INTRODUCTION
ILLUS: Remember Johnny Carson? If you’re below forty, then you probably don’t know who I’m talking about. Johnny was the king of late night television before David Letterman and Jay Leno. He had a lot of different comic routines, one of which was Carnac The Magnificent. Johnny would wear on old turban and become this great mentalist. He would make quite a production of picking up an envelope and holding it to his head. With great fanfare he would proclaim the answer to the question contained in the hermetically sealed envelope. For instance Johnny would say, "Gatorade" and Ed McMann would open the envelope and read the question, "What does an alligator get on welfare" or John would say, "Bible Belt" and Ed would open the envelope and read the question, "What holds up Oral Roberts¡¦ pants".
Most of the time they seemed to be pretty lame but in the capable hands of Johnny Carson, Carnac the Magnificent made me laugh more than once. What some viewers may not have realized is that people actually sent mail to Carnac hoping that he could answer their questions.
Today things aren¡¦t much different. People still have questions and they want answers. Just watch TV for ten minutes and you will see the Psychic Network and Psychic Friends all promising to give you answers to your questions, but their answers are just as lame as Carnac the magnificent.
As Christians, we have access to someone who can answer our questions. We can go to God in prayer. God himself says, "Call unto me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know" (Jer. 33:3).
Most Christians will tell you they believe God answers prayer. They sing hymns about prayer, such as¡K
Illus:
"What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
Oh what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer."
"Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him, whose truth and faithfulness Engage the waiting soul to bless:
And since He bids me seek His face, Believe His Word, and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care, and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer."
As Christians we are taught that God answers prayer: "Ask and you will receive" and "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much".
In spite of our statements about prayer many Christians have given up praying.
„X There is the spouse who prayed for their marriage, but their mate hasn’t changed so they’ve stopped praying. They now wonder if there is a God.
„X There’s the child who no longer believes in God because he didn’t get the 10-speed bike he prayed for.
„X There’s the teenager who is mad at God because God didn’t answer their prayer by sending them a girlfriend or boyfriend, because God didn’t stop their parents from getting a divorce or because God didn’t give them the answers for that important biology test.
„X There’s the single mom who doesn’t pray anymore, because after praying two years for a companion, God hasn’t sent anyone.
„X There’s the man who is angry with God because after praying for a raise he got fired.
„X There’s the husband who ceased to pray after his wife’s three-year battle with cancer ended in death.
„X There’s the pastor who sees no need to pray, as God does whatever He wants to do anyway.
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.¡¨ ¡K. So God here is my question, what is the answer? Why didn’t you answer the prayers of all these people who are angry with You and even doubting your existence? God could have improved His standing with them by giving them what they asked for.
„X How many of us still believe God answers prayer?
„X How many of us have given up on prayer?
„X How many of us are growing weary in prayer, because we haven’t seen the results we desire?
Every one of us are in need of answers to our prayers. It may be¡K
„X Deliverance from a destructive habit!
„X Restoration of a marriage that is falling apart!
„X Deliverance from disease!
„X The healing of some hurt experienced years ago!
„X The wisdom to make a right decision!
Whatever it is, God has an answer for you. Our God is an awesome, omnipotent God who loves you and who will answer your prayers.
Again, listen to His promise: "Call unto Me and I will answer you!"
God’s promise to answer us doesn’t necessarily mean He will give us an answer that corresponds to every detail in our request. It may come as a surprise, but God¡¦s answer may be something other than a detailed "yes". God, in His giving is wiser than we are in our asking. Therefore God’s answer may be¡K
„X No!
„X Slow!
„X Grow!
„X Go!
1. NO.
I know most of us think we’re God’s pet, but it’s possible that no matter how well intentioned or appropriate your request may seem, God¡¦s answer to you may be, NO!
Being a child of God doesn’t guarantee that God’s answer will always be "yes."
A. Sometimes God¡¦s answer is "no" because the request is wrong.
When James, John and Peter accompanied Jesus to the mountaintop, they witnessed the out raying of Jesus’ divine nature. Before their eyes Jesus began to radiate with the glory that belonged to His deity.
Simultaneously, Elijah and Moses were standing there with him.
Peter blurted out, ¡§This is wonderful. Lord let me build three shrines, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" (Mt. 17:2-4). At that very moment a bright cloud descended and God’s answer to Peter’s request was and emphatic NO and His focus was "This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him!"
Peter¡¦s request was misguided and motivated by a selfish desire to maintain this wonderful moment for himself. What he failed to realize was that this would not fulfill God¡¦s plan. If Jesus had remained on that mountaintop, then God’s purpose for Jesus would have been undermined.
