Gods responses to prayer

By: Rev. Robert Vergeson D.D.

Prayer

Prayer, how many of us really understand the purpose of prayer? Some might say that prayer is a form of communication between God and themselves. And they would be right. Yet Prayer is more then just a communication tool we use to speak to God. Prayer is a leap of faith that captures the true purpose of our relationship with God. Prayer not only expresses our feelings and emotions, but shows how much we believe in God and His omnipotence. God is capable of many wonderful abilities, and answering our prayers is his most challenging job description. For God must always be present and attuned to our daily needs and yes, wants. God is easily capable of answering all prayers ever voiced or thought of. Yet, God doesn't run on auto pilot, giving the same answer to prayer, a standard written response that fits all prayer. Rather, God answer's prayer giving each prayer it's own unique and tailored response. For each prayer given and heard by God is unique to the giver, his or hers needs, circumstances, or crisis. If God where to give a standard response, then He would fall short of his glory and omnipotence. We would deliver our prayer, know our answer in advance, and expect no less or no more then others would receive. Thus we would also be running on auto pilot when we communicate with God. And when we find ourselves on auto pilot are we pleasing God? Do we use our own standard written prayer to use on all of our needs? I would hope not, for we are unique individuals, and our needs and wants are different then our neighbors. Though scripture shows us a standard prayer in Luke 11:1-10 it is by no means the the only way we should pray. In Luke we learn from Jesus that prayer should start first in honoring the Father, welcome his Kingdom, allow us his knowledge and love to feed us daily, and most important of all, forgive us of our sins, and those who sin against us. While strengthen us from temptation. Though this may be our opening remarks in prayer, what follows is the true meat of our prayer, asking God to aid us in our needs. It is here that the prayer becomes unique to us and tells God our specific needs. Jesus tells us in verse 9-10 of Luke 11 that we are not to give up on our prayer request, but to be diligent in prayer, forceful in prayer, never giving up, always seeking, knocking, and believing in our power of prayer.

Luke 11:1-10
Once when Jesus had been out praying, one of his disciples came to him as he finished and said, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
[2] He said, "This is how you should pray: "Father, may your name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon. [3] Give us our food day by day. [4] And forgive us our sins—
just as we forgive those who have sinned against us. And don't let us yield to temptation."
[5] Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this illustration: "Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You would say to him, [6] 'A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.' [7] He would call out from his bedroom, 'Don't bother me. The door is locked for the night, and we are all in bed. I can't help you this time.' [8] But I tell you this—though he won't do it as a friend, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you what you want so his reputation won't be damaged.
[9] "And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. [10] For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.

We will find though God's grace that He will answer prayer, responding instantly to the sound of your cries. Let us look into scripture to give us some perspective in our prayer life.

Isaiah 30:18-19

[18] But the Lord still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for him to help them.
[19] O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will respond instantly to the sound of your cries.

Sometimes even immediately will God answer our prayers.

Isaiah 65:23-24,

[23] They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the Lord, and their children, too, will be blessed. [24] I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!

Daniel 9:19-22
"O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, O my God, do not delay, for your people and your city bear your name. [20] I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sins of my people, pleading with the Lord my God for Jerusalem, his holy mountain. [21] As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice. [22] He explained to me, "Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding.

Daniel 10:11-12
And the man said to me, "O Daniel, greatly loved of God, listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you." When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling with fear. [12] Then he said, "Don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.

God will justify why He delays in his answers.

Luke 18:5-8
'but this woman is driving me crazy. I'm going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!' "
[6] Then the Lord said, "Learn a lesson from this evil judge. [7] Even he rendered a just decision in the end, so don't you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who plead with him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? [8] I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when I, the Son of Man, return, how many will I find who have faith?"

Sometimes answers differently from our desire.

2 Cor. 12:6-10
I have plenty to boast about and would be no fool in doing it, because I would be telling the truth. But I won't do it. I don't want anyone to think more highly of me than what they can actually see in my life and my message, [7] even though I have received wonderful revelations from God. But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud. [8] Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. [9] Each time he said, "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. [10] Since I know it is all for Christ's good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Even beyond our expectations.

