HIS WILL, HIS TIMING, HIS WAY
HIS WILL, HIS TIMING, HIS WAY
This is not an extensive nor in-depth study on prayer, but an exhortation to keep praying no matter what. Many times people have concluded that prayer does not work and forsake the walk of faith. I have merely pointed out some basic guidelines from the Bible that will hopefully clarify things we need to know and understand with regards to the parameters that God has set before us for our prayer life. And these parameters are likely far larger than we will ever attain to.
MISINTERPRETATION/MISUNDERSTANDING
MEEK BUT BOLD
GOD'S INVOLVEMENT IN OUR DAILY WALK OF FAITH
THE STRUGGLE OF FAITH
SERVANT/CHILD RELATIONSHIP
ACCORDING TO HIS WILL:
WHEN THE ANSWER IS, "NO."
BEING LED OF HIS HOLY SPIRIT IN SERVICE
HAVING OUR WILL IN NEUTRAL
REQUESTS THAT ARE OUT OF OUR REACH
INSISTING ON GETTING OUR WAY
ANSWERING BY SUPPORT OR BY WITHDRAWING
TAKING OUR LIBERTIES TOO FAR
DISOBEDIENCE
HIS TIMING
HINDERED PRAYERS
ASK, SEEK, KNOCK
FAITH IS THE PREREQUISITE
HIS WAY
STEP OUT AND PRAY, ASK!
CONCLUSION
"And Jesus answered and said to them, ""Truly I say to you. if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain,'Be taken up and cast into the sea.' it will happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." Luke 21:22.
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asks receives, and he that seeks finds, and to him that knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there among you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father Who is in Heaven give good things to those that ask Him? Matthew 7:7-11
"Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said, 'In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'grant me justice against my adversary.' For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear Gord or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' And the Lord said, 'Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth.'" Luke 18:1-8 (Notice that He does put us off at times for needful reasons that we may never know or understand, but His justice and judgment are perfect. Nevertheless, be assured, He will bring about His justice quickly when He does!)
MISINTERPRETATION/MISUNDERSTANDING
- The first thing we need to establish is that God encourages us to pray and to bring our requests and petitions to Him. That is His will. But be assured of this, if we want something from Him it is going to be on His terms, and nothing can be better for us.
We tend to try and reason why some of our prayers are not answered or seemingly not answered, which is proper. The problem is that sometimes we come to the wrong conclusions and the devil will gladly inspire our reasoning. Those conclusions are typically filled with unbelief, doubt in the goodness and grace of God, or doubt in our standing in Christ as if we are not worthy. We may have just quit waiting and thus fall short of His promises, either by misunderstanding or unbelief. Indeed there are reasons why God does not answer some of our prayers, but He still wants us to pray and ask
By the way, if the question of whether we are worthy is an issue, it is only by the grace of God in Christ Jesus that we are worthy of anything other than His wrath. Everything that He does for us is because He loves us. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us....He Who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" Romans 5:8, 8:32. It is by His grace in Christ alone that we have any righteousness and are worthy. It is at the cost of the shed blood of Jesus that we have this standing before God Almighty. Our standing In Christ is nothing of ourselves. So in Christ Jesus, He has made us worthy. What we need to determine is His will. "For all the promises of God in Him are yes, and in Him Amen. unto the glory of God..." 2 Corinthians 1:20
MEEK BUT BOLD - Regarding presenting our requests and petitions, God does not encourage this to produce a bunch of pampered, arrogant, or spoiled religious brats demanding our rights. He is looking for children who love, fear, and obey Him as did Jesus, which is for our own good. "Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared (reverent submission NIV). Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered." Hebrews 5:7-8 However, by faith in the cross of Christ "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16 Again, the boldness is based on the confidence in what Jesus has done for us and not our own righteousness.
GOD'S INVOLVEMENT IN OUR DAILY WALK OF FAITH
In reality, our walk of faith in Jesus is like an unending prayer and communion with Him and the Father. As we grow in Christ, our communion with Him is more like a steady flow rather than just sporadic or regimented intervals of Bible reading, prayer, worship, fellowship, and other religious duties. Our entire life is engulfed in His grace and Presence wherein all that we do He is involved in... our rest, our work, our play, our social involvements... He is a part of everything and, like the Loving Father that He is, He is keenly interested in all our concerns and interests. After Jesus' death and resurrection and before His ascension and Pentecost, some of His disciples being at a loss as to what to do with themselves, decided to do what they did best - go fishing. "And Jesus said unto them (His disciples) 'Children, have you any meat?' They answered Him, 'No.' And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and you will find.'" John 21: 5-6 Notice how Jesus addressed them with love as His children, which is who we are to Him. As you read further, He had already prepared food for them, but what they were doing was important to them, and so He helped them with their concerns and interests. Isn't He just so Wonderful!? If you find yourself asking for His help even in what you deem as the little, insignificant, or non-spiritual things in your life, that is as it should be. He is there and He is interested.
