Attitudes to Answered Prayer
(Acknowledgement - Ray Duerksen - Southland Community Church)
There are three attitudes I believe we all need in order to have answers to our prayers.
o E.g. A young girl who wrote a letter to a missionary. It was a prayer letter and she was trying to lend her support to the missionary. Evidently she’d been told not to request a response to her letter because the missionaries were very busy. So the missionary got a kick out of her letter. It said, "Dear Mr. Missionary, we are praying for you. But we are not expecting an answer."
o I think that little girl summarized the prayer lives of many Christians.
o Dear God, I am praying to you, but I doubt you will answer
o But Jesus taught a parable to show his followers that they should always pray and never give up (Luke 18:1).
o Tell story of Zechariah & Elizabeth:
o Zechariah was married to Elizabeth, and was a priest by profession, serving in the Jerusalem temple
o The couple was childless, and now in old age
o Not looked down upon in our culture but is Jewish culture this was considered equivalent to not having God’s blessing in your life
o One day as Zechariah was burning incense inside the temple, as a large crowd stood praying outside the temple, an angel of the Lord appeared and stood just to the right of the altar where Zechariah was burning the incense.
o Luke 1:12-13 (NLT) “Zechariah was overwhelmed with fear. But the angel said, "Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John.”
o He received a RHEMA (Stanley) from God
o What is a Rhema
o A rhema is a verse or portion of Scripture that the Holy Spirit brings to our attention with application to a current situation or need for direction.
o Every word of God is inspired, and “all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (II Timothy 3:16). It is the Holy Spirit Who illuminates particular Scriptures for application in a daily walk with the Lord.
o The words of Jesus are significant on this point. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word [rhema] that proceeded out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Jesus also stated, “The words [rhema] that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).
o When God gives a rhema for us to act upon, He often confirms it by a second rhema, that “in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word [rhema] be established” (II Corinthians 13:1).
o f. Luke 1:16-17 (NLT) And he will persuade many Israelites to turn to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom." (RHEMA) – his specific word from God was he would have a special son
o What was the second RHEMA, specific word from God to him? It was that God was setting in motion his own visit to earth through the promised Messiah
o They doubted the angel’s message that they were to have a child
o Since they were both old, Zechariah asked for a sign. He was saying God I cannot trust you, I really need some proof. He was like a doubting Thomas.
o The angel said that because he doubted, the sign or judgment would be that he wouldn’t be able to speak until the child was born
o When he emerged from the temple, the people realized he couldn’t speak and concluded that he must have seen a vision
o We are people who are not to doubt God; coming up with excuses why God won’t do what He said he would
o Otherwise God may bring judgment into our lives and faith community
o They were aged but remember God is not limited by our limitations
o In this story we will discover three attitudes needed to receive an answer from God.
A. Be willing to let God answer in His own TIME.
o According to His schedule, His timetable.
o I recall the year 2005
o The Holy Spirit had led us to resign at Southland Church even though my personal ministry was going well
o We made a commitment to the Lord to preach wherever he opened up the door
o The Holy Spirit clearly brought me to Acts 16:9 (my RHEMA)
o I placed a sticker in my Bible and dated it
o Before I received the call to come here I had to close one door; one that I had no peace about
o It was a Pentecostal Mennonite church that I had preached at and they asked me to come and serve there
o Lovely people but I had no peace about serving there
o When I called them and told them God was leading me elsewhere another weight came off my shoulder
o God brought me here and has given me a love for all of you
o It took a full year but I preached in Kitchener, Fort McMurray, Steinbach, Saskatoon, Whitewood, and here as well as others
o There were a whole year of delays but God was not late one minute
o The fact is, God often delays answers to prayers. Why does He wait?
o The angel said, "God sent me here. I am Gabriel the archangel and you’re going to have your prayer answered."
o Then Zechariah says "How can I be sure of this?" (Skeptic). Why didn’t he believe it?
o Because he had stopped praying that prayer years before!
o At a cursory glance it appears that he was praying in the temple, God heard his prayer and sent the answer.
o But years earlier they had given up on this prayer. Zechariah said, "I am an old man and my wife is well along in years." (That’s diplomacy!)
