:: Ever wondered why your prayers are not answered? ::
Is your faith weak? Are you perplexed because your faith doesn't seem to get results? Have you diligently prayed about a request and believed for it with all your heart-and it didn't happen? Even worse, the very opposite happened? A loved one was not healed. The desire of your heart was not granted - at least, not to your satisfaction. The miracle you needed has not yet come. Time drags on, and the problems are still there.
The worst part of it all is that the Word of God tries you in such times. You read all the glorious promises: “All things are possible to them that believe.” “Ask, nothing wavering, and it shall be done.” “All things whatsoever you shall ask in faith, believing, you shall have them.” You set out to claim those promises. You know God is not a liar, and He would not tease you with unreachable goals. Yet, try as you may to believe - really, truly believe - you often are left confused, because the answer is either delayed or not in view.
According to the theology of some, there are only two reasons why you did not get what you asked for. Either your faith is faulty or there is sin in your life. You are made to believe that God had to withhold the answer until your faith improved enough to satisfy Him. Either the quality or quantity of your faith did not come up to God's criteria for answered prayer.
My friends, that kind of theology is silly, and it's a slap in the face of an intelligent, loving Heavenly Father.
Lesson 1:
God is not motivated to act for us as a result of our faith alone. God is love, and that is what motivates Him to act.
Suppose my son Greg was caught in a bear trap in the woods near our home. I hear his cry for help. He is hurt, bleeding, and calls for me with all his might. As his father, do I stop first to analyze the quality of his faith? Do I ask myself the question, “I wonder if Greg believes I'll answer him? Does he have faith enough in me - trusting I'll come to his rescue?”
No! A thousand times no! I run to my boy's side - no questions asked - no faith involved - because I am motivated by a father's love for a hurting child. His faith doesn't motivate me. It is not anything he does at all. It is simply my love for him.
What kind of an earthly father would leave a child bleeding and hurt in some forsaken woods - simply because the child didn't voice some kind of faith in him? And God will never leave one of His children to suffer alone. He will never shut His ear to their cry - simply because their faith in Him is weak.
Lesson 2:
A right confession is no guarantee of an answer - a wrong confession alone does not hinder an answer!
Job's wife confessed the world's worst confession. She said to Job, “Curse God and die!” Yet, in spite of it, she participated in the very same blessings of her faithful husband. One theologian asked, “Why didn't God take his wife, since He took everything else from Job?” Read almost any commentary and you detect that same kind of disrespect for Job's wife. But lately I've had a new appreciation for that suffering woman. I think we've been too hard on her. After all, those ten children who were killed were hers, too. In her human sorrow, she could not fathom what was happening. All she knew was that all was lost. She thought there was nothing left to live for. And that is why she suggested Job commit suicide and abandon his faith in God.
Did God hold a grudge against her? After the troubles passed and Job was healed, did God hold her wrong confession against her? Did He hold back any blessing from her because of her very human outburst of fear? No! God blessed that lady! I believe God understood her. He knew she didn't mean what she said! He looked beyond her frailty and saw the cry of her heart - and He blessed her in spite of herself.
Don't ever be condemned by the things you said in haste or in fear. We serve a Father who forgives and forgets every doubting, fearful word that has been spoken in despair. Be honest with God. Job's wife was. Don't fake it. If you can't understand why your prayers aren't answered, or why you have to suffer - if your heart is full of questions, fears, and confusion - tell it to God! Spill out your innermost feelings, negative or not. Our Father will let you cry it all out, listen patiently to your complaints and fears, and not once will He condemn you for it.
All you need do is turn to Him in love and cry out, “Now Lord, heal my unbelief. Take away my fears and confusion. Show me Your love, now that I need it so. Help me submit.”
The God I serve holds no grudges.
Lesson 3
I hear it said, “You have sin in your life; therefore God is hiding from you.” What a clever satanic tool to keep God's people in fear and bondage! And surprisingly, multitudes of God's dear children have convinced themselves that God is either mad at them, hiding from them, or at least holding back answers to prayer - because of sin.
Doesn't the Bible say, “Your sins have separated you from God, and caused Him to hide His face from you”? Yes it does! In the Old Testament, before the Cross, before the shedding of Christ's blood for the free remission of all sins of the world.
How can God hide from sins already paid for by the blood of His own Son? And, if any man sins, Christ the advocate will forgive all those sins and cleanse from all unrighteousness.
If you have truly confessed the sins of yesterday, they are forgiven, under the blood, and no longer counted against you!
Conclusion
1. If you can't give God perfect faith, give Him perfect love. “Perfect love casts out all fear."
Not perfect faith - but perfect love. Perfect love is the rest God has for His people. He wants us to rest in His love, trusting that He will always come to our aid as a father to a hurting child - in spite of our inadequate faith.
Stop evaluating or grading your faith. Quit trying to figure out faith. The Bible says, “But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Pursue love…” (I Cor.13:13; 14:1)
If you are going to "specialize" in anything - make it love. The Bible says, “Faith works by love." Without love, all faith is in vain.
2. If God does not answer certain of our prayers, you can he sure He has some great eternal reason for not doing so.
It boils down to this: God has all power and can do anything. Nothing is impossible to Him. He has promised to answer every prayer in Christ's name. So we must ask, in full assurance of faith - expecting an answer. But - should God delay that answer or choose another path for us - He must have a mighty good reason for it all. And we must believe that whatever God permits in our lives - it will one day all work to our good.
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Rom. 8:28)
Our Heavenly Father knows exactly where we are going, what we need, and He will give us what is best - in proper Holy Ghost timing.
