Spread the Blessing!
Unanswered prayers are often frustrating, but the Bible teaches several reasons why our prayers can go unanswered-–you pray for selfish reasons-–you ask according to your own pleasure, not according to God’s will, etc. Since God is not our personal “genie”, if you want your prayers answered, you must learn to ask according to His will. This means you would be wise to search your heart to determine your true motives. Your motive for making a request to God must be pure, in accordance with His Word. If your prayer is self-centered, concerned with the gratification of your own desires, God cannot, in faithfulness, grant your requests [James 4:1-3]; because He will not break His own Laws/Words or violate His character in order to grant your request. Understand that there is a Law of prayer!-–you can pray for whatsoever you will, as long as it is in God’s will [1 John 5:14].
Humility Is Necessary
The Bible teaches that when we choose to humble ourselves and submit to God’s will, we will start to experience answered prayers. The Lord explains, “If My people who are called by My name would humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, THEN I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land” [2 Chronicles 7:14, NIV]. Additionally, in [1 Kings 9:4-5, NIV], the Lord said this to King Solomon, which is very applicable to each of us today, “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.” Likewise, when we choose to humble ourselves and obey God, we will begin to experience His blessings in our lives.
Others Had Been There too!
I know that in the midst of a decision, in the midst of difficulty, in the midst of uncertainty, we just want our prayers answered. We’ve all been there. The club of people with unanswered prayers encompasses even the great heroes of faith in the Bible. Here are some examples-–Moses’ prayer that he would enter the Promised Land with the people he led for 40 years was denied [See the Book of Deuteronomy]. King David fasted and prayed for several days that his son would live, but he died [2 Samuel 12:16-18]. Jeremiah prayed that Jerusalem would not be destroyed, and when the Babylonians wiped it out, he complained to God [See the Book of Lamentations]. Then in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul prayed for the removal of an affliction he called a “thorn in his side,” but it never went away. Even the Lord Jesus prayed for God to take away His “cup of suffering and death”, but when He submitted to God’s Will, His experienced peace and God’s will was fulfilled.
A Comfort To Us
I tell you, Jesus’ example ought to be a comfort to us. The Bible says Jesus Christ was in agony as His sweat contained great droplets of blood [Luke 22:44]. He asked His Father to remove the cup of suffering; then He surrendered, “Not my will, but yours be done.” Here, Jesus demonstrated the turning point in prayer for all of us. Prayer is not about bending God’s will to get what we want. The purpose of prayer is to seek God’s will and then align our desires with his. Jesus willingly placed his desires in full submission to the Father’s will-–this should be the stunning turning point for us as well!
Decide to Choose God’s Will
When we want something desperately, choosing God’s will over our own is not an easy feat. Jesus understands better than anyone just how difficult this choice can be. So just as the Lord did, today, go ahead and cry out to God with all of the anguish in your soul; then lay down your stubborn, fleshy will; submit to God and trust Him. And understand that God’s promises are not “blanket promises” to give us our every “whim.” There are conditions attached to God’s promises. For example, the Bible teaches -–repent of your sins-–eliminate your idols-–abide in Christ and embrace His righteousness-–walk in obedience-–live by faith-–pray with the right motives in accordance to God’s will, etc. [1 John 5:14-15].
God Is Always Willing
Brethren! Know that, if we will, by faith, first fulfill our side of our covenant relationship with the Lord, meaning, submitting to His will, He will definitely fulfill His promises in our lives, because God is 100% faithful! For He says in [Deuteronomy 28: 2-13, NKJV] “And all these blessings shall come on you, and overtake you if you shall hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field….And the LORD shall make you the head, and not the tail, and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath; if that you hearken unto the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day, to observe and to do them”.
Therefore, follow the admonition of Jesus: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed” if you do them [John 13:17, NIV].
By: Lou Yeboah
Executive Editor, Dr. Ruth Tanyi
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