The Answer to Your Prayers - Psalm 69:13
Remember Johnny Carson. I know most of you youth have no I idea who I am talking about but he was the king of late night television before Jay Leno. He had a lot of different comic routines he did each night as a part of his monologues or entertainment. One was the Carnac the Magnificient. He would put on old turban and become this great mentalist. He would make quite a production of picking up the envelop holding it to his head. He would then with great fanfare proclaim the answer to the question contained in the envelop often with amusing and hilarious results. Such as The Answer is: Gatorade. And the question: What does an alligator get on welfare. Another was: The Answer: Bible Belt and the question What holds up Oral Roberts’ pants. Alright! I didn’t say they were hysterical. In fact most of the time they seemed to be pretty lame but still Carnac the Magnificient was quite a popular part of Johnny Carson’s repoire. People would send in questions from all over the country wanting Johnny to answer them.
Today things aren’t much different. People still have questions lots of them and they want answers. Just watch TV for ten minutes and you will see the Pyschic Network, Pyschic Friends all promising to give you answers to your questions. But the problem is their answers are just as lame as Carnac the magnificient.
As Christians, though, we have one place to go, the perfect place to go for answers to our questions, to God in prayer.
And yet I wonder how many of you went to God in prayer this week to seeking an answers, turning to him for his help and guidance with a problem or situation. If I were to ask you to honestly raise your hand if you prayed this week for God to lead you, to answer your prayer request how many of you would be able to raise your hand? Would half of you or just a small handful few faithful souls.
As Christians we are taught that God answers prayers. Ask and you will receive. Take everything to him in prayer and he will take care of it. And yet when I counsel and pray with other fellow Christians I am constantly amazed at the number I hear who have given up on prayer:
The child who no longer believes in God because he had prayed all summer for a 10 speed bike and never got one. The teenager who is disappointed and hurt because God didn’t answer their prayer by sending a girlfriend or boyfriend, because God didn’t stop their parents from fighting all the time, because God didn’t give them the answers for the test. The man or woman whose job is on the line, who is unemployed and can’t find a job, whose financial pressure keep crowding in threatening to destroy them. The parent who prays that their child will quit taking drug. The single person who prays for a companion but none come along.
And yet the Bible clearly promises us that God WILL answer our prayers! Matt 21:22 “Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.” …. So God here is my question, what is the answer?
What do you need answered this morning? What are your prayers? What prayer you have prayed for so long that it seems God hasn’t answered it?
(NAMES) will you please hand out the paper and pencils. On the paper you are about to receive there are three simple questions I would like for you to take the time right now to answer. If you don’t have answer to these three questions then this sermon is not for you, you may leave.
But I don’t believe that there is not a single person here today who isn’t in need of an answer, in need of some help from a destructive habit or a character flaw, who needs help with their marriage or work situation, a financial problem, a physical problem, a relationship problem, a hurt from your past. Whatever your problem is God has an answer for you today. Won’t you stay, won’t you listen for God’s answer? Take the time now to think about what your prayer is today. (PAUSE)
Now I want you to hold the paper up to your head…no I am just kidding. God does not answer our prayers with comical quips like Carnac the Magnificient. God is an awesome, ominpotent God who loves you, who will answer your prayers with wisdom, knowing and love.
Bill Hybel in his book “Too Busy Not to Pray” outlines God’s answers to prayers with four simple answers: No, Slow, Grow and Go!
NO, no matter how well intentional or appropriate your request may seem requests plain God’s answer to you maybe emphatically, no! Being Christians, a disciples of Christ does not guarantee all of our requests will be fulfilled. Sometimes God’s answer is no. The request is wrong, miguided, or selfish. Even the disciples when in the presence of God didn’t always get what they wanted.
Sometimes the answer is no because the request is wrong. Once James, John and Peter were accompanying Jesus to the mountain top for prayer and meditation. Suddenly Jesus was transformed into a glorious figure and all of his heavenly nature was revealed. Elijah and Moses were standing there with him. Peter became so excited he blurted out, “This is wonderful.” Lord let me make three shrines one for each of you, and then we will just stay up here the rest of our lives. But a cloud falls upon them and James, John and Peter become frightened. Jesus’ answer, God’s answer is emphatically, No!
Peter’s request was misguided. It didn’t fulfill God’s plan. If Jesus had remained on that mountain top the prophecies of the Old Testament never would have been fulfilled on the cross. You and I would never have come to know God’s deep love us. We would never have come to salvation. God/Jesus in his infinite wisdom answered Peter, No because the request was wrong. It didn’t fulfill God’s plan.
