WHY HASN’T GOD ANSWERED MY PRAYER?
Prayer Can Change your Life
“I call to you, O God, but you never answer; and when I pray, you pay no attention.” Job 30:20 (GNT)
I. THREE WAYS GOD ANSWERS PRAYER
“Call to me and I will answer you…” Jeremiah 33:3
* Sometimes God says, YES!
* Sometimes God says, WAIT!
* Sometimes God says, NO!
Examples: Genesis 17:18-29 (Abraham), Deuteronomy 3:23-28 (Moses), 2 Samuel 12:16-20 (David).
II. THREE REASONS GOD SOMETIMES SAYS “NO”
1. WHEN GOD HAS A BIGGER PERSPECTIVE.
“He knows about everyone, everywhere. Everything about us is bare and wide open to the all-seeing eyes of our living God; nothing can be hidden from Him…” Hebrews 4:13 (TLB)
“[God] guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.” Proverbs 2:8
* Paul tried to go to Asia — Acts 16:6-8
2. WHEN GOD HAS A BETTER PLAN.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, my ways, declares the LORD … My ways [are] higher than your ways…” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised… God had planned something better…” Hebrews 11:39-40 (NIV)
* Paul’s desire to preach in Rome — Romans 1:11-15, 15:22-24; Acts 28:16.
3. WHEN GOD HAS A GREATER PURPOSE.
God: “… My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” Isaiah 46:10b
“Therefore we do not lose heart … For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, [for] what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal!” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)
* Paul’s prayer to be healed — 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassing revelations there was given to me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away, but God said to me, `My grace is sufficient for you for My power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That’s why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties. For when I am weak, I am strong.”
III. WHAT TO REMEMBER WHEN GOD SAYS “NO”
* Everything God does He does out of Love.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love [God]…” Romans 8:28 (NIV)
* God ALWAYS gives us GRACE when He says NO!
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said, `My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 (NIV)
WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO GOD WHEN HE SAYS “NO”? MY RESPONSE:
RESIST
RESENT
RELAX & REJOICE