Subject: "Why Should God Answer Our Prayers?"
Scripture Reference: Psalm 67:1-7
’God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us. Selah. That Thy may be known upon earth, Thy saving health upon all nations. Let the people praise Thee, O God, let all the people praise Thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for Thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah. Let the people praise Thee O God, O let all the people praise Thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase, and God, even our own God, shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him."
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Introduction:
"WHY SHOULD GOD BLESS US?"
This morning I would like to ask us, what I consider to be a very important question, "WHY SHOULD GOD ANSWER OUR PRAYERS?" If God says "YES" to our prayers, What does He receive from His acts of mercy and kindness to us? Does He receive anything? Or, do we just continue to go our own way, never taking the time to give Him praise and honor for what He has done, as IF -- HE OWED IT TO US? Would we be like the ten lepers Jesus healed but only "ONE" returned to offer Him praise?
Before looking at this psalm, I want to just remind us that God does STILL ANSWER THE PRAYERS OF HIS PEOPLE! This past week as I prayed and studied for this sermon, I began to think of some of the prayers I know God has answered for many within this congregation this morning. You prayed alone at home, You came to church and we prayed one for another, and God answered our prayers. Some here today have been touched physically and the surgery you thought was inevitable was not needed after all. "PRAISE GOD!" Some of you here this morning, after being out of work for months, found a job making more money then ever before. Others have found BETTER JOBS with better pay and better benefits. Some of you have been in automobile accidents. Your vehicles were totaled but yet you came out with only a small scratch and some sore muscles. The other day when the fierce tornadoes came through our county, God watched over us and kept us safe. And then there are the numerous times when we knew nothing about the dangers around us and God watched over us and kept us safe in His arms. Church, God has been good to us and He has answered so many prayers. Are we giving Him the glory and the praise He deserves to receive from us?
Sometimes we tend to listen to the lies and the cunning craftiness of Satan more than we listen to the postive promises of God. Satan is a liar and the father of all liars. But Jesus’ words are TRUTH and we can stand upon them, even when the storms around us are raging.
Listen to His Promises: They Are True Today!
Matthew 7: 7-8 ’Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, Knock and the door shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh the door shall be opened unto him."
John 15:7 "If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit,so shall ye be My disciples."
And listen to the words of James, leader of
the New Testament church.
James 5: 16 b "....The effectual fervent prayer
of a righteous man availeth much."
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God Does Answer Prayers: That We Are Not Questioning. The question before us this morning is this: "WHY, SHOULD GOD ANSWER OUR PRAYERS?" What’s in it for Him?
I am referring basically to prayers that are prayed mostly for our own needs and our own desires.
What causes God to answer those type of prayers when there are multitudes of people all about us who are in a much worse need of God to bless them rather than blessing us?
But look at the prayer request found in Psalm
67: verse #1:
"O God BLESS -- "US" --- Be Merciful to "US" and
Cause His Face to Shine Upon -- "US."
Doesn’t that sound a lot like our praying at times, "O God, Bless Our Four and No More?" How many times do we pray, "O God bless me and mine, watch over ME, Heal Me, Make a way for ME, Provide for ME--" Its Me-Me-Me-Me-Me-& Me!
Several years ago, Bruce Wilkinson wrote a relatively small book, entitled THE PRAYER OF JABEZ." That book stayed on the New York Times best selling list for a long time. It was "then" what the book, The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, is "today." It was that popular. The writer brought before millions of readers a man named Jabez, who otherwise we would probably never have known anything about him. Jabez is mentioned in just two verses of the Old Testament. We do not know exactly whose son he was or what he did before this prayer or after this prayer. He is just suddenly mentioned in the scripture.
I Chronicles 4:10 ’Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, Oh that You would bless me, and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain......"
Jabez’s prayer sounds a lot like the prayer prayed in Psalm 67:1 doesn’t it? And to be truthful, it sounds much like our own prayers.
What does God think about such self centered requests? If we go back to the Old Testament book of Numbers we find that God commanded Aaron and his sons, the priests, to speak these words before the people: Numbers 6: 22-27
’And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, THE LORD BLESS THEE AND KEEP THEE, THE LORD MAKE HIS FACE TO SHINE UPON THEE, AND BE GRACIOUS UNTO THEE, THE LORD LIFT UP HIS COUNTENANCE UPON THEE, AND GIVE THEE PEACE, AND THEY SHALL PUT MY NAME UPON THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, AND I WILL BLESS THEM."
