Video Bible Lesson - Why We Should be Thankful for Unanswered Prayers By: Jennifer Heeren

1/2 Hour of God’s Power with Scott Ralls

3/30/2020

Why We Should be Thankful for Unanswered Prayers
By: Jennifer Heeren

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.” (2 Peter 1:5-9)
This Scripture passage speaks of making every effort to respond to God’s promises and add to my faith moral excellence, and to that knowledge. Then add self-control mixed with patient endurance. And godliness. And brotherly affection. And love for all. The more I learn and grow in those ways, the more useful I will be on earth.
I’ve prayed for many things over the years. Favor on job interviews. A loving husband. Car repair bills to be lower than I expect. Benign biopsies. A baby. My list of desires can go on and on.
I’ve also prayed for friends, family, and acquaintances. Healing from accidents and diseases. Cancer to go into remission. Successful surgeries. Safe travels.
God always answers our prayers. But the answer isn’t always a “yes.” Sometimes it is “no” and sometimes it’s “not now.”
Wouldn’t it be great if I could ask for something from God and He always answered quickly with a definite yes? It seems like that would be wonderful, but would it actually be a good thing?
Our whims aren’t necessarily God’s will.
I don’t always pray for His will. I need to take all my whims and thoughts to God so that He can shape them into something more fitting to the way He originally designed me. God doesn’t owe me anything, especially not my whims. However, He does promise me that He will provide the things I need—food, drink, clothing, etc.
We can’t see the entire situation.
I can only see what is right in front of me. So, I need to rely on the judgment of an omniscient God if I truly desire what is best. I can keep a prayer journal so I can read about things that I desired in the past. Then I realize that God did indeed answer a lot of those requests. Sometimes with an “immediate yes.” Often with a better “wait for this other thing.”
A yes to everything we want is not how we were created.
If I did get a yes to every prayer, wouldn’t that make me more of a god than God? He would be at my beck and call. I should always be coming to Him to ask if something is a good idea or not, not the other way around. God’s ways are so much higher than mine. He is able through His mighty power to accomplish infinitely more than I can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
Unanswered prayers lead us to stronger relationships with God.
God wants me to come to Him with everything, not just get what I want and then forget about Him. He deserves my attention even when I don’t get what I want. God desires me to want Him, even more than what I’m asking for.
Unanswered prayers teach us to put our hope in God.
Psalm 62:5 says, “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.” My hope is in Him, not in my wants or even in my needs. He knows what I need before I even ask Him anyway. He is patient with me until I see my subtle real needs instead of my glaring wants.
Unanswered prayers serve the purpose of leading me to the ultimate gift—peace of mind and heart (John 14:27). A peace that comes from trusting my Creator and Designer with EVERY aspect of my life. I’m not saying that this is easy to do. It’s a constant battle of my will vs. His best. But when I stop fighting, there is a peace and an absence of fear. Peace of mind and soul is much better than a temporary “yes.”

#Jesus, #Christian, #Bible, #Salvation, #Heaven, #God, #HolySpirit

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow" (Isa. 50:11).

What a solemn warning to those who walk in darkness and yet who try to help themselves out into the light. They are represented as kindling a fire, and compassing themselves with sparks. What does this mean?

Why, it means that when we are in darkness the temptation is to find a way without trusting in the Lord and relying upon Him. Instead of letting Him help us out, we try to help ourselves out. We seek the light of nature, and get the advice of our friends. We try the conclusions of our reason, and might almost be tempted to accept a way of deliverance which would not be of God at all.

All these are fires of our own kindling; rushlights that will surely lead us onto the shoals. And God will let us walk in the light of those sparks, but the end will be sorrow.

Beloved, do not try to get out of a dark place, except, in God's time and in God's way. The time of trouble is meant to teach you lessons that you sorely need. Premature deliverance may frustrate God's work of grace in your life. Just commit the whole situation to Him. Be willing to abide in darkness so long as you have His presence.

