God Always
Answers Prayer
When the idea is not right God says, "No."
No ~ when the idea is not the best.
No ~ when the idea is absolutely wrong.
No ~ when though it may help you, it could create problems for
someone else.
When the time is not right, God says, "Slow."
What a catastrophe it would be if God answered every prayer at the
snap of your fingers. Do you know what would happen? God would
become your servant, not your master. Suddenly, God would be working
for you instead of you working for God.
Remember:
God's delays are not God's denials.
God's timing is perfect.
Patience is what we need in prayer.
When you are not right, God says, "Grow."
The selfish person has to grow in unselfishness.
The cautious person must grow courage.
The timid person must grow in confidence.
The dominating person must grow in sensitivity.
The critical person must grow in tolerance.
The negative person must grow in positive attitudes.
The pleasure-seeking person must grow in compassion for suffering
people.
When everything is all right, God says, "Go."
Then the miracles happen:
A hopeless alcoholic is set free!
A drug addict finds release!
A doubter becomes as a child in his belief.
Diseased tissue responds to treatment, healing begins.
The door to your dream suddenly swings open and there stands God
saying, "Go!"
~Dr. Robert Schuller
How God Answers
Prayer:
Let me illustrate: You are in a boat. You approach the shore. You
throw the anchor out until it digs into the sand. You take hold of
the anchor rope and pull on it until your boat slides onto the sandy
beach. What have you done? You have not moved the shore to the boat.
You have moved the boat to the shore.
That is the way God answers prayer. The purpose of prayer is not to
give you what you want, when you want it. But the purpose of prayer
is to turn you into the kind of person God wants you to be so he can
answer your prayer in the way it needs to be answered.
God answers prayer always in one of four ways: When conditions are
not right, God says "no." When the time is not right, God says
"slow." When you are not right, "God answers grow!" When everything
is right, God says, "GO!
God does not advertise an "Instant Prayer Answering Service."
Nowhere in the entire Bible can you find that God will do anything
you ask Him to do when you snap you finger or when you make your
verbal demand. But when everything is right - the conditions, the
time, you yourself, and all else - then the answer is "Yes!"
God maintains control in the area of the why and the when. If to
your very sincere prayer He answers no, and you ask Him why you can
be sure God will not answer or explain. God doesn't answer why
questions for this simple reason: You really want to argue and God
refuses to be drawn into an argument. Any reasons that He would give
in answer to your why question would not satisfy.
God never explains why and God never promises when. His delays are
not denials. His timing is perfect. Patience is what we need in
prayer. Some people don't suffer from doubt as much as they suffer
from impatience. P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E is one of the ways to spell faith!
"O rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him and He shall give thee
thy heart's desire.
Prayer: O God may I rest in you, and wait patiently -- wait
patiently -- wait patiently for You to respond.
Amen
