Tag: Prayer#

When God Says No

· Leave a comment ·

When God says no to our prayers. When it seems He doesn’t hear our petitions, it can really hurt, especially if we are praying for something really big, such as for a loved one..

When we pray and pray for something that seems so important to us, it may even seem like a matter of life and death to us and yet, God doesn’t answer our prayers. It can throw us off guard. We may even have our doubts about God. It may hurt so much that we turn our back on Him.

But that is never the answer.

Consider why God may say no. If you are a parent, then you have certainly said no to your children, yet you want the very best for them. Maybe you said no in order to teach them values, patience, or to set priorities. Maybe the timing wasn’t right, or because you know something they don’t. You can see the bigger picture. 

Those are all good reasons for saying no. Those could all be reasons God is saying no to you. I have used the illustration before that living our lives is like putting a puzzle together without the box top. We have no idea what the finished puzzle will look like until we are near the end. We begin by just putting the pieces of our life together, the best we can. 

Thankfully, God has the boxtop. He knows what our life will look like when the end comes. He can see the big picture that we can’t. This is where faith and trust come in. As hard as it may be, when He says no, we must trust that He knows best. One thing we can be assured of and that God has our best interests at heart. We may not understand why we don’t get the things we ask for. But our heavenly Father promises to always look after us and to provide for us.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. (Jeremiah 29:11)

We live in a broken and sinful world. Even as Christians, we are not going to get everything we want. God is much more concerned about the eternal aspects of our lives than He is with the temporary physical things in our lives.

When we go through difficult times and heartache in our lives, and God doesn’t answer our prayers as we think He should. We can still be assured that He is with us, helping us, and will work everything out in the end for 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.” (Romans 8:28)

When God says no, we need to say yes, God, Thy will be done.

Prayer – Our Lifeline to God Part 4

· Leave a comment ·

Forgiveness and Prayer

The lack of forgiveness among Christians is, without doubt, the biggest reason that so many Christians are living a life of ineffectiveness. This is certainly true in their prayer lives.

D. L. Moody said: “I believe this (forgiveness) keeps more people from having power with God than any other thing; they are not willing to cultivate a spirit of forgiveness. If we allow the root of bitterness to spring up in our hearts against someone, our prayers will not be answered. It may not be an easy thing to live in sweet fellowship with all those with whom we come in contact, but that is why the grace of God is given to us.”

The “Lord’s Prayer” says that God will not forgive us if we don’t forgive others. This is the only part of the Lord’s prayer that Jesus explained.

(more…)

Prayer – Our Lifeline to God Part 3

· Leave a comment ·

How to Pray

There has been much written on how to pray. If you are unsure how to approach God in prayer, look at the great men of prayer, such as Daniel or Paul. Both men relied on prayer as the source of their strength and on doing the will of God.

Prayer in public is good, but it is when we are alone with God that prayer can take us even closer to the Almighty. At this time, prayer should not be a one-sided conversation; it should also be a time for quiet communion, meditation, listening to the Spirit, and praising God. It is a time of looking to God, the source of our help and strength. Let the Holy Spirit lead you.

(more…)

Prayer – Our Lifeline to God Part I

· 1 Comment ·

Prayerlessness

Is not praying a sin, or is it just a weakness? We have so many excuses for not praying. We are so busy, there just isn’t time, and then there are so many distractions in our lives, not to mention the interruptions that happen. We can come up with all kinds of reasons for neglecting fellowship with our Lord.

(more…)

Praying in Faith

· Leave a comment ·

“Prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” (James 5:15 NIV)

Without getting into the full meaning of this passage, we note that faith is one of the main ingredients of effective praying. There are others, of course (praying in God’s will, no unconfessed sin, unselfish motives, etc.), but all these must be “mixed with faith” to be effective (Hebrews 4:2).

There are many such exhortations to pray in faith. Jesus said, “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:22 ESV). 

Another example: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” (James 1:5-6).

And another: “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24).

Every Scripture passage must be viewed in context, including the context of the entire Bible. The “faith” we must exercise is not only confidence that God will answer, but also faith in God who created all things and can do all things, and in Jesus Christ who hears our every prayer. James warns any man without genuine faith, “That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.” (James 1:7-8).

True Biblical faith is faith in God as the omnipotent Creator (Hebrews 11:3), faith in Christ as our redeeming Savior (John 3:16-18), and complete faith in the revealed Word of God (Romans 10:17). Then we can believe in confidence that God will indeed answer our prayer of faith. 

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2)

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)

ICR/HMM