„X The demoniac boy at the base of the mountain would not have experienced deliverance (Mt. 17:14-23).
„X The prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the cross would have been fulfilled and you and I would never have come to know God.
God’s answer to Peter was "NO," because a "Yes" would have undermined God’s wonderful plan for the redemption of humankind. His answer was "NO," because Peter’s request was wrong.
B. Sometimes God’s answer is "no," because He loves us too much to say "yes."
According to Mark 10:35, James and John came to Jesus asking, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You." When asked what they wanted they replied, "Grant that we may sit in Your glory, one on Your right, and one on Your left" (10:37). They wanted to share what they perceived to be a little of the limelight and the power and prestige of Jesus¡¦ coming kingdom. As devoted disciples of Jesus they probably felt deserving of having their request fulfilled. Hadn’t they labored beside him? Hadn’t they given up much to be with Him? To their surprise Jesus gracious answer was, "You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism [of suffering] with which I am baptized?" (Mark 10:38). Jesus¡¦ reply was "No, I love you too much to fulfill your request". Perhaps Jesus’ answer to you is, "Because I love you, I am protecting you by answering ’NO’".
C. Prayer doesn’t necessarily have to be wrong, misguided, or selfish to receive a "no" from Jesus.
In the story of the Gadarene demoniac, Luke records Jesus’ answer to three prayers.
„X The first prayer was prayed by the demons. According to Luke 8:31 and 32, the demons "were entreating Him not to command them to depart into the abyss." Instead, they "entreated Him to permit them to enter the swine." Surprisingly, Luke says, "And He [Jesus] gave them permission."
„X The second prayer was prayed by the inhabitants of Gadara. Luke tells us, "And all the people of the country of the Gadarenes and the surrounding district asked Him to depart from them; for they were gripped with fear" (Luke 8:37). Again, Jesus complies with their request: "He got into a boat, and returned [to Galilee]."
„X The third prayer was prayed by the delivered demoniac himself. Luke tells us, "But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him" (Luke 8:38). The demons got a "yes" in response to their prayer. The inhabitants of Gadara got a "yes," so surely Jesus will grant this delivered demoniac’s request to be "with" Him. Luke informs us that instead of giving the delivered man a "yes," He "sent him away." (Luke 8:38). Of all the requests that Jesus received that day, the one that seemed most certain to get a "yes" response was this man who wanted to be with Jesus. Instead, Jesus sends him away with a "no." Please note with me that Jesus’ "no" came with a clarification: "He sent him away saying, ’Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you’" (Luke 8:38, 39).
Perhaps Jesus is saying "NO" to you this morning, because He knows that the job you want will lead to your family’s destruction. He knows that the material things you’ve asked for will lead to your spiritual poverty.
TRANS: Not only are there are times when God’s answer is NO, there are times when God’s answer is SLOW.
2. SLOW.
We live in a fast paced society.
„X We speed down the express lanes on the highway and in the supermarket.
„X We want our film developed and our clothes cleaned and pressed in one hour.
„X We order our food via a microphone located in front of a four-foot by five-foot menu, pick it up at a drive-by window and eat it in the car on our way to the drive through pharmacy.
„X We become impatient when we wait at on an elevator for more than 3o seconds.
„X We hurry through our 16th year of life because we can¡¦t wait to get our drivers license.
We are impatient and believe we are right to be so.
QUOTE: Psychologist Kim Hall made this observation concerning contemporary society.
People seem to believe that they have an inalienable right to be happy--"I want what I want and I want it now." No one wants to wait for anything and, for the most part, no one has to anymore. Waiting is interpreted as pain. ... People walk into my office and say they are Christians, but I see no difference except that they want to be happy and now expect God to make it so.
People like the fact that they can buy a 50-foot tree and instantly plant it in their yard. Why on earth would anyone want to wait ¡Kon God?
Citation: Psychologist Kim Hall, interviewed in The Door (Sept.-Oct. 1992). Christianity Today, Vol. 37, no. 9.
It is unfortunate that this impatience has found its way into the House of God.
QUOTE: A. W. Tozer wrote the following in his classic book THE PURSUIT OF GOD.
A generation of Christians reared among pushbuttons and automatic machines are impatient of slower and less direct methods of reaching their goals. We have been trying to apply machine-age methods to our relations with God. We read our chapter, have our short devotions and rush away, hoping to make up for our deep inward bankruptcy by attending another gospel meeting. ...