o He’s really saying, "We gave up on that prayer a long time ago." He is really saying ‘it isn’t going to happen.’
o He is really saying, look I can see what is going on here
o There is not going to be a miracle in my life
o The fact is, God often delays answers to our prayers. And the first principle is you’ve got to let God answer in His own time.
o Luke 1:13 "The angel said to him, `Don’t be afraid Zechariah, your prayer had been heard.”
o The tense of the word "heard" literally means it already was answered a long time ago.
o God answers our prayers immediately, but sometimes there’s a delay in the giving of the gift.
o And that is one of the hardest things I have had to learn.
o The hardest concept for kids to learn is the difference between "no" and "not yet".
o The mark of maturity in the Christian life is this: how long can you wait? How long can you wait for your husband to come around? How long can you wait for that teenager to change? How long can you wait for the church to grow?
o Patience is a fruit of the Spirit
o Why does God delay our answers to prayer? Usually it’s because He needs to prepare our character first.
o God does not put you into a situation to fail. He puts you into the situation to grow your character. I do not give up my vision and dreams but sometimes God says not yet.
o E.g. your ten year old says, "Daddy, can I drive the car today?" You say, "Not today. Someday when you grow up and you’re mature and you’ve learned how to drive, then you’ll get the request answered.”
o Often God waits for us to grow up, before he can answer prayer.
o Let me give you some Biblical examples
o God called Moses at the burning bush to lead the people out of Egypt
o That was His RHEMA
o God had a purpose that He was working out in Moses world
o Even though Moses was an exile in the desert he was right on God’s schedule
o Whenever God is going to do something, He reveals to a person or His people what He is about to do
o God gave a RHEMA to Abraham. Abraham your going to have a son, a son of the promise
o But Abraham did not wait on God
o He slept with Sarah’s maid Hagar and she bore him a son called Ishmael
o This son caused marital problems
o Ishmael was caught between two jealous women
o He was expelled from the family
o The nations and people groups of the world have been feuding ever since
o Then why did Abraham not receive his natural born son for 25 years?
o His character was not equal to the assignment; God’s timing was perfect
o The tension is this: we think we’re ready to receive the answer; on the other hand God’s waiting for us to mature so that we can handle the assignment he wants to entrust us with.
o After you’ve learned the right attitude, and are open to character development, then God’s will move you toward his purposes.
o I have young people who say ‘Randy I want what you want. I think, really? Or they might say ‘I should be a deacon or an elder.’ I am a leader.
o And I think are you willing to go through all I went through to get here
o Have you ever thought about why many young pastors only survive in ministry for three to four years
o May I suggest that often our character is not equal to the assignment
o God is more interested in making you mature than He is about making life easy.
o Instead of going out and saying, "Lord, change this situation!" you start by saying, "Lord, change me."
o "Lord, change me in this marriage and not my spouse." "Lord change me in this job problem." Lord change my attitude towards the church.
o Do you have a financial difficulty? Maybe what God’s saying is "I want you to learn the right attitude about money first and then I can help you.”
o The fact of the matter is this: we may think God is late, but He’s never late
o God’s delays are not God’s denials. "Not yet" does not mean "No".
o How do you pray when God seems silent; when answers to pray are delayed?
o You keep on praying until one of three things happens:
o You get the answer. When you get it then you can stop praying.
o You get the assurance that you’re going to get it. You stop asking for it and you start thanking God for it and you start acting on it.
o My own situation: prayed until I knew in my heart that I was coming here. Called the church in Landmark and said ‘I am really sorry but God is not calling me to be your pastor. Then called Perry Daigle that night. (Phil. 4:6-7). I got the assurance from God and stopped praying about it.
o Mark 11:24 (NIV) “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
o Often I sit in prayer and ask God for a Rhema, a word from Him about what to preach
o That happened – Holy Spirit what should I preach on for the first six months of this year.
o Originally when I came I thought we would have a lot of HOME groups and there we would study some doctrine. I also desired to have young families come out to study God’s word together at the 9:30 hour
o Those plans have not materialized like I thought
o The Holy Spirit confirmed that we needed to study a ‘what we believe series.’
o Then I shared this thought with a couple in our church – they replied you cannot lose – we have a lot of young believers; another confirmation to move ahead
o Then that peace of God came over me; I knew what to speak on
o I pray, listen and act expectantly
o You keep praying until God reveals to you that it’s not His will.