Ephes. 3:18-21
And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. [19] May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. [20] Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. [21] May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.

It is promised us that He will listen.

Jeremiah 29:9-13
because they prophesy lies in my name. I have not sent them," says the Lord. [10] "The truth is that you will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. [11] For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. [12] In those days when you pray, I will listen. [13] If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me.

Matthew 7:7
[7] "Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. [8] For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.

Continue your prayers always.

Psalm 116:1-19
I love the Lord because he hears and answers my prayers. [2] Because he bends down and listens,
I will pray as long as I have breath! [3] Death had its hands around my throat; the terrors of the grave overtook me. I saw only trouble and sorrow. [4] Then I called on the name of the Lord:
"Please, Lord, save me!" [5] How kind the Lord is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours! [6] The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and then he saved me.
[7] Now I can rest again, for the Lord has been so good to me. [8] He has saved me from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. [9] And so I walk in the Lord's presence
as I live here on earth! [10] I believed in you, so I prayed, "I am deeply troubled, Lord."
[11] In my anxiety I cried out to you, "These people are all liars!" [12] What can I offer the Lord
for all he has done for me? [13] I will lift up a cup symbolizing his salvation;
I will praise the Lord's name for saving me. [14] I will keep my promises to the Lord
in the presence of all his people. [15] The Lord's loved ones are precious to him;
it grieves him when they die. [16] O Lord, I am your servant; yes, I am your servant, the son of your handmaid, and you have freed me from my bonds! [17] I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the Lord. [18] I will keep my promises to the Lord in the presence of all his people, [19] in the house of the Lord, in the heart of Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

But we are not automated mechanisms engineered to respond the same way over and over again, nor would we want our life to be so predictable. God gave us free will, and this free will allows us to be random and unpredictable in what we do, how we behave, or what choices we make in our life. Therefore, our prayers are just as unpredictable as our life. This is the challenge God has in responding to our prayers. No standard message or miracle is going to cover this unpredictable nature of God's children. Prayer is given often in times of stress or crises, times of worship and thanks, and times of frivolous wants and desires that are not good for us. God decides on these prayers based on what He knows of us, which is our entire life from birth to the very moment of our prayer and thereafter. God is not frivolous in his responses to prayer. Nor does He grant more then we need, or allow a response to our prayer to further encumber us. Though many times an answer to prayer is not what we expected, or what we asked for. This is where our prayer life becomes important to us and if we don't understand the purpose of prayer. We can find ourselves falling short in our expectations from God. And God will certainly grant us those expectations, because He gives us what we expect.

Prayer can be denied those who ask amiss.

James 4:1-7
What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Isn't it the whole army of evil desires at war within you? [2] You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous for what others have, and you can't possess it, so you fight and quarrel to take it away from them. And yet the reason you don't have what you want is that you don't ask God for it. [3] And even when you do ask, you don't get it because your whole motive is wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
[4] You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't be a friend of God. [5] What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, jealously longs for us to be faithful? [6] He gives us more and more strength to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, "God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble."
[7] So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.

Denied those who don't Confess their sins.

Psalm 66:16-20
[16] Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. [17] For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. [18] If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened. [19] But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. [20] Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer and did not withdraw his unfailing love from me.

John 9:28-32
Then they cursed him and said, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. [29] We know God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we don't know anything about him." [30] "Why, that's very strange!" the man replied. "He healed my eyes, and yet you don't know anything about him! [31] Well, God doesn't listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. [32] Never since the world began has anyone been able to open the eyes of someone born blind.

Denied those who forsake God.

Jeremiah 14:10
So the Lord replies to his people, "You love to wander far from me and do not follow in my paths. Now I will no longer accept you as my people. I will remember all your wickedness and will punish you for your sins."

