Answered Prayer

Romans 8: 24-27

24) For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25) But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.26) In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27) And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

"The safest place in the whole wide world
is in the will of God,

though trials be great and the way seems hard,

it's in the will of God.
It may be on a mountain peak or in the valley low,

but wherever it may be,

if God says go, go, go!"
(Classic rendition sung by Karen Clark-Sheard & Kierra Sheard. Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YjqfN3DUYM to listen!)

For those of us who are Clark Sisters fans, we know and love the interplay of these lyrics as sung by the incomparable Karen Clark-Sheard and her daughter Kierra. These two women sing with such passion, conviction and natural vocal virtuosity that you it is quite easy to become enraptured by the sound alone. Karen’s late mother, Dr. Mattie Moss Clark was appointed by the late Bishop J.O. Patterson as the Church of God in Christ International President of the Music Department in 1968. She worked to instill within her talented children, musicians and choirs a responsibility to Christ as well as capability for Christ. Throughout her efforts, young people especially received her and many were saved, and uplifted by her music and message. (Source:http://en.wikipedia.org) This powerful song (which I encourage you to watch on the above YouTube link), reminds us of the importance of finding and accepting God’s perfect will for our lives. Such clear understanding of divine purpose is found in daily prayer and devotion. Through prayer we learn to accept that in this life there will certainly be dizzying trials and mind bending, back breaking hard places to traverse. We come to know the security afforded by seeking God for guidance through the Holy Spirit. Whether God’s answer to our prayers is “no”, “slow”, or “grow” a consistent prayer life enables us to be sure that He is answering in a way that we can understand and that will ultimately lead us to our Kingdom Purpose. It is only then that we are enabled to safely go, go, go for the Lord! Today we will share in some of God’s possible answers to prayer including: “No”, “Slow”, “Grow”, and “Go”.

God’s “No” = Your “Yes ”

There are times in this life that God’s answer to our prayers is simply, “no”. No, it is not time to buy that new car. No, you cannot enter into a new mortgage. No, it is not time for you to enter into a new area or ministry. No, you cannot travel abroad right now. No is it not time for you to get married. No. No. No! The no answer can be the most difficult to accept for the modern believer. We have been conditioned to believe that since we are children of God we will ALWAYS and INSTANTLY get what we are seeking God for. God is not an like and ATM machine. We can’t simply put in our prayer cards and expect big returns all the time. It just doesn’t work that way. Being from a large Southern family there is heavy emphasis on marriage and family. In fact my older sister and two younger brothers have all been married for years at this point. Obviously I didn’t want to be a weirdo, and went to desperate measures sometimes to push myself into a position that would lead me down the aisle. Having heard so many people tell me to “name it and claim it” regarding my very premature requests I lost focus of the grace and the favor that God had placed upon my life. I would pray, long pitiful prayers to God, begging Him to bring me a mate, and when I tired of begging, to my detriment, I would go about “fixing” the situation on my own. There were individuals that I dated in my early twenties that I knew even then were no where in my destiny. I would date thugs with aims of helping them convert their “creative” employment into legitimate enterprise. I would ask God to bless these relationships and He simply answered, no. There were other times when I decided that as long as a man believed in God things could work out. It didn’t matter to me whether he had a tangible relationship with the Savior or not. God again shielded me from certain danger with another emphatic no! I was so determined to get a yes from God in this area, but in order for His perfect will to be made manifest in my life God had to tell me over and over again, no! It was not until I accepted that His choices for me were the best choices did I come to enjoy a deep and personal assurance that my prayers for a husband and family would be answered according to God’s will for me. Sure, I had to enter into a period of reflective singleness that would leave me lonely at times, but never ever was I alone, for the Lord was with me. When I accepted that the God was protecting me from distraction and strategically leading me toward purpose, I stopped resenting my singleness and began to tell god “yes” to His will. I grew busier and busier in the things of God and made greater effort to improve my love relationship with the Father. I developed an intense desire to be used by God that continues to mature even today. Our Elder Brother, the Lord Jesus knew all too well the suffering of a “no” from God. Matthew 26: 39 describes how Jesus experienced a painfully silent and final “no” from God” “He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”” You may be asking, where was the “no” from God in this passage? The “no” lies in the deep, silent space between “let this cup pass from me” and “Not my will, but thine be done.” When facing a “no” from God in your own life, resolve to submit your will to the Father. Know that He is leading you and guiding you in this process. Pray in the Holy Spirit that God will eventually reveal to you the necessity for the “no” and until you reach that point of clarity, he will provide you with the faith to trust His leading. Romans 8: 27 reads: “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.” When God says “no”, be thankful for the fulfillment of the Father’s Divine Will in your life! When the enemy tries to make you think that “no” from God is some sort of spiritual let down on the part of God, dare to triumphantly lift your head toward Heaven and tell the Lord “YES”! God’s “no” is truly for our good!

