Prayer

When God Isn’t Answering Our Prayers

by: LYSA TERKEURST

“From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61:2 (NIV)

When God doesn’t seem to be answering our prayers it can be hard. Sometimes, downright awful.

One minute I’m determined to trust God.

In the next, I feel myself slipping. The “why” questions tumble in so hard. My heart hurts. My eyes leak.

Ever been there?

I don’t want to oversimplify what to do in these times. I know from prayer requests I’ve received over the years many of us are facing really tough issues. Situations where the answers aren’t easy or clear cut.

But I have discovered a few things that help me when God seems silent ...

* Press in to God when you want to pull away.

When I really want to hear from God but He seems silent, I sometimes find I want to disengage from my normal spiritual activities. Skip church. Put my Bible on my shelf. And let more and more time lapse between prayers.

But our key verse, Psalm 61:2, reminds us that the best thing we can do when our hearts are growing faint is to call out to God, not pull away from Him: “From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

The Bible also promises we will find God if we seek Him with all our heart. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (NIV). All my heart includes the parts that are broken. Bring it all to God.

He can handle your honesty and will respond. But we have to position ourselves to go where truth is. Go to church. Listen to praise music. Read verses. Memorize verses. And keep talking to God.

* Praise God out loud when you want to get lost in complaints.

In the midst of what you’re facing, find simple things for which to praise God. I don’t mean thank Him for the hard stuff. I mean thank Him for the other simple, good things still in the midst. A child’s laugh. A bush that blooms. The warmth of a blanket. The gift of this breath and then the next.

Psalm 40:3 reminds me God will give me a new song when I make praise the habit of my heart and mouth: “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him” (NIV).

* Put yourself in the company of truth.

That friend who speaks truth? Listen to her. Stay connected to her. Let her speak truth into your life, even when you’re tired of hearing it. Stand in the shadow of her faith when you feel your own faith is weak. Let her lead you back to God time and time again. Proverbs 12:26a reminds us: “One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor ...” (ESV).

It’s okay to feel hurt and confused. Our God is big enough to handle our honest feelings. But don’t let your feelings lead you away from God or away from His truth. Press into Him. 

Praise Him. And put yourself in the company of truth.

As you stay with God in these ways, you’ll become ready to receive His answer when it comes.

Dear Lord, thank You for hearing every “why” my heart sends up to You. Forgive me when I retreat from You and Your Word. I want to trust You more. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Anger

    And "don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. Ephesians 4:26-27        
   
  What makes you mad? Many years ago, a radio commercial featured two gentlemen discussing what makes them angry. One would say something like: "What about when you forget to take your umbrella and then it rains, does that make you mad?"

"No, that doesn't make me mad."

"What about when someone is late for an appointment? Does that make you mad?"
"No, that doesn't make me mad."

The dialogue would continue until the punchline: "What about when you buy a car and then find out you could have saved hundreds of dollars?"

The answer: "Now that makes me mad!" Then the commercial would extol the virtues of the sponsoring automobile dealership.

I was reminded of that commercial when I read an article by Melvin Maddocks entitled "The New Angries." In the article Mr. Maddocks says: "But now, everybody--and I do mean everybody--is as mad as you-know-what and simply won't take it any more, least of all from one another." He adds, "If the '90s become the decade of anger, as the '80s became the decade of greed, it will not be because of violent and visible militants. It will be because of the New Angries." Maddocks goes on to explain that these are people who equate anger with honesty, and they see a full and free expression of wrath as the means to mental and physical health.

And what makes people angry? Everything from traffic jams to interpersonal conflicts. Maddocks sees this as a very unhealthy trend because anger can be destructive--to health, relationships, and institutions.

I agree, and I am concerned about the anger in our society. And we all are terribly aware of it when it explodes in the news--the worker who kills his employer, the person who shoots someone on the freeway, the increasing incidents of spousal and child abuse.

Anger is a destructive fire.

Of course not all anger is wrong. The Bible says, "Don't sin by letting anger control you," and Jesus expressed anger at the hypocritical Pharisees and the moneychangers in the Temple. The issue is, as the commercial said, what makes us mad? Clearly there is a place for what theologians call "righteous indignation." We should be angry about sin and injustice in the world. And our anger should motivate us to action, to make things right.