Remember that it is better to walk in the dark with God than to walk alone in the light.
--The Still Small Voice

Cease meddling with God's plans and will. You touch anything of His, and you mar the work. You may move the hands of a clock to suit you, but you do not change the time; so you may hurry the unfolding of God's will, but you harm and do not help the work. You can open a rosebud but you spoil the flower. Leave all to Him. Hands down. Thy will, not mine.
--Stephen Merritt

HIS WAY

God bade me go when I would stay
('Twas cool within the wood);
I did not know the reason why.
I heard a boulder crashing by
Across the path where I stood.
He bade me stay when I would go;
"Thy will be done," I said.
They found one day at early dawn,
Across the way I would have gone,
A serpent with a mangled head.
No more I ask the reason why,
Although I may not see
The path ahead, His way I go;
For though I know not, He doth know,
And He will choose safe paths for me.
--The Sunday School Times

What Does It Mean to Be Saved......Dr. Charles Stanley

What Does It Mean to Be Saved

Dr. Charles Stanley

Psalms 25:12

What makes a person acceptable to God? The path to redemption begins not with the decision to live a better life or to stop doing something wrong, but with the realization that we cannot correct our sinful nature. To find favor with the Lord, we must grasp that it's impossible to make ourselves righteous; instead, we need to depend on the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. When we trust in Christ as our Savior, God the Father applies the benefit of Jesus' atoning sacrifice to our sin debt, thereby making us "saved," or acceptable in His eyes.

Your good works and righteous acts are of absolutely no value in the mind of God. Compared to others' actions, your generosity and good works might seem like enough to bring favor with the Lord, but Jesus said, "Not as a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Eph. 2:9). When you stand before God, the only way you can be forgiven of your sins is through Jesus Christ and His sacrificial, substitutionary atoning death at Calvary. Jesus came to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

Jesus' public crucifixion was a demonstration of God's hatred for sin and immense love for mankind. He who was blameless bore the penalty for all in order that wicked, corrupt people could be made righteous.

No matter what you've done, you can be cleansed of the stain left by sin. Confess any known transgressions and turn from them; then Jesus will forgive you and write your name in the Lamb's Book of Life (1 John 1:9; Rev. 21:27). By trusting in Him, you are assured of eternity in His presence.

When the Rooster Crows

When the Rooster Crows
ANITHA ABRAHAM

“And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.” Luke 22:61-62 (ESV)

When we discuss conflict in our marriage small group, my husband will ask each spouse, “What are your ‘trigger words’?”

We often associate a trigger with some type of ammunition. A trigger word has a similar effect, in that it has the ability to set something off. No matter who you are, married or not, we all have particular words that might not start a fight on the outside, but something still hits us wrong on the inside.

I have my own trigger word. When I hear this word, even in casual conversation, my heart immediately drops and sometimes, I tear up. It reminds me of a part of my life that didn’t turn out how I thought it would. The word may be insignificant to most people, but for me, it’s a constant admonition of how I disappointed the people closest to me.

Everyone’s trigger is different, but oftentimes it’s something that moves us to tears.

In the New Testament, we read about Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples but also the one who betrayed Him.

After Jesus was arrested, Peter denied knowing Him, not just once, but three times. It happened just as Jesus said it would: “… while he [Peter] was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:60b-62).

In my hometown, it’s not very likely to hear a rooster crowing. In rural Israel, it might have been a more common occurrence. Apparently, it happens every morning — and maybe even more often than that.

Can you imagine what Peter must have felt every time he heard a rooster crow? His mind must have wandered back to that night when things didn’t go how he said it would. He was the one who said he would be with Jesus until the end! Each morning, when the rooster woke up the sleeping town, was he reminded how deeply he disappointed his Lord?

Yet just days after the resurrection, Jesus had a one-on-one conversation with Peter, instructing him to “Feed My sheep” (John 21:17c, ESV).

God still had plans for Peter. And He still has plans for me and you.

In Acts chapter 2, Peter returns to the scene, except this isn’t the same man who ran away. Instead, he stood boldly and addressed the crowd.

On this particular morning, I wonder if he heard a rooster crow in the distance, suggesting to him that he was the last person in the world who should be proclaiming the gospel. If he did hear it, he didn’t let it stop him. He kept on that day … and the day after that … and for many days to follow.

Whatever our greatest heartaches or regrets, we can turn them over to the One who gives “beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor” (Isaiah 61:3, NIV).

That moment the rooster crowed didn’t define Peter. The moments with Jesus did.

