasis that scripture places on keeping the commandments of God and doing the things that please Him. We don’t keep His commandments to be saved or earn His love; we keep His commandments and do the things that please Him BECAUSE we belong to Him. Scriptures tell us that His commandments are not burdensome, but they are life. The book of 1 John is all about the love that God has for His people. Once we come to know this great love that God has for us, it is only natural to love Him and obey Him. Somehow, when God’s love is known in our hearts, we are changed. This change causes us to want to be pleasing to Him, to walk with Him and to love Him in return. When this “change” takes place in us, we discover that keeping His commandments, His ways is something we want to do-praise the Lord! Now, we find that the scriptures are there to help us discover who we are and they teach us what is pleasing to our Father. So, back to prayer. The whole idea of prayer is about love-the love of our Father to us and our love for the Father. Because we can rest in this love, prayer is not a burden and it is not complicated. The key is that we have come to know the love that God has for us. This love of God and our love for Him un-locks the door to a new way of living. In prayer, we not only make our request to Him, we also worship Him and we listen to Him. We can rest assured that however God chooses to answer our prayer is best. Whether God says “yes” or says “no” or says “not now” is absolutely ok and whatever His answer might be, it does not affect our relationship with Him BECAUSE He loves us. Even if we don’t understand, it’s ok. To keep His commandments and to do the things that are pleasing in His sight is a joy-if we know His love for us. The obvious admonition to us is not to let our love grow cold but to be about the things that please Him. We please Him in the way we think, what we believe, how we bless others, how we conduct our lives and by worshiping Him. The scriptures are not “theory” but are instructions for life. The challenge: after reading this, find something that pleases Him AND DO IT asap!
Blessings,
Buddy
James 5: 16: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much..”
Philippians 4:6-7: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
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