- THE STRUGGLE OF FAITH - Obviously, even with the Lord's help, that in no way means that our life is easy or problem-free. There are and will always be oppositions, conflicts, trials, struggles, fears, and doubts; but also peace, rest, comfort, love, and joy beyond comprehension, and He is with us through them all. It is the journey of faith, unending hope, and love. All along we are ever learning as we forge ahead, and what a journey it is. So keep asking, seeking, and pressing on.
SERVANT/CHILD RELATIONSHIP
When we come to Christ and surrender our lives to Him, our sins are forgiven, we are cleansed, and He sends His Holy Spirit into our hearts thus adopting us as His children and birthing us into His Heavenly Kingdom. From this point, our lives change from a position of a lost sinner to a son or daughter of the Living God the Creator of the Universe. Now, as citizens of His Kingdom, we are His servants indeed, but far more than that, we are His children. I say both, His servants and His Children, for the purpose of the types of prayers and requests we offer. As servants daily carrying out His will, we pray according to the needs of service. As His children, we pray according to the rights and privileges of a son or daughter. Let us consider certain issues for a while. Dear friends, this is exciting. Most assuredly, as many have said, God is not some Big Vending Machine in the sky Who dispenses to us whatever we want, nor is He some Genie Who answers our every beckon and call. On the other hand, nor is He a Slave Driver Who does not care for the ones who serve Him. No, He is our benevolent Master and Heavenly Father Who loves us more than we can imagine and Who wants the very best for us. He also places us where He needs us, as uncomfortable as that may be. This is why He sometimes doesn't answer all our prayers the way and when we expect. He is not withholding anything from us that we need or even want any more than our earthly parents do, but He is constantly doing what is best for us taking into consideration what we have been commissioned for, whether we perceive it or not.
ACCORDING TO HIS WILL
"And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know THAT WE HAVE THE PETITIONS THAT WE DESIRED OF HIM." 1 JOHN 5:14-15 This is a beautiful promise, with loving and safe boundaries. So when we present our petitions, we have the Scriptures of the Bible to guide us and His Holy Spirit to direct us. This is something we need to get straight right off the bat; however, just because He does not seem to answer right away, does not mean that it is not His will, or that He does not intend to answer. There are His preparations and His timing to consider. All through the Scriptures we are exhorted to pray. Jesus Himself especially stresses this. God expects His children to pray and to ask. Isn't that so amazing and wonderful?! But there is often the question as to why our prayers are not answered, or seemingly not answered. There are many things to say about this, so let's look at a few.
WHEN THE ANSWER IS, "NO."
According to His will is the first principle. Whether requesting as a son or as a servant, this is a non-negotiable, and there are times when the answer is no. Moses pleaded with the Lord to allow him to go over and see the Promised Land, but look how the Lord answered, "But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me; and the Lord said to me, 'Enough! Speak to me no more of this matter.'" Deuteronomy 3:25-27 But God did allow him to go up to the top of Pisgah and view it from a distance. Moses asked, but it was against God's will, not because He did not want Moses to see it, but because of a violation that needed to be corrected. Still, it was still worth the effort.
BEING LED OF HIS HOLY SPIRIT IN SERVICE - Jesus showed us perfectly how to receive from the Father. "Then answered Jesus and said to them, 'Verily, verily, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself (something we must settle about ourselves and our service for Him), but what He sees the Father do. For what things soever He does, these also does the Son likewise.'" John 5:19 Through the Scriptures of the Bible we know God's general will, but in carrying out His will in service we need to know His specific will. For this we need the guidance of His Holy Spirit because it is He that is actually doing the work, we are just His instruments like the staff in Moses' hand. Did Jesus heal everyone when He went into the Temple? What about the man who was crippled from birth that Peter healed (through faith in Jesus' name) mentioned in Acts 3:1-10 and that he was carried every day to beg from those going into the Temple courts. What did people think if Jesus deliberately passed him by, not knowing God's deliberate intentions? However, when people came to Him for healing, for instance, it is not recorded that He ever turned anyone away. Often it depended on their faith.
