What Will It Take?
What Will It Take For Me To Sincerely Pray To God & Receive An Answer Part 2?
Scriptures: James 4:2-3; Isaiah 55:11; Mark 16:16-18; 1 John 1:9
Introduction
In my message two weeks ago I asked you “What will it take for us to sincerely pray to God and receive an answer?” In that message I focused on the act of praying and as promised, this week we will examine why our prayers sometimes are not answered. As a reminder from two weeks ago, prayer is having a conversation with God. The most common word for prayer in the New Testament is the word “proseuche” (pronounced “pros-yoo-khay) which informs us that prayer should bring us into a close contact with God. It is much more than a mechanical act or formula to follow; it is a vehicle to bring us to a place whereby we may enjoy a close, intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father.
If the act of praying is supposed to bring us into a closer relationship with God then why do many prayers go up to God but those sending the prayers do not believe that answers are being sent back down. There are several reasons that this is the case and we will start with the most obvious one – selfishness. Turn with me to James 4:2-3.
I. Why Prayers Go Unanswered
Reason #1: Selfishness. I want us to think about our children for a moment. While they are young, one of the lessons we try to teach them is to share. We ask that they share their toys, their candy and other things. The lesson we are trying to get them to understand that in order to exist in this world you have to be focused on more than just your own needs, desires and wants. This is a lesson that we need to remember when it comes to our conversations with God. We are quick to go to Him and tell Him everything we want but we are slow to listen to see if He desires something from us. Here is how James addressed this situation: “You lust and you do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” James 4:2-3
James gets to the heart of the problem pretty quick. He says that we lusts and we do not get it so we kill so that we can have it. He says we are envious of others and cannot obtain what they have so we fight. Does this sound like the world in which we live in? We want what others have and because we cannot have it we fight with them or actually kill to have what they possess. How many murders are committed each year because someone wants something that someone else has? James then transitions to the fact that we do not have because we do not ask and when we actually get around to asking we do not receive because we’re asking with selfish motives – meaning that if we receive what we ask God for it will be used solely on us. How would you like it if you went to God and asked Him for $1000 and He asked you what you were going to do with it? Would you tell Him that you’re planning to donate half to the Church and some to the needy when you’re actually planning to buy that flat screen TV that you’ve had your eyes on? What if God told you that He would give it to you with the restriction that you needed to use it for the betterment of others versus yourself? Would you still want it? Some of us would take it, buy the flat screen TV; invite our friends over to watch the game and claim we are bettering their lives because they only have a regular color TV. Our justification is that our friends can now see the game in a much more clear and focused format. As you continue having your conversations with God when you are petitioning Him for something, ask yourself what is the real reason you want what you’re asking for and if you had it, would anyone other than yourself benefit from it. This is not a recipe for getting what you petition God for, but a gut check for you to monitor your own motivations. Let’s go to the second reason some of our prayers are not answered. Turn to Isaiah 55:11 and then we will go to Mark 16:16-18.
Reason #2: Praying Outside Of God’s Word. The second reason our prayers are not answered is because we pray for things outside of the Word of God. Isaiah 55:11 says “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) This verse does not mean that whatever God “wants done gets done by the people He wants to do it. It does mean that it will get done by those listening to God and are willing to abide by His word.” When our thoughts and actions line up with God, He has someone He can work through and things get done. When we begin praying according to the Word of God, we can know that our prayers will be answered because we are praying His word. Let me give you an example. God word has promised me that He will supply my needs. If I need a car, I can go to God and pray confessing His word that He has promised to provide my needs. Once I have prayed this prayer, I can begin searching for transportation while allowing God to work out the situation. Praying this prayer does not mean I can go out and lease a brand new luxury car because that is not what I need. I might need a good used vehicle that I can easily afford. You see the difference? When we begin to pray God’s word, we pray with the understanding that God’s primary motivation for His interaction in this world is to get people saved. He wants to have a personal relationship with all of us, not just the Baptist, Catholics, and other Christians. He wants a relationship with all people so when we are praying to help this get done by any means necessary, we get God’s attention. Now turn to Mark 16:16-18. It reads: “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed; in My name they will cast our demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.” (Mark 16:16-18)
I am assuming that you are all saved at this point, so let’s focus on verses seventeen and eighteen. It means these signs which will be associated with those who are saved: casting out demons; speaking with new tongues; “picking up serpents; if they drink poison it will not harm them (accidently); laying hands on the sick and the sick recovers. These are the signs that should follow Christians, but there is one criterion that must be met. Verse seventeen says “these signs shall accompany them that believe….” You must believe in order to accomplish these signs and if you are having a conversation with God you need to understand His word in order to pray with the authority of His word. We will not get a prayer answered when we pray outside of God’s expressed word. However, we are guaranteed to have our prayers answered when we pray according to His expressed word. This tie in with the third reason we do not get our prayers answered; we pray without understanding our authority.