The tragic results of this spirit are all about us: Shallow lives, hollow religious philosophies, the preponderance of the element of fun in gospel meetings, the glorification of men, trust in religious externalities, quasi-religious fellowships, salesmanship methods, the mistaking of dynamic personality for the power of the Spirit. These and such as these are the symptoms of an evil disease, a deep and serious malady of the soul.
Citation: A. W. Tozer in The Pursuit of God. Christianity Today, Vol. 40, no. 2.
Such keen prophetic insight begs us to answer the question, HAVE WE LOST OUR ABILITY TO WAIT UPON GOD?
ILLUS: Recently, I asked a young waitress named Jessica the following question: "What is the most important lesson you learned about life in 2002?" Her response was valuable. Jessica said, "I am an art student and my specialty is sculpture. I’ve learned that the process is as important as the product. I learn more from the process than I do from the finished product."
Is it possible that in our impatient desire for instant answers we’ve forfeited the lessons that come with the process of waiting?
„X Waiting for God¡¦s wisdom.
„X Waiting for God’s time.
„X Waiting for God’s plan to unfold.
Are you aware that a delay is not a denial?
Do we realize that God has reasons for encouraging us to wait and for being slow to answer our prayers? And what benefit is there in waiting?
„X Waiting insures that we get God’s answer and not an Ishmael.
„X Waiting builds patience into our character.
„X Waiting causes our trust in God to grow.
We must remember that the process is as important as the product! In reality, we are the product that is produced by the process.
Abraham erred when he failed to wait for the fulfillment of God’s promise concerning a son.
Saul erred when he failed to wait for Samuel’s arrival before offering a sacrifice to God.
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).
TRANS: It could be that your answer is coming, but it’s not time yet. Perhaps the answer is ready, but we aren’t. Maybe God’s answer to our prayer isn’t "NO," nor "SLOW," but "GROW".
3. GROW.
Sometimes we are the biggest barrier to God being able to answer our prayers.
„X We pray to God and then set out to answer our own prayers.
„X We mentally add something to our prayer list and then we get busy and forget to pray.
„X We pray fervently for God to fix something while we continue to commit sin that separates us from Him.
„X We ask God to fulfill our selfish wants and desires.
„X We ask God to fix the other person while never stopping to look within ourselves.
There are times when answered prayer is dependent upon our growth in our Christian faith. If we are going to have an effective prayer life, then we must allow God to reveal areas of our heart that are out of sync with Him--areas of distrust, unbelief and sin.
Is it possible that before God can change the issues you are praying about, He must change you?
As you look at your list of prayer requests, 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? What do I need to do to prepare for Your answer to my prayer?"
„X Is God asking you to allow His love to rule in your heart?
„X Is He asking you to trust Him with things you do not understand?
„X Is He asking that you be patient?
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 forgiveness, grow 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).
None of us fully realize how much God wants to answer our prayers, how He longs to change our impossible situations, to touch some untouchable person through us, or to move what seems to be an immovable mountain.
TRANS: Finally, there are times when God’s answer isn’t "NO," or "SLOW" or "GROW," but "GO".
4. GO.
Often, God’s answers to prayer involve our active obedience. To those wanting healing He often said, "Take up your bed and walk." Sometimes God answers our prayer by calling us to involvement.
„X We pray for the lost and God says to us, "Go make disciples of all nations."
„X We pray that someone will minister to the young boys in our community and God says to us, "Commit yourself to working with the Royal Rangers."
„X You pray that God will heal a sick coworker and God has you cook a meal and bring it to their house, and while you’re there He has you wash the dishes, clean the kitchen and iron two loads of clothes.
„X You pray for a foreign missionary and God has you send them the $300 you were saving for the purchase of a new set of truck tires.
Hearing and accepting God¡¦s answers takes great courage--the courage to "Go" as God commands and to obey God even when His answer does not look exactly like our request.
CONCLUSION
Are you willing to give Him praise when His answer is "NO!"? Do you have the patience to endure when His answer is SLOW? Are you willing to mature when His answer is GROW? Do you have the courage to obey when His answer is "GO!"? Are you willing to embrace God’s answer to your prayers even when His answer does not comply with all the fine print in your request?
Someone who had learned these lessons wrote:
¡§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?
Once again, I’d like us to end this service as a praying Church.
Let’s come submitting our requests to God and listening for His answer.
Let’s be ready to embrace that answer whether it is "No," "Grow," "Slow," or "Go."
SOURCES:
1.Adapted from "The Answer to Your Prayers" by Sheila Crowe.