HAVING OUR WILL IN NEUTRAL- "And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down and prayed, saying, 'Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done.'" Luke 22:41-42 Whether it is something hard that we may have to go through, or something that we want, if we want His best, we need to trust Him with the rest; therefore, our will should always be in neutral before Him. As we can see with Jesus, it won't always be easy, but the end result was incalculably wonderful! Remember, we too were called to take up our cross and follow Him. When our will is our primary objective, we are more likely to miss or step out of His will and miss the treasures He has designed for us, but knowing His will we forge ahead with full confidence in His faithfulness.
REQUESTS THAT ARE OUT OF OUR REACH - Realistically, it is not good to get everything we desire or have all our prayers answered. The concern is not only the possibility of wrong motives (James 4:3), but also the possibility of pure ignorance, and what we want is out of step with the Father's better will for us at least for that time. "Then came the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping Him (doing everything right), and desiring a certain thing of Him. And He said to her, 'What do you want?' She said to HIm, 'Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on Your right hand, and the other on the left in Your Kingdom.' But Jesus answered and said, 'You know not what you ask...'" Matthew 20:20-22 It is alright to ask, but we must realize that there are certain things that are out of our reach, and we must be alright with that. Sometimes we don't know until we ask, and some of the things we ask for (whether for ourselves or for others) are not appropriate, or runs interference with God's purposes. Jesus rebuked Peter for trying to dissuade Him from going to the cross, "But He turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me, Satan, you are an offense to Me;: for you savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.'" Matthew 16:23
INSISTING ON GETTING OUR WAY - As for getting what we want when we are out of step with the Lord..."They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tempted God in the desert. And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul." Psalm 106:13-15 We must be leery about getting our way, insisting on getting what we want, or of being or feeling discontented. If you are out of the will of God you should be discontented. But if you are in the will of God, be patient and trust Him that He is taking care of you and He is always doing what is best; Furthermore, you might not be the only person in this equation. We should carefully pursue our wants and desires, but diligently seek His will, and yes, like children, we don't always want to get our way. It could be costly.
ANSWERING BY SUPPORT OR BY WITHDRAWING
"God is our Refuge and Strength, a very present Help in trouble." Psalm 46:1
"When you pass through the waters I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon you." Isaiah 43:2
- TAKING OUR LIBERTIES TOO FAR - Samson was an interesting case where he seemed to take liberties outside the Law of Moses, and yet God would answer his prayers and help him. For instance, he married a Philistine woman, which is contrary to the Law for an Israelite. Even his parents objected "'Isn't there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?' But Sanson said to his father, 'Get her for me (talk about a spoiled brat). She is the right one for me.' (His parents did not know that this was from the Lord, Who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel.)" Judges 14:3-4 NIV It is important to realize that just because God is answering our prayers means that He approves the way we are doing things, though we are doing His work (Matthew 7:21-23) Samson found that out when he went too far by getting intimately involved with the prostitute Deliah. And in his time of need, he did not know that the Lord had left him, "Then she said, 'The Philistines are upon you, Samson.' And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, 'I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself.' And he did not know that the Lord was departed from him." Judges 16:20. Samson was careless and presumptuous and took his liberties too far to the point where he compromised his consecration to God. And in the time of need, he did not realize that the Lord had withdrawn from him. We can forget that we are in a war against evil, and if we cross the line with God, we should expect that He will not bail us out so readily.
- DISOBEDIENCE - "And Samuel said, 'Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to harken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry....'" 1 Samuel 15:22-23
Now this was a severe case where the Lord cut off King Saul from His support as King over Israel because of his disobedience. As an example for us, if we are walking in blatant rebellion or stubborn resistance expect silence. Dear friends, our loving Heavenly Father is not out to punish us every time we fail and do wrong, but He will correct us if we refuse to cooperate with Him.
All this is to say that in Christ Jesus, God is intimately involved with our lives, our personal, and our public lives, but He doesn't run them. The choices and decisions are ours, as are our behaviors, and we will reap what we sow. That is sometimes why when things go wrong, instead of owning it, we tend to blame Him, thinking He is responsible for the turnout of every situation or event. "A man's own folly ruins his life, yet his heart rages against the Lord." Proverbs 19:3. As the Scripture says, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Galatians 6:7-8 We cannot pray for one thing and do another, and then expect our prayers to be answered.