Hold On, Wait a Minute!

One of my favorite passages of scripture is Ecclesiastes 3:11: “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” Sometimes the answer from God is “wait, move slow”. It has been said that “timing is everything.” There is always a reason that God has not allowed certain things to come to pass in your life. My young adult pastor often asks us, “can you stand to be blessed?” indicating that certain blessings require particular levels of maturity in God. For most of us, God desires to increase our faith, and this increase will invariably require a wait. Romans 8:25 reads: “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” We must understand that a “wait or slow” from God is not a denial. If you know that God has made certain promises to you, hold fast and never give up. Wait patiently! Luke 21:19 reminds us that “in your patience possess ye your souls.” The soul is the seat of our thoughts, intellect, and emotions. This means that when we are patient before God’s desire for us to wait, we practice control over negative thoughts, poor rationalizations and misdirected emotions. Waiting on God mandates a spiritual and emotional posture of trust that God is truly working in your behalf. Remember, God’s message to proceed with caution is not a denial. Remind yourself often of your God inspired dreams and speak in faith that they will come to pass. Allow Him to fully prepare you for the joy and concomitant responsibility of your blessing. Get ready my friends. The wait is almost over!

Grow to Victory!

I once read the story of a man who saw a moth struggling to get free from it's cocoon. The man had pity on the moth and it's terrible struggle, so he carefully cut the cocoon to allow the moth to come out more easily. The moth was free, but could not fly. He learned, too late, that in order to develop the ability to fly, the moth had to struggle with it's wings to overcome the constraints of the cocoon. The pressure and pull of the wings against the cocoon are what would have afforded the wings to grow strong enough to fly. Opposition truly is the path to greatness. Where there is no struggle, there is no growth and certainly no flight! Understand that what appear to be “no” or maybe even “”slow” answers from God are actually “grow” answers. God will allow us to struggle a bit in certain areas so that we gain the strength and courage needed to overcome and emerge victorious. We shouldn’t ask God to cut away our cocoon. When the proverbial walls press in tightly on your spiritual and emotional wings, press back even harder! Endure hardness as a good soldier. Dedicate more time to prayer and study of the Word. Understand that God is readying you for Kingdom business, and that you will become stronger in the Lord and the power of His might! By allowing God to grow and mature you, nothing can stand between you and true victory in Jesus. Refuse to take easy routes out. Be courageous in God! James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” Grow to victory!

When I move you move!

God’s answer to our prayers may require us to take action. It is at these times that God wants us to move forward in bringing his plan to fruition in our lives. Many of you may recall the story of Moses being called to go to Egypt in Exodus. God had ordained that Moses would go before a hostile Egyptian king and distrusting Israelite people to proclaim that the entire country of Jewish slaves were to be freed. Moses aptly recognized his incapacity to go on this mission of his own authority and asked the Lord, “Who shall I say sent me?” God responds in Exodus 3:14 "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' Moses went on to facilitate a massive liberation of God’s people solely based on the power of God’s message to “go”. As a believer, God is calling all of us to “go” in some area. When we go to God and receive an answer to “go” we must not be afraid, for we go under the authority of Almighty God! It is wrong to remain stagnant and stationary when God is compelling you to move. When He moves on your heart to take a new path, go with the flow. He will be all that you need Him to be in new and intimidating assignments. Confidently move forward according to the perfect Will of God. He is still the Great I AM!

Dr.’s Orders: 

Are there areas of your prayer life that you hear God saying “no”, “take it slow” or “allow growth”? Are you being obedient to his leading and truly seeking his will for your life? If not, talk to God about your feelings of frustration, anxiety or even resentment with regard to these answers. Pray for the patience to allow God to make all things beautiful in His time. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Do you have a friend that is depressed, frustrated and angry with God for not answering a particular prayer. Ask God for the right words to encourage this person in the Lord. Dare to share your story of waiting on God and how it has strengthened your faith in God.