Reason #3: Praying Without Understanding Our Authority. I want to refer back to the first two chapters in Genesis. In chapter one God creates the earth and everything that is currently in place. God was busy the first six days creating everything including man and woman. When God decided to create man, this is what He said in Genesis 1:26: “….Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Between verses one and twenty-six of Genesis chapter one, God exercised both authority (the power to command) and dominion (the power to rule) in the natural realm as He created everything. After verse twenty-six, God honored the authority and dominion of man. An example of this is found in Genesis 2:19-20 when God brought the animals to Adam to see what he would call them. By establishing this law of dominion and authority for man, God restricted Himself to working through man to accomplish His will on earth. Remember that term free-will? Since we have authority and dominion here on earth, it is up to us to walk in it and make decisions accordingly. A good example of this is found in Ezekiel 22:30 which says “I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.” We have a role to play as to how God interacts with this world and this is what that role is: we are His vessel for getting things done. To that end He has given us the power and authority to do it. For that reason, when we pray and ask God to do something that He has empowered us to do He cannot not do it. He has granted that authority to us.
What does this look like in the natural? Let’s say that you have been hired as a manager over ten individuals. You are responsible for those ten individuals as it relates to their hiring, firing, promotions, annual raises and conflict resolution. In order words, these are your employees and you are totally responsible for them. You are the middle manager and you have a director who is your supervisor who is likewise responsible for you. Now, what would happen if it came down to you firing someone for bad performance and you went to your supervisor and asked them to do it because you were afraid to or you just wanted them to do it? What would happen if it was time for you to give merit increases to your employees and you asked your supervisor to do it because it made you uncomfortable? It would not take long for your supervisor to reach the decision that you are not fit at this point to be a manager. You do not understand your authority or you are refusing to walk in it. This is where many Christians are today. It is much easier to ask God to do something that we are supposed to do and then get angry with God when He does not do it. The last reason I will cover is one we’re all familiar with and that is we pray without faith.
Reason #4: Praying Without Faith. I have spent a lot of time recently talking about faith. As it relates to our prayer life, it is difficult to understand how we can pray to God who is above everything and rise up thinking that He did not hear us. Of if He did hear us He chooses not answer our petition. The problem is not with God, it is with us. We rise up thinking that God will not answer our prayer because we have not been perfect yet. Maybe we did something wrong and we feel terrible about it so we believe we do not deserve God to answer our prayer so we pray in “hope” that He will. If you think this way I refer you to 1 John 1:9 which says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” If you think you have not been good enough for God to answer your prayer, memorize this verse! Now turn a few pages over to 1 John 3:21-22. These verses reads, “Beloved, if our hearts does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.” The two verses before these verses discusses the fact that God is greater than our hearts and will help us overcome the condemnation that resides in our hearts which hinders us from reaching out and believing in Him.
I cannot tell you the number of individuals I have talked with that did not believe that God would answer their prayer because of something in their past. It is hard for them to reach beyond the condemnation that they find in their own hearts. When we read God’s word, we find that only He can aid us in getting everything in balance. If our hearts are condemning us maybe it is because we have not confessed what we need to confess to God. If we have confessed our sins, then our struggle is internal because the God we serve has already forgiven us. This is important to how we come to pray in faith. When you have a great relationship with someone and you know that there is no conflict between the two of you, asking for help is not an issue because of the relationship. It is only when there is a problem or strife in the relationship that we get concerned as to whether or not the other person would help us out when we needed it. God is not like this. He forgives us when we ask Him to and does not remember it. If you’re holding on to something that you’ve already turned over to God, open your hands and set it free.
Conclusion
I know that we spend a lot of time praying to God but often it is just us doing the talking. In part one of this message I asked you what would you have to go through, your worst case scenario that would make you pray to God sincerely while also expecting Him to answer you. We pray a lot but do we really wait for a response from God or do we just end the prayer by saying “thank you” and then we get up and go about our business. What will it take for us to wait on God while we are in the midst of our prayer for an answer?
One of the greatest tools that Satan uses against us is the lie that God does not hear or answers our prayers because of something we have done. He does not want us to know that oftentimes because we have not been taught how to pray, we just go through the motions and hope fro the best. He does not want us to understand that God has made certain promises to us. He does not want us to know that we have authority. He does not want us to walk in faith believing God for who He is. What he does want for us is our focus on our own selves especially when we are talking to God. He wants us so focused on our own situation that we will never see anything or anyone but our own self. By having ourselves as out focus, we limited what God can do because of our selfishness.
So I ask you this morning: “What will it take for you to sincerely pray to God and receive an answer?” God is ready and has promised to interact with us. The ball is in our court and literally in our hands. What are we going to do with is. Make the decision today that you will begin to have a real conversation with God where not only do you talk to Him, but you wait expecting Him to talk back to you. May God bless and keep you.
As I am not sure what God has planned for us for next week, for those reading this sermon, if you do not hear from me next week, have a very blessed Christmas with your family, friends and other loved ones. God bless!