Dear Heavenly Father, I sometimes struggle with mistakes I have made, so I ask You would heal that part of my heart. I am thankful my past is forgiven and my future is secure — You still have plans for me! I want You to be glorified in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
2 Corinthians 12:9, “but He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough — always available — regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.’ Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.” (AMP)

Ephesians 1:18, “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called — his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.” (NLT)

A Prayer for When the World Makes You Anxious

A Prayer for When the World Makes You AnxiousBy Kelly Balarie

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. (Phil 4:8)

I watch the evening news. And, I'm convinced they should no longer call it evening news, friends, they should call it: The Anxiety Hour. Do you watch it too? Do you feel it crawl all over you?

You see the tears. You see the evil. You see the injustice. You see the pain. You see the prognosis. You see no answers. You feel helpless.

If you could do something to change anything, you would. But, you feel small, unable. You assure yourself, even your loudest call would ring hallow and uncared for, in this echo-chamber called the world.

There is an undercurrent of fear. The tensions under the surface of forced calmness are like riptides. They are rising. We all see them. We want to turn away. Pretend. Run. Hide. Shiver. Shake.

Yet, is this what Jesus called us to? Self-preservation and dread? Worry and anxiety?

Might we consider: The news is not evil, but how our heart distrusts God easily could be?

If we fill our mind with the grim, we can hardly keep our mind set on Him. We can't see if we are blinded by the anger that boils over in our heart. We get distracted and what emerges doesn't look like love. It doesn't look like Jesus.

And what hits me is this: Jesus never called us to hone in on what's wrong with everything, he called us to remember God is in control - of everything. This is peace.

Dear God, I am prone to worry. I let the happenings of the world, the elections and the economy sit heavy on me. I need to find your peace. I invite you to restructure my thinking. May my hope be you. May my peace be you. May you help love flow out from me. Give me clarity. May I change what I am able to change and release what I can't. May I know that the greatest joy is staying where you are. God, thank you that you have the whole world in your hands. I need not fear because you are the best manager, orchestrator and caretaker. You made it all. I believe in your plan. Amen.

Jesus Wept (But Do You Know Why?)

Jesus Wept (But Do You Know Why?)By Jon Bloom

Jesus wept. - John 11:35

The shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35: “Jesus wept.” But for all its grammatical simplicity, it’s packed with unfathomable complexity. Jesus wept after speaking with Lazarus’ grieving sisters, Martha and Mary, and seeing all the mourners. That seems natural enough. Most of us would have wept too. Except that Jesus had come to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead. So one would think that Jesus would be a confident, joyful calm in that storm of sorrow. But he was “greatly troubled” (John 11:33) and he wept. Why? Here are four possible reasons why Jesus was weeping and troubled.

1. Jesus wept out of compassion

One reason is simply the deep compassion that Jesus felt for those who were suffering. It is true that by not speaking healing from a distance or by his delay in coming (John 11:6) he had let Lazarus die. Even though Jesus always chooses what will ultimately bring his Father the most glory (John 11:4)—and sometimes, as in this case, it requires affliction and grief—he does not take delight in the affliction and grief itself. No, Jesus is sympathetic (Hebrews 4:15) and we get a glimpse of how the Father feels over the affliction and grief his children experience.

2. Jesus wept over the wages of sin

Another reason Jesus wept was over the calamity of sin. As God the Son who had come into the world to destroy the devil’s works (1 John 3:8), Jesus was about to deliver death its deathblow (1 Corinthians 15:26). But sin grieves God deeply and so do the wages of sin: death (Romans 6:23). And ever since the fall of Adam and Eve he had endured sin’s horrific destruction. Death had taken Lazarus, and it would take him again before it was all over. Tears of anger and longing were mixed with Jesus’ tears of grief.

3. Jesus wept because he knew the sacrifice

A third reason for weeping was the cost that he was about to pay to purchase not only Lazarus’ short-term resurrection but his everlasting life. The cross was just days away and no one really knew the inner distress (Luke 12:50) Jesus was experiencing. Jesus, who had never known sin, was about to become Lazarus’ sin, and the sin of all who had or would believe in him. He was looking to the joy that was set before him (Hebrews 12:2). But the reality of what lay between was weighing heavily.

4. Jesus wept because he knew the accusations

A fourth possible reason for Jesus’ tears was that he knew that raising Lazarus would actually cause the religious leaders to finally take action to put him to death (John 11:45-53). If Jesus had any struggle that day would not have been whether his Father would answer, but what would result when his Father answered. Giving Lazarus life was sealing Jesus’ own death.

