Many scoffers deride those who pray. “God does not answer prayer. Do not
think that your petitions will sway the Lord.”
I submit that God does answer prayer. The answer is sometimes delayed, and it is sometimes “No.” A case in point is related in the third chapter of Deuteronomy when Moses inveigles the Lord to allow him to enter the Promised Land. Moses tells of God’s response in these words.
“ But the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the Lord said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.”
And thus the Lord answered Moses’s prayer not only with “No,” but also with an injunction for Moses to shut up about it.
Do we ever get
on a personal hobby horse pleading with God to assist us in seeing an issue
come to fruition? Do we sometimes get a definite “No” from the Lord and yet
persist in pestering Him about the issue? God loves us and knows what is good
for us and He will give us the desires of our hearts so long as our hearts are
attuned to His will, not our own.
Moses surveys the Promised
Land from the mountain top.
3 comments:
Let it be done unto me according to thy will, oh Lord.
I have come to embrace the idea that prayer is simply a word that describes our relationship with God. As such, petition is but a small aspect of the relationship. The giving of praise and gratitude seems to be a greater aspect. And listening to the Spirit's voice seems to be an even greater part as it is the way that we can pray without ceasing. In this sense our prayers are always being answered. ツ
Chuck, amen.
KCBob, excellent comment. Prayer is communion with God and should be so much more that petition. It is praise, it is thanksgiving, it is listening, it is the lifeblood of a relationship with our Creator.
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