#3 - Why God Answers Prayer Series

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Getting things from your parents - - you had to know what they wanted, right? Different parents wanted different things... so you come to them trying t butter them up, or convince them that it was important for some reason important to THEM -- right?

Today, I'm going to help you understand the God that you are talking to in prayer. I'm going to help you understand why he does what he does...

why he answers.

Why he sometimes doesn't answer.

Why he heals or doesn't heal.

God's primary motivation in all that he does:

That his glory be seen & rejoiced in.

DEFINING GOD’S GLORY

What is God’s “glory”? His infinite greatness, beauty, excellence, perfection, dominance, magnificence and power, the brilliance of his awesomeness.

words like:

Captivating… completely enthralling… jaw-dropping… earth-shattering… breath-taking…

As ones who are made in his image, this is why we have an insatiable appetite for that which is glorious. It’s almost like we are born with a little bit of the taste of God’s glory in our mouth, and we never get used to being without it. Even people who don’t know God… they have an appetite for something glorious enough to be valued, to be WORTH.

1 Corinthians 11:7 A man … is the image and glory of God;

We were made to image, to reflect his glory, to love, rejoice in and reflect a portion of his glory into the world. Even in our fallen state, we do a little of that.

We go to an athletic event and see an athlete perform at a high level. People talk about it for years afterwards. They leap from their seats, screaming – because it is glorious. They watch it on the big screen in slow motion replay because it is glorious. It’s a taste of glory.

If you ever saw Michael Jordan come soaring in and slam dunk, or hit a buzzer beating game winner… if you ever hit one yourself…

It is supremacy, excellence, majesty, something to see, something to enjoy – it is glorious.

We see pictures of Marines on Iwo Jima raising up a piece of cloth that is red, white and blue… and feelings of patriotism and the value of our country swell in our heart… so we stand when “OLD GLORY” passes by. Something about the flag waving in the breeze. It is glorious.

We have a thirst for it – we want to see the great Itzak Perlman play the violin, we want to see Tommy Emmanuel play the guitar… I want to see a fantastic solo, with that incredible run down the guitar, how his fingers flow over the fretboard… and I just GRIN. Because it is glorious. It’s why we love great music, and how it makes us feel. Because it is glorious.

People climb mountains, drive fast cars, leap off bungee platforms, skydive… because it’s glorious… just a taste of glory.

We love air shows, where the powerful jets swoop low overhead, and the fireworks displays explode with power, sound and color.

It is why we go to beautiful places on earth. Something of the glory of God is reflected in that which He has made. The Grand Canyon, the ocean, Hawaii. Why do we want to go to those places? Because they are amazing. They have a taste of glory.

Albert Barr – loved to watch the stars & nebulae through the telescope with his professor late at night… and he said, “we’d just look at each other and grin.”

The unveiling of the bride… it’s her in her most glorious moment… on her day of glorious joy… people smile, the groom beams… there’s something glorious in that moment. Something captures the soul that feels compelling, right, joyful… it’s a moment of glory!

It’s why we love amazing cinema, love great musicians, beautiful scenery, paint the walls of our houses with colors, captivating our imaginations and hearts. It’s why we love food with spice and taste, not just bland food with no taste and texture.

I remember holding a book, a rare Bible when I was in college, from a friend’s private collection. It was hundreds of years old, handwritten in the years before printing presses. When I asked him how much it was worth, he said, “Oh, about 1.5-2 million.” *GASP*

It’s the *gasp* factor. God is like that. He’s worth more than anything you ever saw, loved, held, enjoyed. He wants you to *GASP* at his glory, his awesomeness.

Glory is complete and utter excellence.

God’s glory is radiant, fire-like, flame like… When he comes down from the mountain from being in the presence of God for a long time, Moses is radiating, showing forth the glory of God. He is so brilliant, that they put a veil over his face.