Those words sound so much like the prayer of Psalm 67 and also the prayer of Jabez in I Chronicles. In each one of our lives, God has done wonderous things, just like He did for Jabez.
Now it is one thing to pray that kind of prayer but listen to what the last part of I Chronicles 4:10 says. It says, "...... And God granted him that which he requested."
It was all about blessing JABEZ, SELF, but what made God grant him every self centered wish and plea?
Look back at Psalm 67 and let’s look at WHAT the person praying did not ask for.
1st: He did not pray for things so that he would not have to go to work or to work less
2nd: He did not ask for things that would make him to be envied by others
3rd: He did not ask for things so he could be a blessing unto others. Although that does not sound bad.
Although the one praying did ask for God to bless him, here is the reason he desired for God to bless him. Listen church for here is the key that causes God to move and answer our prayers.
In my own words: "God bless me, be merciful to me, shine your face toward me so that I may spread the word far and wide, THIS ALL CAME FROM THE HAND OF GOD. THIS IS WHAT GOD HAS DONE." The writer promised to exalt God -- to GLORIFY GOD.
Will we glorify God when He answeres our prayers?
Oh the people that I have heard, as they would promise God: "O God, make a way, heal me, provide for this need, save our marriage,........ and God I will serve You and I will work for You as long as I live!" But after God answered their prayers they soon forgot and failed to glorify God with their lives.
Church, God loves you and me. Yes He does... But When God blesses us He demands that He be praised and exalted. When God saved the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt for over 430 years, He ordered them to talk about it in the morning, throughout the day and when they went to bed at night. Give God glory and glorify God with whatever He has given to us. Whatever we have .... use it for the glory of God.
Song: For I was born to serve the Lord.
I Have had many people say to me,"Pastor, I don’t know why God saved me. I don’t know why God healed me and left me here." But I know why God saved each one of us. And I know why God heals us and blesses us everyday with blessings untold. One, He loves us. But also, That we would become witnesses, bold witnesses of praise and glory. Tell others of what God has done.
What better purpose could we have in this life.
What better reason for living.
What better reason for getting up another day.
Living Testimonies That Offer Up To God Continous
Praise and Glory.
This was the spirit of the apostle Paul:
Philippians 1: 12-21 ’But I would ye should understand brethern, that the things which have happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel .. So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in allother places. And many of the brethern in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some preach Christ of even envy and strife, and some also of good will, The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add to my bonds, but the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel, What then? Notwithstanding,every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is preached, and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. According to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also CHRIST SHALL BE MAGNIFIED IN MY BODY, whether it be by life, or by death. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain."
Paul’s entire purpose was to exalt and glorify and magnify God, even in his sufferings. Even in bonds he was known as one that gave God praise and exaltation. Recall the 16th chapter of Acts when he was placed in prison in Philippi, at midnight he praised God in song rejoicing. In his pain, he exalted God.
And in ending this sermon, let us look to the greatest example there is to be found, Jesus.
Mark 14:32 ’And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane, and He saith to His disciples, Sit ye here while I shall pray. And He taketh with Him, Peter, James, and John and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy, And He said unto them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful even to death, tarry ye here and watch. And he forward a little, and fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, Abba Father, all things are possible unto Thee, take away this cup from Me, NEVERTHELESS, NOT WHAT I WILT BUT WHAT THOU WILT."
Jesus came to earth to GLORIFY HIS FATHER and in His death, He did exactly that, even though it required His sufferings and His death.
Why do you live?
What are your goals and desires?
Are they are selfish, self centered?
Do you truly desire to glorify God with you life and with whatever you have.
There was an old Indian that wanted to give to God so he came to the front of the church and laid his head dress upon the altar and returned to his seat. Feeling that was not enough, he went back to the altar and laid his tommyhawk and went back to his seat. Feeling as if those two items were still not enough, he arose one more time and laid himself upon the altar and said,"God, if You can receive any glory from this old Indian, here I am."
And that is what God wants from us. Not our possessions, or our treasures. God wants you and me. When He has US, He has everything that is a part of us. There is no better life than the life that is given to exalt and to glorify God.
Song: In My Life, Lord Be Glorified
Be Glorified, Be Glorified
In my life Lord, Be Glorified Today.
In My Church, Lord Be Glorified,
Be Glorified, Be Glorified
In My Life, Lord, Be Glorified Today.
