30. WHEN GOD DOESN’T ANSWER PRAYER. Sometimes when we pray, and our expectations haven’t been met or, the situation hasn’t changed, or perhaps even worsened, we are confused, bewildered and can’t understand this God who says “Ask and you shall receive.” and “Whatever you ask in My name it will be given to you.” or “Your Heavenly Father knows what you want even before you ask for it.” All these are in Scripture for us to read, understand and use. But, taken out of context they are only giving you half the scripture, It is important that when you read or hear such Scripture, You get the whole verse, in fact I believe to get the full impact and significance of what is being said one needs to read at least a couple of verses on either side of the verse you are concerned with. I read somewhere and I quote “ A Text taken out of Context is a Pretext” so let me explain further. All the above Scriptures are true, and sometimes God does answer us immediately; but, usually He wants us to understand His principles and the way He works. they all have provisos ie. “If you do this I will do that” And God’s provisos are dependent on our Trust, love and commitment to and for Him. He is not a money-machine or a Santa Clause, He gives when it’s good for you and when it’s going to further His Kingdom. That’s why many people bargain with God, “I’ll go to church more, I’ll Tithe more, or have that, “ I’ll be good daddy” attitude.” No, God doesn’t work that way. The truth is;--The more we love, trust and are committed to Him, the more we will understand His ways. This doesn’t happen overnight, but like any healthy relationship it will take time, first there is acquaintance, then trust, which takes a bit longer, then love and last of all commitment. And each of these are dependent on knowledge .As you get to know an acquaintance, you learn how far you can trust love and commit to them. Jesus is longing for our commitment, but we are holding back at different stages, some of us on the love, some on the trust, and some on the commitment stage. We say we love God, and truly believe we do, but, when it comes to the trust and commitment bit we become a little reluctant, why? I think it is because of the invisibility of God, we don’t want to trust or commit to someone or something we can’t hear, see or touch. Yet, that is exactly what Faith is all about. (in John 20 v29) Jesus said to Thomas “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe” It’s about not using our natural senses but our spiritual senses, God is teaching us to live on a higher faith level or a (sixth sense). We are not quite there yet. Why? I will explain it this way...When a friend comes to your door, you open it and say “Come on in and make yourself at home,” but that’s not what you mean. What you do mean is... You’re welcome in the lounge, Dining room, Bathroom and maybe the kitchen, but don’t go into any of my other rooms draws or cupboards, you don’t want them to see your mess. What Jesus wants is to get into all the rooms, draws and cupboards of your heart so that He can clean it up. Only when we permit Him to do that will we be in a position to commit to Him. He doesn’t want to be a guest in Your heart, He wants an intermit relationship with you and me. He wants us to understand that His love for us is higher than the sky, deeper than the deepest ocean and longer and wider than the equator which goes right round the whole earth, and certainly beyond our mess. So our mess is no problem to Him. In fact the problem is ours, because we know deep down what God wants, but, we don’t want to part with our mess, now understand this, He’s not asking you to give up your mess, he’s asking you to give it to Him and allow Him to deal with it. Because we are all different He deals with each of us differently, I know a lady who was a big-time gambler, The horses, Bingo, Lotto, Whatever. She was spending hundreds of housekeeping dollars. on her addiction and dishonesty, her husband worked hard, but there still wasn’t enough to meet the family budget, She knew she had a problem and tried hard to drop it, but to no avail, she even went to counselling for months with no success, but when she gave her problem to the Lord, she found she gradually didn’t get the urge or feel like gambling as much, and eventually left off gambling all together. Usually, He wont take all your mess away at once, but as you trust Him more and more, and that trust turns to a deep love you will see Him work in your life and one day you truly will be able to say to The Lord “Make yourself at home” and mean it, because what has happened on the inside is now apparent on the outside. Because every room, draw and cupboard in your heart will be open to Him and His Holy Spirit. Jesus wants to dwell with you 24/7 not just on Sundays at church or when He is invited. And, do you know what!! When you have that sort of relationship with Him and ask Him for something no matter what it is, your prayer will line up with His will as you say “Your Will Be Done.” Because you know in your heart of hearts that whatever is His Will is the very best answer for all concerned, even if it doesn’t line-up with what you originally prayed for. You will submit to it, not because you have received or not received your request, but because of the complete love, trust and commitment you now have in Christ. Now as your love, trust and submission becomes more evident, so will the power of God work in your life, Perhaps not in great dramatic ways but slowly, you will notice and hear God speaking to you about family and friends giving you words of insight, encouragement and understanding. You will not be so preoccupied with this world and all the theatrics going on all around you, but will be open to the Spirit of God and what He is telling you to say and do for particular people, He must be free to enter every room of your life, to Live with you, as you discuss your daily routine while living with Him paying attention to the words of wisdom He imparts to you, if you’re not sure ask again, sometimes that’s a bit hard but go with it. Having Spiritual intimacy with God is for you not just about you. God will give you as much of His power as you can handle without pride taking over, I believe that’s why God dishes it out very slowly. And only to people who can handle it. Power belongs to God, If you want His Power, He will give it to you, but only if He can come and dwell (LIVE) with you. You and I are the Temple of God. If we expect God Almighty the Creator of the Universe to come and live with us, we must keep our Temple Pure and Holy. This is not easy, convenient or comfortable. It needs not only an everyday clean up, but several times a day, starting when you wake each morning, I used to set my alarm for every hour or two, just to say a short prayer of Praise or thanksgiving to our God. To acknowledge Him and His presence, but now I don’t need to because I find myself speaking to Him all the time, His response is always clear, confident and caring. I don’t know if any of you have been to Niagara Falls. They separate North America from Canada, absolutely beautiful, Going from the American side to the Canadian border, one is able to get an apartment in the nearby high-rise motels where you can see “The Falls” way in the distance, this wets your appetite for the next day when you are going to cross the border. The next day you do cross the border where there’s a large fenced park, now you can hear the Thundering Falls in the distance and even feel the odd bit of spray sting your face, your excitement is growing, as you are admitted into another area where there’s a pool and you are given a raincoat and umbrella and taken on a launch closer to the monster Falls. There you get to experience the thunder, the roar, the pouring spray like rain and the complete soaking of “Niagara Falls.” It’s an experience and opportunity you wouldn’t want to miss. I have told you this story to try to explain the adventure you can have When committing to Christ, The journey, the anticipation and the Glorious experience of a knowing, trusting and loving commitment to Jesus. Yes, it takes time, all good relationships do, but, there’s none more rewarding than having the very presence of Almighty God so close and personal. No, it does not all come at once or happen overnight, but, like the experience of going to Niagara Falls, it comes in stages, slowly you will pass through experience after experience as you learn to recognise, listen and trust the leading of God’s Holy Spirit, and to communicate with Him in His own language of love, trust and Commitment. And the best part of all is..As you regularly renew your commitment to Christ, this wonderful Relationship and experience will never fade or come to an end. As His Grace and presence become stronger and stronger in your life. It will stay, and in fact, improve during the rest of your stay here on earth and go with you into eternity. And when you get to Heaven God wont be a stranger you are meeting for the first time, No, Your relationship is already established. Thank you for reading my thoughts on this subject. I have lived in this world a long, long time. I have no great attributes or credentials. My only boast is.. The God of all Creation Knows me by name because I am fully committed to Him and His Word. Come and join us. You will never regret it. God bless us All in Jesus Name. Phaline.