Because You Prayed
October 22nd, 2006
Gayle
What great encouragement and hope are found in the life of King Hezekiah. Not once, but twice, Hezekiah pours out his heart to the Lord and on both occassions God answers in the affirmative. In Isaiah 37:21 God says, “..because you have prayed to Me..” and in Chapter 38:5 we read, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears..”
I know many sincere believers who have serious doubt about the effectiveness of prayer. Some have given up praying entirely, believing that since God has everything in control, theirs prayers are not needed. Others have become discouraged because, unlike Hezekiah, years were not added to the life of a loved one. One dear friend of mine will be forever convinced that if his faith had been stronger his prayers for his mother would have been answered.
Prayer is a mystery. Is it my faith or God’s will that determines the outcome? Do I pray once, believing and trusting, or continue to persist in prayer like the widow in Luke 18? Hezekiah proclaimed before the Lord that he had “walked in truth and with a whole heart and had done good in His sight.” What about me? Do I have any sin that would hinder my prayers? How do I resolve all the questions? With three simple words - “because you prayed.”
God’s words to Hezekiah compel me to pray. The old cliche rings true - “you’ll never know until you ask.”
October 22nd, 2006 at 6:11 am
Hi Gayle,
WOW! THANKS for your journal entry! You hit a topic that is dear to my heart.
I, too, have met all sorts of believers with all sorts of views on prayer, and being on the receiving end of the “What is keeping your prayer from being answered? Sin? Not enough faith? Or?” sort of questions, I know that some people hold some “interesting” ideas on prayer. Let me offer some of mine. While there are MANY aspects of prayer that are VERY MUCH a mystery, and I will likely not understand them this side of Heaven, there are some aspects of prayer that I know FOR SURE.
1. Prayer is often used by the Spirit to align my ideas and my will to God’s will. If I pray for a period of days, or weeks, or even longer, on a particular topic, I will tend to receive new insights and thoughts on it that, when compared to my previous thoughts, are clearly better aligned to Biblical principles.
2. There are SOME prayers that are an absolute “God’s will is that they be answered” sort of prayer. For instance, If I pray that some particular person be drawn into a closer relationship with the Lord. I KNOW that the desire of my prayer is ABSOLUTELY aligned with God’s will, since He desires that EVERYONE be in a closer relationship to Himself. BUT… Knowing this fact DOES NOT mean that I don’t need to pray this prayer. It, instead, means that I can pray it with FULL ASSURANCE that God wants the desire of my prayer also.
3. Prayer IS answered, when it is aligned with God’s will, and it is aligned with His time. But there is maybe another element also. Maybe we need to be sincerely prepared to receive the answer. Consider this prayer: “Lord, I give you my life. Take it and use it for Your purposes today. Take me into situations that I’ve never been in before. Use me to minister to others. Make sure that I don’t miss any of the opportunities that You place in my path. Stretch me and grow my faith, and increase my desire to serve You. My life is Yours. Use me however You choose in the lives of those I come in contact with today. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen” From my own experience, I can pray this prayer one day, and nothing might happen. And the second day, nothing. And the third day, nothing. BUT, If I pray this prayer day after day after day, until it becomes a continual prayer of my heart throughout the entire day, THEN… I am sincerely prepared to receive the answer to it. And many of the ways that He answers will put me into situations and conversations with people that are ONLY moments that He could arrange. :>)
If anyone would like to read an excellent book on prayer, find a copy of: “The Power of Prayer in a Believer’s Life”, by C. H. Spurgeon.
May you be blessed by an answered prayer today,
Michael
October 22nd, 2006 at 7:52 pm
Michael, thanks so much for your comments and perspective. I, personally, have had so many prayers answered that I am overwhelmed at times with gratitude. I once heard a saying, “God said, I believe it, that settles it.” Since He has said to pray, Paul has said to pray without ceasing, and Jesus modeled praying, I have my answer - I must pray! Like you, I know there are many questions I am looking forward to having answered. God bless your day, also, with answered prayer, Gayle
October 23rd, 2006 at 12:59 pm
Thanks for your post Gayle!
I struggle with prayer. Of course that means that I do it . . . But the humanity in me has been greatly disappointed at times because I have not seen answers to the deepest of heart level prayers. The deeper it goes with God it almost seems like trust has been violated when he doesn’t answer the way you want, but then again who are we to assume God should do what we think He should. I guess this is where a deeper level of trust in God must emerge.
Just yesterday I was reading about how the Israelites wanted a king to rule instead of God. God gave them what they wanted, even though it wasn’t what He wanted (and they paid for it in years to come).
