| by Betty Schatzle (West Chester, Ohio) |
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| No, I love you too much. Have you ever prayed long and hard about a problem and never received an answer? Boy, I have. You wonder if God is even listening or if He even cares. The Lord of the universe is not obliged to answer our prayer in the affirmative. He will not act in ways that are contrary to His will even if He is besieged by fervent prayer. That can be good, however, considering some of the things we request. Many of us have found it to be true that God says “no” to our most heartfelt prayers. We just have to keep in mind that like our earthly father who says “no” for our own good, so our Heavenly Father does the same. God does not bow to our will, instead we should submit to His good will for our lives. Our minds cannot comprehend the things He has in store for us in the future. When we do not get an answer from our prayers right away it may be for several different reasons. God may be teaching us patience; we may be asking for something that is not good for us or for others. It may be something that will harm us, or there might be something better in the future for us. Prov. 3: 5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him. And He shall direct your paths”. When we pray to God and follow His commandments, that is one way of acknowledging Him. Nevertheless, it still does not mean we will get an answer to our prayers. Only God knows where we are headed in the future, as He said, He directs our paths. DEATH- the most undeniable reality there is happens to the most godly people, no matter how much or how hard we pray. Sept. 11th comes to mind, as do all the other terrorist attacks on America and around the world. God said “No” to the prayers of thousands. Why? We still live in a fallen nation. “In God We Trust? it says on our money but do we.” “Yes, I love you this much” Matt 7:7 says, ” Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” When we pray we expect immediate answers. You want them and I want them. God does not always function that way. Perseverance and patience in prayer are essential. Sometimes we just have to wait for His answer to come. When it does come, it may be exactly what we asked for or something altogether different. Many people think prayer can bring you the miracle you’re looking for when you need it. Some of God’s answers to prayers are: ” No, I love you too much”. “Yes, but not now-soon”; “Yes, but even more or better than asked for”; “Yes, but not exactly what you asked for”. As a nation we need to do as the city of Nineveh did in the Old Testament times. Read Jonah chapter 3 for more information. My wish and desire is that the nation gets right with God. |
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