HIS TIMING
"For everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven."Ecclesiastes 3:1 As you read the Bible you will no doubt notice that God does nothing hap-hazard or impulsively. Everything has a purpose, a timing, and is tied into His plans. Did not the world always desperately need Jesus. But what does the Scriptures say? "But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son..." Galatians 4:4. What you may have requested, either for others, or for yourself, may be just fine, but it must wait for His timing which is always wonderfully perfect. So do not give up, or listen to the devil who says that God won't answer your prayer, or that He doesn't want to give it to you. Learn to be patient, steady in faith, and WAIT. "Cast not away therefore your confidence which has great recompense of reward. For you have need of patience, that, after you have done the will of God, you might inherit the promise." Hebrews 10:35-36 "All things work together for good for them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 We have no idea all that He has to maneuver and coordinate in order to bring things to pass in keeping with His divine purposes. So be patient, wait on Him, and stay in His will.
HINDERED PRAYERS
"Likewise, you husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers not be hindered." 1 Peter 3:7 We may be blind to the fact that the very prayers that we are waiting for and confident will be answered but are not happening, is because our behavior or lack of obedience is hindering them. Here the Lord is being specific with the fact that if we are mistreating someone we shouldn't expect Him to answer our prayers. Or if He in His Word or by His Spirit directed us to step out in faith and we are not, that could hinder our prayers, "Therefore to him that knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17 The very thing that He asked you to step out in faith in may have been the very thing that would help bring about your petition. Now this is a very wide-opened statement, and depending on the circumstance, would have to be qualified by the Scriptures. So before assuming, check it out thoroughly, prayerfully, and in humility.
ASK, SEEK, KNOCK
Here Jesus is giving us a hit of what to do about our petitions. We definitely ask, but there are times when we need to not only ask, but by faith activate the appropriate corresponding actions. Obviously, if we lose something of value, we diligently look for it (He also left us that illustration (Luke 15:8-9) and pray the Lord will lead us to it. If we need a job, we ask, but we knock on doors knowing that He will open the right one. So when we petition the Lord for something, we need to determine what our act of faith is to be, yet still, there are times when we just ask, and then leave it to Him.
FAITH IS THE PREREQUISITE
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he that comes to God must believe that He Is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6 "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." James 1:6-8 This is HUGE. We have to believe God if we expect to get anything from Him. Sometimes we mix faith with believing that God can do something (and that is valid and extremely important), with KNOWING or HAVING THAT ASSURANCE that He will do something. That is the kind of faith we need to look for, while holding on to the rest.
HIS WAY
"And they did not receive Him because His face was as though He would go to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, 'Lord, will you that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did?' But He turned and rebuked them and said, 'You know not what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.'" Luke 9:53-56
Especially in our service to Jesus, we can act presumptuously, not fully knowing the heart of God or His ways. Our thinking and behavior may be leftovers from our worldly past. Moses killed the Egyptian thinking the Israelites would recognize him as their deliverer. But Oh, God had a much better way. Acts 7:23-25. James points out how requests that stem from our impure motives will not be answered, "You ask and you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives..." James 4:3 Dear friends, it is obvious that our prayers must reflect the heart and ways of God our Heavenly Father as demonstrated in the life of His Son. His heart and character are to become our heart, our character, and ultimately, our way. We may not always get it right, but that is what we are striving for, and why we take up our cross and follow Him. It is Christ in us the hope of glory. Then our prayers and motives will reflect His will and His ways, and will more likely be answered in His timing.
STEP OUT AND PRAY, ASK!
Perhaps the best advice we can give when deciding what to petition the Lord for is 'SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES (THE BIBLE)' and determine what the Lord has to say about your request. Then you will know if it is in step with His will, and will give you a better understanding of His timing and His way. It is often our ignorance or presumption that runs interference with our requests. Here are some Scriptures that may help with personal matters:
- If you are lonely - "He will never leave you or forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 "God sets the lonely in families." Psalm 68:6
- You are hurt and your heart is broken - "He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3
- Needing forgiveness - "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
- If you are needing help - "God is our Refuge and strength, a very present Help in trouble." Psalm 46:1
- If you are looking for a spouse - In this area, know the parameters of God for a believer, but know this: "No good thing with He withhold from them that walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11 This is one area where many get anxious or panicky and can make a regretful mistake (Lord have mercy). We must marry a believer "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion has light with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14
You will notice that all these promises, and every other promise of God, all require a sincere running to Him by faith in Jesus Christ. Foxhole prayers are often answered, but is that the kind of child of God you want to be?
CONCLUSION - Step out in faith and ask, seeking His will, and be patient. He will come through, and when He does, He will be glorified and you will be blessed. In the meantime, grow in your faith and walk with Him. Allow Him to teach you, train you, and discipline you to the end so that you, like the rod in His hand, will be effective as was the rod in Moses' hand. He loves you so much!
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