Still praying . . . but at times still struggling . . .
Anyway, Thanks.
October 23rd, 2006 at 11:15 pm
Jon, I once heard a true story about a couple who prayed and prayed and begged God for a son. Finally, God gave them a son and the parents said that by age 13 they wished he had never been born. Just like the Israelites, sometimes we get what we do ask for when we can’t accept God’s perfect plan. When I am disappointed in prayer I try to remember that “His ways are higher than my ways” and I can trust that He has the more perfect plan. Doesn’t always help with the feelings and emotions, though! Then I remind myself that even Jesus prayed, “if it is possible, may this cup pass from me.” And God said, “No.” And we have to be grateful that He did. We do have to trust completely, don’t we?
Praying for you, Gayle
October 24th, 2006 at 6:54 am
Hi Jon and Gayle,
Unanswered prayers, or at least prayers that we FEEL are unanswered, can become a source of struggle and frustration in our walk with the Lord.
Permit me to share a bit about my own struggles with prayer. Several years ago, my wife was struggling with ovarian cancer. She had been taking chemotherapy for about 6 months, and was steadily declining as the cancer was overwhelming her body and she couldn’t tolerate the chemo much more. We had 7 children, ages 2 to 10. Life was VERY difficult in many ways.
Every morning, during my 45 minute drive to work, I would cry a solid stream of tears, while at the same time praying my heart out. My prayers were found to really fall into two groups: PLEASE heal my wife, and PLEASE use this struggle for Your purposes. Everyday, every week, God was clearly answering my prayers in the second area. Not a single day passed that we didn’t see Him use our struggle in some wonderful way to minister to others. BUT… He seemed to be completely ignoring the first part of my prayers… The part of my prayers that I MOST DESPERATELY wanted answered.
Then, in September of that year, my wife awoke one morning, looked at me, and said “I have something to tell you. I’m not sure what happened or what to make of it, but… I think I was healed last night.” She went on to relate a long and detailed description of what had happened to her, and, as soon as the offices were open in the morning, scheduled a CT scan. I’ll NEVER forget the look on her oncologists’s face as he studied her films, then tentatively announced “There’s nothing here. Your cancer is completely gone.” We were SO overjoyed, beyond belief! She immediately stopped the chemo. And within a couple of months her health and strength was almost back to 100%. She was clearly healed!
BUT, That is not the “end of the story”. Like Gayle so wisely said, “God’s plans are higher than our plans.” The entire next year, she was focused on a ministry that she wanted to launch. She had a desire to organize a holiday celebration dinner during the Christmas season, to give to the less fortunate in our community. It was amazing to watch God work in the midst of the organization of the dinner, and, when the day came, about 175 people came through the church doors to receive a free meal, Christmas gifts for their children, clothing, groceries, and love and encouragement.
But then, within 2 weeks after the dinner, my wife was back in the hospital and her cancer had returned again. All of her checkups throughout the entire year had been completely clean, but as soon as the dinner was complete, the cancer had returned more advanced than ever. It was as if God had removed the cancer entirely from her body… for a time… for HIS time… to accomplish HIS purposes. And, having His purposes accomplished, He called her home less than a year later, after a very long and painful struggle.
BUT… The story is STILL not finished. The Celebration Dinner ministry still continues. A whole number of people have been involved in it each year, as it continues to grow. And last December, over 375 people were fed.
Prayer can be very confusing to us at times. I have been frustrated by unanswered prayers. I have seen prayers miraculously answered. And, at times, I have had a tiny glimpse into how “God’s ways are higher than our ways”. I have learned that the effectiveness of my prayers shouldn’t be measured by what might or might not happen in this world and in this time, but instead should be evaluated in the context of God’s Kingdom and eternity. But, of course, I am not well position in life to evaluate the effectiveness of my prayers throughout eternity. It is only after I enter Heaven that I might EVER be postured for such an evaluation.
Nevertheless… Without any clear sure ability to see the effects… I am called to pray… I MUST pray… and I should pray without ceasing… having an ongoing conversation with the Lord.
Jon. I have felt your frustration with prayer. I have been there… even to the point of not even being able to find the words to pray. I know it can be quite a struggle. But… in the end… It’s a GOOD struggle!
Blessings to you both and to all,
Michael
October 24th, 2006 at 3:50 pm
Thanks so much for your post Michael, and for sharing your story. I am with you, at times in frustration, and at times seen such amazing answers to prayer that lead me into deeper worship.