02/17/2021
How many times has Jesus blessed you by pouring the grace of God over you as He interceded on your behalf? Sometimes though we have to wait, and on such occasions it becomes easy for us to wrongly reach the conclusion that God’s blessings are not eminent, are uncertain at best, or perhaps that He is granting them sparingly, one drop at a time. In truth His blessings flow like a gushing spring if we will only believe, and have faith in His promise to provide for us. The Lord sent his own Son to redeem us by His suffering and death so why would he not give us the relatively small things we ask for in life?
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”
John 1:14, 16 ESV
Sometimes it’s hard to determine whether a person who is becoming shaky while waiting on the answer to prayer is short on faith, or just feels like they are undeserving of God’s blessings. Their reluctance to believe that God is going to help, provide, or otherwise bless them is so similar in both of these cases that they are nearly indistinguishable from one another. Our waning expectation could be misunderstood for not believing at all, or having little faith, so it should bring us to our knees in remorseful prayer... our doubt has undone us. We have not listened for God’s answer... neither yes, nor no. Paul asked three times and stopped asking because he had the answer, and it was “No.”He didn’t stop asking because of a lack of faith, but because he heard “No” and trusted in it as God’s answer.
“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
James 1:6-8 ESV
There have been times when I have prayed, and not received an immediate reply. Then, after waiting and praying several more times, I found myself beginning to doubt... sometimes I wondered if I had offered my prayer correctly or had asked it in conjunction with God’s will, while at other times I questioned whether I had fallen out of favor with the Lord because of something I had done that had made me unworthy. In both these cases it was my shakiness, and doubt, that undid me... I had heard the answer “No”, but rather than accepting that, I became double minded, and unstable; asking repeatedly. Have you ever experienced this in your life of faith and prayer? Have you ever abandoned a prayer as unanswered rather than to admit to yourself that God said “No.”?
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
2 Corinthians 12:8-9 ESV
For us to expect God to say “Yes.” to everything we ask of Him would be to selfishly assume that we know what is better for us than He does. Personally, I find this to be a scary assumption because I make so many blunders in my life that bring me to Him in desperate prayer in the first place.
“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:5-7 ESV
So, let’s think back on all the ways that Jesus has blessed us, and not forget to consider those times when He said “No”, as He went about saving us from our own requests. Give Him credit for realizing what was best for us when we were on the verge of making a mistake by our shortsighted desires that would have harmed us, or others. Are we prepared to hear Him; even if we are being told “No?” Can we put our pride, or personal desires aside, and replace our doubts with an acceptance of His wisdom as He does what is good, and best, for us? Sometimes humility is a hard lesson to learn and trust can strain our faith to its limits. In times such as these we don’t need to ask Him repeatedly to change His mind... but to help us in our unbelief.
“And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!””
Mark 9:23-24 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for hearing our prayers as we bring our worries, needs, and desires before you. Thank you Lord as we ask, which is different from our demanding, and you consider our wants as you grant that which is good for us, and serves your will and purpose in our lives. Help us Father during those times when we struggle against your wisdom, and our faith begins to wane. Help us in our unbelief, and give us an unwavering trust in you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who knows our beginning from the end, and the good from the bad in our everyday lives. Praised be your name as you provide for us, but teach us to praise you all the more for those times when we you tell us “No.” Your wisdom is perfect Holy Father, and we trust in you as the provider of everything good in our lives. You are merciful, and lead us towards those things that are good, while your grace shields us and guides us when we are lost to our own devices. Hear our prayers Lord, and teach us to pray in your will just as Jesus taught us in His prayers. Wash us in His blood Father, and remove all our sin, even doubt, that would stand between us. Call us worthy, and announce us as your children Lord. Welcome us to an eternity in your presence Father, and feed us at your table forevermore.
Rich Forbes