Just these few reasons for Jesus’ weeping at Lazarus’ tomb give us a glimpse into how God views our suffering and death. His reasons for not sparing us these things are righteous and glorious. But in them he is full of compassion (Psalms 103:13), he hates the calamity sin brings, and he himself has suffered more than we ever will ever know in order to pay the full cost of our eternal resurrection.

The Day My Mom Went Crazy

The Day My Mom Went Crazy
John UpChurch

I don’t remember the day of the week—so, let’s say Wednesday. I’d just returned from work and was making the walk from the parking lot to my apartment.

Before I could get to the door, the call came. My cell phone cracked and spluttered as my brother spoke on the other end. His words tumbled into the hundreds of miles between us. But I understood enough. My mother had stopped her meds again; she’d lied about it; and now she didn’t know her youngest son existed. My family wanted me to talk to her to prove I was, in fact, real. The idea sickened me, but I didn’t have time to object before the phone went to her. Really, it took that long for me to recover.

They didn’t tell her who I was, just that someone wanted to talk to her. My mind whirled around a prayer—a very inadequate bottle rocket—as I waited through the rustling and murmurs and silence. Mostly, I just hoped she wouldn’t take the phone.

She did.

If you’ve never been told you don’t exist, it’s not something I recommend. You hurt for the person who doesn’t want to remember, and you hurt for the lost connection. But that’s what happened when I said hello and told her who I was. She screamed into the phone that I had died as a baby, that I didn’t really exist, that I was lying to her. The whole moment will never really fade away.

When I visited my mom later in the hospital, a shell sat across the table from me. Her eyes dulled under the fluorescence. There was no recognition, no love in the hazel. She only resembled the woman who’d once wept when I moved out.

Loving her then gave me the smallest glimpse of what it was like for God to love me—even when I ran away, even when I denied He existed. I couldn’t see back then. My eyes couldn’t recognize His goodness because I convinced myself that the lies of this world are more satisfying. I denied Him and raged against Him in turn. I hated that He loved me.

Slowly, over months, my mother began to remember. She got back the names and faces that had vanished from her mind. She saw us again.

And how slow my own journey has been. First, I came face to face with a very real Maker of the universe. Then, I fell down before His ridiculous love for me. Since then, I’ve been slowly regaining my sight, seeing the world through His eyes. I once blinded myself, but now I’ve been granted new eyes. I couldn’t see until God’s preceding grace tore away the haze, and, suddenly, I remembered what love is.

Intersecting Faith and Life: My mom’s lapse opened the cosmic door just a crack—at least, I like to think so. The whole situation hit me with the truth of what John 3:16 really means. God longs for us to recognize His love. But we have selective amnesia; we forget the one who created us.

Even that doesn’t stop Him, though. He pursues us in Christ Jesus, who went through the pain of being rejected to heal our forgetful hearts. Nothing could stop him from that.

Further Reading

John 3:1
Romans 3:1

The Satisfaction of the Cross

The Satisfaction of the Cross
Rachel Olsen

 "When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied."Isaiah 53:11 (NLT)

Devotion:

Approximately 600 years before Jesus was condemned to the cross, the prophet Isaiah foretold of the event. Open up and invite those words to penetrate your soul today:  

"See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. Many were amazed when they saw him beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know he was a person. And he will again startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not previously been told about; they will understand what they had not heard about.

Who has believed our message? To whom will the Lord reveal his saving power? My servant grew up in the Lord's presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people realized that he was dying for their sins that he was suffering their punishment? He had done no wrong, and he never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave.

But it was the Lord's good plan to crush him and fill him with grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have a multitude of children, many heirs. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord's plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among those who were sinners. He bore the sins of many and interceded for sinners." Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 (NLT)

Approximately 2,000 years after Jesus hung on the cross, the passion of our Christ is still the power of God unto salvation. His suffering accomplished righteousness for us, and through it, both He and we are satisfied.

Dear Lord, may I realize afresh today what Your death and resurrection mean for me. Forgiveness … Freedom … and the ability to walk with You through this fallen world into eternity. May I always find my satisfaction in You and Your willingness to offer Yourself to me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.