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, `My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!' For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge. His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
“`Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him, and honor him. With a long life I will satisfy him, and let him behold My salvation.'” (Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16)
The worst part of it all is that the Word of God tries you in such times. You read all the glorious promises: “All things are possible to them that believe.” “Ask, nothing wavering, and it shall be done.” “All things whatsoever you shall ask in faith, believing, you shall have them.” You set out to claim those promises. You know God is not a liar, and He would not tease you with unreachable goals. Yet, try as you may to believe - really, truly believe - you often are left confused, because the answer is either delayed or not in view.
According to the theology of some, there are only two reasons why you did not get what you asked for. Either your faith is faulty or there is sin in your life. You are made to believe that God had to withhold the answer until your faith improved enough to satisfy Him. Either the quality or quantity of your faith did not come up to God's criteria for answered prayer.
My friends, that kind of theology is silly, and it's a slap in the face of an intelligent, loving Heavenly Father.
Lesson 1:
God is not motivated to act for us as a result of our faith alone. God is love, and that is what motivates Him to act.
Suppose my son Greg was caught in a bear trap in the woods near our home. I hear his cry for help. He is hurt, bleeding, and calls for me with all his might. As his father, do I stop first to analyze the quality of his faith? Do I ask myself the question, “I wonder if Greg believes I'll answer him? Does he have faith enough in me - trusting I'll come to his rescue?”
No! A thousand times no! I run to my boy's side - no questions asked - no faith involved - because I am motivated by a father's love for a hurting child. His faith doesn't motivate me. It is not anything he does at all. It is simply my love for him.
What kind of an earthly father would leave a child bleeding and hurt in some forsaken woods - simply because the child didn't voice some kind of faith in him? And God will never leave one of His children to suffer alone. He will never shut His ear to their cry - simply because their faith in Him is weak.
Lesson 2:
A right confession is no guarantee of an answer - a wrong confession alone does not hinder an answer!
Job's wife confessed the world's worst confession. She said to Job, “Curse God and die!” Yet, in spite of it, she participated in the very same blessings of her faithful husband. One theologian asked, “Why didn't God take his wife, since He took everything else from Job?” Read almost any commentary and you detect that same kind of disrespect for Job's wife. But lately I've had a new appreciation for that suffering woman. I think we've been too hard on her. After all, those ten children who were killed were hers, too. In her human sorrow, she could not fathom what was happening. All she knew was that all was lost. She thought there was nothing left to live for. And that is why she suggested Job commit suicide and abandon his faith in God.
Did God hold a grudge against her? After the troubles passed and Job was healed, did God hold her wrong confession against her? Did He hold back any blessing from her because of her very human outburst of fear? No! God blessed that lady! I believe God understood her. He knew she didn't mean what she said! He looked beyond her frailty and saw the cry of her heart - and He blessed her in spite of herself.
Don't ever be condemned by the things you said in haste or in fear. We serve a Father who forgives and forgets every doubting, fearful word that has been spoken in despair. Be honest with God. Job's wife was. Don't fake it. If you can't understand why your prayers aren't answered, or why you have to suffer - if your heart is full of questions, fears, and confusion - tell it to God! Spill out your innermost feelings, negative or not. Our Father will let you cry it all out, listen patiently to your complaints and fears, and not once will He condemn you for it.
All you need do is turn to Him in love and cry out, “Now Lord, heal my unbelief. Take away my fears and confusion. Show me Your love, now that I need it so. Help me submit.”
The God I serve holds no grudges.
Lesson 3
I hear it said, “You have sin in your life; therefore God is hiding from you.” What a clever satanic tool to keep God's people in fear and bondage! And surprisingly, multitudes of God's dear children have convinced themselves that God is either mad at them, hiding from them, or at least holding back answers to prayer - because of sin.
Doesn't the Bible say, “Your sins have separated you from God, and caused Him to hide His face from you”? Yes it does! In the Old Testament, before the Cross, before the shedding of Christ's blood for the free remission of all sins of the world.
How can God hide from sins already paid for by the blood of His own Son? And, if any man sins, Christ the advocate will forgive all those sins and cleanse from all unrighteousness.
If you have truly confessed the sins of yesterday, they are forgiven, under the blood, and no longer counted against you!
Conclusion
1. If you can't give God perfect faith, give Him perfect love. “Perfect love casts out all fear."
Not perfect faith - but perfect love. Perfect love is the rest God has for His people. He wants us to rest in His love, trusting that He will always come to our aid as a father to a hurting child - in spite of our inadequate faith.
Stop evaluating or grading your faith. Quit trying to figure out faith. The Bible says, “But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Pursue love…” (I Cor.13:13; 14:1)
If you are going to "specialize" in anything - make it love. The Bible says, “Faith works by love." Without love, all faith is in vain.
2. If God does not answer certain of our prayers, you can he sure He has some great eternal reason for not doing so.
It boils down to this: God has all power and can do anything. Nothing is impossible to Him. He has promised to answer every prayer in Christ's name. So we must ask, in full assurance of faith - expecting an answer. But - should God delay that answer or choose another path for us - He must have a mighty good reason for it all. And we must believe that whatever God permits in our lives - it will one day all work to our good.
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Rom. 8:28)
Our Heavenly Father knows exactly where we are going, what we need, and He will give us what is best - in proper Holy Ghost timing.
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, `My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!' For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge. His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
“`Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him, and honor him. With a long life I will satisfy him, and let him behold My salvation.'” (Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16)
Lord, if it pleases you, it pleases me. @
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