o You become uncomfortable praying about it, so you stop praying.
o E.g. As I have shared with you I was a Certified Management Accountant for over 20 years
o In order to maintain your status with the Society of Management Accountants you have to pay an annual fee of around $800
o In 2002 I asked my new church employer to cover the costs and they said no that is not what we hired you for
o Then there was no point in praying about it any longer
o The new employer who were Christians said no; it was just time to submit
o Why should we be willing to let God answer in His own TIME? He wants to mature us.
o The Holy Spirit had revealed to David that he would be the King over Israel
o There was only one problem – Saul was already in that position
o David was on the run for ten years
o Saul threatened his life at every opportunity
o David hid in caves and remote places for 10 years
o Even his closest friend in ministry turned against him (Psalm 55:12-14)
o What happened during that time?
o He was willing to wait on God (Psalm 55:15-16)
o Now you might think that God brought him spiritual giants to help him through that time
o Think again (1st Samuel 22:2)
o We may pray for strong people
o But God may give us those who are distressed, in debt and discontented
o Why did God allow David that ten year delay?
o Why did God delay David’s prayer and his appointment to king
o His character was not ready for the assignment
o He saw the power of God when God was with him in the cave
o God was developing his character to equal the assignment he had planned for him
B. Be willing to let God answer in His own WAY.
o Not only whenever He thinks best but however He thinks best.
o God’s ways are always better and usually bigger when He answers. Remember that we may have a certain way we think our ministry should go but God may want to change that – his ways are higher than our ways
o Isaiah 55:8 (NLT) "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”
o The reason God often delays the answer is so He can answer in a way bigger than you thought originally.
o What would have happened in this story if God had answered Elizabeth and Zacharias’ request for a baby immediately? They would have had a little Jewish boy whom they would have loved and enjoyed.
o But God delayed the request for years because He wanted to give them John the Baptist, who would be Jesus’ announcer saying & pointing, "Here He is!"
o God delayed Hanna’s request for a son many years. But when He finally gave her a son, He gave her a Samuel, the greatest OT prophet.
o And as I said God delayed my calling here
o Our problem is two fold: We ask too little and we want it too quick. Ask for small things and that’s what you will get. But don’t stop your prayers so quickly
o We don’t dream big enough. We don’t pray big enough. We don’t think big enough. We aim too low.
o E.g. I’ve prayed and asked God to reach hundreds of people in this area. But God is not giving them to us all at once. He wants us to be faithful first with what we have.
o He wants to change our character, our lifestyles, our prayer life, our faith in what He desires to do
o E.g. When the Israelites were led across the Red Sea and got to the Promised Land, God said, "I’m going to give you this land, but you’re only going to get it little by little, otherwise it would overwhelm you."
o If God really gave you all the requests we asked, it would overwhelm us.
o If God had answered some of my prayers exactly as I’d asked them, even for this church, I would have got into trouble.
o E.g. Paul wanted to impact the world for Christ so he prayed that he could go to Rome, the center of where everything happened. It was very strategic on his part.
o He writes and tells the Christians in Rome that he is praying to come that way.
o But little does he realize that God a different WAY to get to Rome than Paul: as a prisoner instead of on a cruise ship.
o Why did God choose this way? God knew what Paul ultimately wanted, and knew a WAY to do it that would have a MUCH BIGGER impact than Paul’s way!
o By being imprisoned, Paul got to preach the gospel to heads of state. And by being in prison (house arrest), Paul the activist, was tethered so that he wrote letters to the Christians all over the known world. And these letters God chose to form the core of the NT teachings. And they have spoken to multiple millions since Paul’s death!!!
o Church history says Paul was set free and eventually went to Spain
o But that was in God’s timing
o Why do I believe the number one thing we need is faith and prayer?
o Prayer will bring us peace, keep our focus on God, and give us a peaceful harmonious church. You can’t grow a church in the midst of turmoil and selfish ambition (Phil. 4:6-7)!
o You want to get this job change and all of a sudden it falls through. Don’t sweat it! God’s got a better idea.
o You’re praying about a situation. All of a sudden, it doesn’t work out. Don’t worry about it. God’s got Plan B. Actually it is Plan A -- yours was Plan B! Let God answer in His time and His way.
o Sometimes the worst thing in the world for us is to get our requests answered.
o The prodigal son. What did he say? "Give me my inheritance!"
o Dad, I need the money. Life is boring around the family farm. I need to be with my friends. I cannot wait for the money any longer.
o He got it and it ruined him.
o Why should we be willing to let God answer in His own WAY? He wants to do much more than we ask.