Jeremiah 14:12
When they fast in my presence, I will pay no attention. When they present their burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, I will not accept them. In return, I will give them only war, famine, and disease

Denied those who reject the call of God.

Proverbs 1:22-25
"You simpletons!" she cries. "How long will you go on being simpleminded? How long will you mockers relish your mocking? How long will you fools fight the facts? [23] Come here and listen to me! I'll pour out the spirit of wisdom upon you and make you wise. [24] "I called you so often, but you didn't come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention. [25] You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered.

Proverbs 1:28
"I will not answer when they cry for help. Even though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me.

Denied those who are wavering.

James 1:4-8
So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything. [5] If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. [6] But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. [7] People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. [8] They can't make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do.

Denied those who are hypocrites.

Job 27:6-10
I will maintain my innocence without wavering. My conscience is clear for as long as I live.
[7] "May my enemy be punished like the wicked, my adversary like evil men. [8] For what hope do the godless have when God cuts them off and takes away their life? [9] Will God listen to their cry when trouble comes upon them? [10] Can they take delight in the Almighty? Can they call to God at any time?

Denied those who are proud.

Job 35:9-16
"The oppressed cry out beneath the wrongs that are done to them. They groan beneath the power of the mighty. [10] Yet they don't ask, 'Where is God my Creator, the one who gives songs in the night? [11] Where is the one who makes us wiser than the animals and birds?' [12] "And if they do cry out and God does not answer, it is because of their pride. [13] But it is wrong to say God doesn't listen, to say the Almighty isn't concerned. [14] And it is even more false to say he doesn't see what is going on. He will bring about justice if you will only wait. [15] But do you cry out against him because he does not respond in anger? [16] Job, you have protested in vain. You have spoken like a fool."

Denied those who are self-righteous.

Luke 18:10-14
"Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a dishonest tax collector. [11] The proud Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: 'I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don't sin, I don't commit adultery, [12] I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.' [13] "But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, 'O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.' [14] I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored."

So if you prayers fall short in their purpose, don't be surprised that you get less then expected. Therefore, it is important to understand the purpose of our prayers, and Gods purpose in how, when and why He answers them. First, prayer should never be a afterthought, the kind that follows fruitless efforts and frustration. But rather prayer should be your first line of defense or offense. Understanding that when we pray defensively we are asking for protection against the evils of the world, the attacks of the flesh, and with prayer we build a sound foundation in Christ. These prayers should never be something you wait until after the fact that you have been assailed by the enemy.

Defenses prayer are you first thought in the morning, way to work or school, shopping, traveling, and the like. And they are the last thing you do before bed, asking for protection while you restfully sleep. Without these defensive prayers, we are open to all kinds of problems because we failed to place that hedge of protection around us. God works much better with us when we have been defensive in our daily lives, then when we ignore these duties and then ask God to clean up the mess. I'm afraid that God will most likely ignore the mess as well, since you also ignored Him in asking for his protection in the first place. After all, if we behave like children, we can expect our Father in Heaven to treat us like children. All to often we could have avoided the hard lessons we learn as children, if we had been defensive in avoiding the problems in the first place.

Now second, there is the Offensive prayer, the prayer we make to ask for help when in a crises, whether it be emotional, physical, or spiritual. The offensive prayer is one we make to seek God's guidance in lifting us up during those trials and tribulations we face in life. Often these are circumstances not of our own doing, but events that happen in our lives, the unpredictable aspect of life. Yet, many offensive prayers come from those events we created for ourselves by making the wrong choices or ignoring guidance by God. |As well as those appointed to serve as God's chosen here on earth and certainly those chosen are our spiritual leaders, trained professionals in medical and counseling services, authority figures, and social behavior figures. Our offensive prayers often hinge around our rebellion to heed to God's will and when we find ourselves in deep waters up to our neck trying to stay above the mess we created. The measure of God's response will always be based on the sincerity of our prayer, and the measure of our own strength to endure and desire to change. God will not pull a rabbit out of his hat and blindly give it to us. But rather, He will give according to our needs and not our wants. That is to say “I need to stop drinking Lord”, give me the strength to do so, rather then “I want to stop drinking Lord, but just can't.” In “I need” prayer we have a “Will” to stop drinking, in “I want” prayer we have a “But”, doubt that I can stop drinking. What will God grant the “I need” prayer, the “Will” to quite? God will grant you strength to take the steps to quite. In the “I want”, God will grant nothing, unless He sees something there in the “I want” life that is worthy of his grace. Often even in the “I want” God knows something that person may not know about themselves “yet”, therefore, God will defer His answer, until the “Yet” is discovered. Which in most cases, is going from “I want' to “I need”, changing “doubt” into the “will” to succeed.