Sometimes out of love God’s answer is No. James and John once came to Jesus with their mother with a simple request, a small favor to ask. They wanted two seats: one on the right side of Jesus and the other on the left. They wanted to share a little of the limelight, the power and prestige of Jesus’ coming kingdom. As devoted disciples of Jesus were they deserving of having their request fulfilled. Had they not labored beside him. But Jesus answer in love was No. “No, for you know not what you are asking.” Jesus’ reply was No I love you too much to fulfill your request. As your loving father I am protecting you by answering NO.
Is Jesus answering you this morning with the answer No. No for you know not what you are asking. No, the job you want will only lead to your family’s destruction. No, the material things you are asking for will not bring you closer to me. No, this college is not where you need to be, you need to be closer to home for I know what is to come. No, your request is wrong and I love you too much to give it to you.
SLOW, slow down the timing is not yet right. We live in such an instant, fast paced society. We speed down the express lanes on the highway and in the supermarket. We want our film in one hour, eyeglasses while we wait. Drive thru pick up your food and eat it in the car. We become impatient when we wait at an elevator more than 3o seconds. We can’t wait to be 16 so we can drive. We are impatient for the things to come. We want what we want and we want it now.
We have all seen the mother and child in the store. The child is demands that the mother purchase a certain toy or treat for him or her. The mother gently refuses saying not now. The child begins to kick and scream. “But I want it!”
There is an impatient child in all of us, a child who wants God to meet every need, grant every request, not just now but right now. A child who believes if I asked for it surely I should get it. When we don’t get it we challenge God, argue with God. Why not now? I’m old enough. So and so has received that blessing now why can’t I have it now too. Be wary of insisting that you know better than God when a prayer request should be fulfilled.
Wait for God’s wisdom. Wait for the right time. A delay is not a denial. God has a reasons for encouraging you to wait.
Imagine you have just seen the coolest jacket at the Gap and it is on sale. You rush home to ask your parents for the money. You walk in and see your parents hanging their head over the checkbook, moaning and groaning. Their empty wallets laying on the table. Or perhaps, you need want to take a day off at work and you walk in and your boss has just gotten a call from corporate demanding that that a project must be done ASAP. How likely is it that your request will be fulfilled.
Timing is everything. You may not be able to see the reason for the delay but God in his perfect knowledge, in his infinite wisdom knows what time is best. Trust him, slow down and wait for the right time. “1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:” (Ecc 3:1).
GROW. Sometimes we are the biggest barrier to God being able to answer our prayers. We pray to God here’s my problem I lay it at your feet and then we pick it up and try and fix it ourselves. We decide we are going to pray about something. We mentally add it to our prayer list and then we get busy and forget to pray. We pray fervently for God to fix something while we continue to sin and separate ourselves from him. We take a shopping list to God of selfish wants and desire. We ask God to fix the other person while never stopping look within ourselves.
We adopt the motto “When all else fails, then we pray.”
Sometimes for our prayer to be answered we, ourselves, must grow in our Christian faith.
We must look deep within beneath the surface layers of our faith where we find that we don’t really trust God yet. We don’t really believe God has the power to do anything about our prayers. That we don’t really want to give up old habits, the sins of this world to receive the wonderful blessings of God.
I love “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” The Grinch is just about to throw all of Whoville’s Christmas over the cliff when his heart is touch by the sounds of love. And his heart grows and grows giving him supernatural strength to pull back the sleigh before it goes over the cliff.
This morning as you look at your list of prayers, ask God what do I need to do to be ready to receive your blessing? How must I grow so that this prayer can be answered? Is he asking you to let his love in that he might touch your heart that your faith and trust in him might grow and grow until you too will have the strength to hear His answer to your prayer.
Our request may be right. The timing may not be a problem. But when our lives are wrong God says, “Before I grant your request, I want you to grow. Put that sin away. Change your attitude. Stop that practice, end that pattern, soften your spirit, repent receive forgivenenss Grown and I’ll throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. (Mal 3:10).
Probably none of us can really understand how much God wasnt so answer our prayers, wants to change that impossible situation, touch tat untouchable person, move that immovable mount. When our request is right, when timing is right, when we are right God will say Go.
GO make disciples of all nations, go further my kingdom, go my child and receive my blessings fulfill my will. Hearing and accepting God’s answer takes the greatest courage. The courage to Go as God has command, according to God’s will not yours. The right request, the right time, the right person and the courage to go fulfill God’s answer to your prayer even when his answer might not be the same as what you prayed for.
“I asked God”
I asked God for strength, that I might achieve.
I was made weak that I might learn to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy.
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for.
But everything that I had hoped for.
Almost, despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.
What is God’s answer to your prayer this morning? Is it No, Slow, Grow or Go? Do you have the courage to accept his answer?