C. Be willing to let God answer in His own POWER.
o Don’t ask for it and then you go out and try to work it out on your own. Let God answer in His own power and time. That’s called a miracle.
o There’s an important truth in this story about Zechariah and Elizabeth. The fact is this: God often waits until the situation is humanly impossible before He answers.
o When did God give Zechariah and Elizabeth a baby? After they were beyond childbearing years.
o They said, "We’re too old!" Then … God answered!
o Why? Because when God answers the impossible, he gets all the credit.
o Ephesians 3:20 "But God is able to do even exceedingly above what you are able to think or imagine."
o E.g. Crossing the Red Sea: other route didn’t need a sea crossing!
o When the people were caught between Pharaoh’s army and the water the people were terrified (Ex. 14:11-12)
o But God said now is the time for my glory
o The Israelites saw God drive the sea back with an east wind, with a wall of water on the right and left
o Not one of them perished; God said now is the time
o OR….
o E.g. Abraham gets a miracle child
o God said to Abraham, "You’re going to be the father of a great nation."
o Abraham waited and waited. Finally he decided to help God out instead of letting God do it in his own power.
o So he got a second wife and had a child by her. God says, "That’s not My plan! Let Me do it in My time, My way and My power."
o So at age ninety-nine and His wife is ninety, an angel comes to him one day and says, "Abraham, you’re going to be a Father."
o Romans 4 says, "Abraham staggered not."
o I think I’d have staggered if I heard that at ninety-nine.
o He goes home and says, "Honey, you’re never going to believe what I just heard. You’re going to have a baby!"
o That’s got to be the first time in history that the man knew first.
o Sarah’s reaction: We know she didn’t believe it because she laughed.
o A ninety-year-old woman who hears she’s going to be pregnant would not laugh, she’d cry if she believed it.
o She laughs. Then … God gives a child!
o Warning about prayer: If you start praying about something, particularly a problem, do not be surprised if it gets worse before it gets better. That seems to always happen to me.
o E.g. you’re having problems in your marriage and you start praying, and your mate gets more hostile, or you’re praying about a financial problem and all of a sudden the vehicle breaks down, or you’re praying for somebody to get healed, and they get sicker. Or I pray for more people to come to the church and we grow slower that I’d hoped.
o Why? Because sometimes God will let things get to the point of hopelessness in order that He might gain the most glory out of it.
o E.g. Mary & Martha had a brother named Lazarus who got sick. So they sent an urgent message to Jesus to come immediately and heal Lazarus or he would die. (A lot of times we pray that way: “Do something now!)"
o But nothing happens. Jesus intentionally delayed for 3 days though he was just a few miles away.
o It looked like Jesus was callous. Then three days after the request, He turns to His disciples, "Let’s go." By this time Lazarus has died and Mary and Martha come running out and they both said the same thing, "Jesus, where have You been? If You had been here when we called You, this wouldn’t have happened. We called four days ago. You delayed and our brother’s dead." They’re rebuking God.
o We do the same thing. We say, "Why, God? Why are You doing this? " “Why are you delaying?”
o Jesus just calmly walks up to the cave and Jesus says, "Lazarus, come forth!"
o Somebody has said that it’s a good thing that He said, "Lazarus" because if He had just said, "Come forth", everybody who was dead would have come forth.
o That was a rhema. It was a specific word, to a specific man, at a specific time. He never said that to every other dead person in the valley.
o Why should we be willing to let God answer in His own POWER and TIME? He wants to get the credit.
o Conclusion:
o Summarize:
o When you pray and the request is not right, God says "No." When you pray and you’re not right, God says, "Grow." When you pray and the timing is not right, God says, "Slow."
o When you pray and everything’s in place, God says, "Go."