You will find that God would rather work with you in your prayer request, creating a relationship between the two of you. A relationship that requires mutual cooperation, belief, and faith. The one sided relationship gains nothing if we fail to live up to our contractual agreement between God and ourselves. When we excepted Christ into our lives we contracted with God to save our soul, to grant us forgiveness and the forgetting of our sins. God promised to be there for us, to answer our prayers, guide us, love us, and to never forget us. In return, we agreed to forsake the flesh, to seek a spiritual and holy life while we live on this earth. And, to always place Christ in our lives as our savior and teacher. God is our heavenly Father, and the Holy Ghost is our giver of gifts, those gifts God grants us for our faith and belief in Him. Our prayers are our daily enforcement of the contract between God and ourselves. So you can see that if you breach the contract, by turning away from God, God is just in His own breach of contract. However, when we uphold the very letter of the contract, and the spirit of the contract, God is just in rewarding us the value of that contract.

Prayer is very important in fulfillment of the contract between God and ourselves. When we use defensive prayer daily, we assure that God is constantly on watch over us. When we use offensive prayer in expressing our needs, not our wants, we assure that God will answer our prayers according to the “Will of God”, and not the doubt we may have in God or ourselves Doubt is replaced by “Faith” and Faith is the rewarder of our Prayers. For without “Faith”, our prayers are weak watered down tea, tasteless, and transparent. Faith that God will answer our prayers is the “Will” we find in ourselves, to have patience and endurance in waiting on God to answer our prayer. Many times it is not God who answered the prayer, but our Faith, the “Willpower” in ourselves that answered our prayer. God just monitored the request and allowed our own “Faith” to work miracles. For were we not told that Faith alone can move mountains. When our prayers are encased in our Faith, then we will seize the day by believing in God, and knowing that through our “Faith” no prayer will go unheeded.

Last, but not least, prayer given in thanks, even for the simplest of things, is equally important to God then the prayer given in crises. For to daily thank God is to daily lift Him up in our esteem, and to acknowledge His glory. Personally, I believe like most of us, when we are least appreciated, we suffer for the lack of esteem we seek or desire. Emotionally, low self-esteem is a hammer blow to our well being both physically, and spiritually. I believe that God often feels the same way. When He is acknowledged, loved, appreciated, admired, and thanked, He is at His best in seeing that we share His joy and happiness when He is lifted up in thanks and glory. And in return He lifts us up. If you ever wondered why, your prayers are not answered, or the answer was not what you expected. Consider this, was God depressed that day, as your were. Then always remember to bundle the joy of thanks with your defensive or offensive prayer. Lift God up in prayer, as you would lift another in your life. A Happy God is a much better world for all.

Article Source: http://www.religionarticlelibrary.com

Rev. Robert D Vergeson is a associate member of the Universal Life Church (since 1979) and founder of God's Temple of Grace Ministry Website at www.geocities.com/revdocrobert. The website offers bible studies and personal testimony. Roberts Podcast “Nuts and Bolts of Christian Life” is located at www.kazoomuse.podomatic.com, Listen to brief mini sermon's based on the “Nuts and Bolts of Christian Life”. You can contact Rev Robert at RevDocRobert@yahoo.com.

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