But too often, I'm afraid, we lose our temper over things that are small, insignificant, and inconsequential: traffic, slow-moving check-out lines, trampled grass, noisy children, poor service.

What makes you mad? Don't waste your energy yelling and honking your horn at the guy who just cut you off. Rather, focus your emotions and time on what is truly important. Ask God to help you control your temper and to exercise love instead.

What makes you mad? Many years ago, a radio commercial featured two gentlemen discussing what makes them angry. One would say something like: "What about when you forget to take your umbrella and then it rains, does that make you mad?"

Do You Really Love Him?

February 21 2015 

 

She has done a good work for Me. —Mark 14:6

If what we call love doesn’t take us beyond ourselves, it is not really love. If we have the idea that love is characterized as cautious, wise, sensible, shrewd, and never taken to extremes, we have missed the true meaning. This may describe affection and it may bring us a warm feeling, but it is not a true and accurate description of love.

Have you ever been driven to do something for God not because you felt that it was useful or your duty to do so, or that there was anything in it for you, but simply because you love Him? Have you ever realized that you can give things to God that are of value to Him? Or are you just sitting around daydreaming about the greatness of His redemption, while neglecting all the things you could be doing for Him? I’m not referring to works which could be regarded as divine and miraculous, but ordinary, simple human things— things which would be evidence to God that you are totally surrendered to Him. Have you ever created what Mary of Bethany created in the heart of the Lord Jesus? “She has done a good work for Me.”

There are times when it seems as if God watches to see if we will give Him even small gifts of surrender, just to show how genuine our love is for Him. To be surrendered to God is of more value than our personal holiness. Concern over our personal holiness causes us to focus our eyes on ourselves, and we become overly concerned about the way we walk and talk and look, out of fear of offending God. “…but perfect love casts out fear…” once we are surrendered to God (1 John 4:18). We should quit asking ourselves, “Am I of any use?” and accept the truth that we really are not of much use to Him. The issue is never of being of use, but of being of value to God Himself. Once we are totally surrendered to God, He will work through us all the time.

Taking the Initiative Against Daydreaming

February 20 2015

 

Arise, let us go from here. —John 14:31

Daydreaming about something in order to do it properly is right, but daydreaming about it when we should be doing it is wrong. In this passage, after having said these wonderful things to His disciples, we might have expected our Lord to tell them to go away and meditate over them all. But Jesus never allowed idle daydreaming. When our purpose is to seek God and to discover His will for us, daydreaming is right and acceptable. But when our inclination is to spend time daydreaming over what we have already been told to do, it is unacceptable and God’s blessing is never on it. God will take the initiative against this kind of daydreaming by prodding us to action. His instructions to us will be along the lines of this: “Don’t sit or stand there, just go!”

If we are quietly waiting before God after He has said to us, “Come aside by yourselves…” then that is meditation before Him to seek His will (Mark 6:31). Beware, however, of giving in to mere daydreaming once God has spoken. Allow Him to be the source of all your dreams, joys, and delights, and be careful to go and obey what He has said. If you are in love with someone, you don’t sit and daydream about that person all the time— you go and do something for him. That is what Jesus Christ expects us to do. Daydreaming after God has spoken is an indication that we do not trust Him.

Devotional for Today

And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. 2 Timothy 2:5, NLT

Lots of people are willing to play games; far fewer people are willing to be athletes. A real athlete of any sport understands there are two sets of rules to be followed: rules of preparation and rules of participation. Experience can’t overcome lack of preparation. A marathoner who hasn’t prepared rigorously will fail disastrously. Extensive preparation becomes meaningless if an athlete doesn’t understand or play by the rules. Few sights are more disappointing than a superbly trained athlete who breaks the rules through carelessness or dishonesty.

When the apostle Paul was passing on the baton of responsibility for the gospel to his apprentice Timothy, he had a number of helpful insights to leave with the young man. He used various familiar life-pursuits to illustrate aspects of Timothy’s duties. Paul knew that athletes often present the kind of commitment that living by faith requires.

So, how do the two sets of rules mentioned above function in the area of faith? How should we be faith-athletes? The rules of preparation remind us that faith is more than a belief-muscle we build up. Faith requires an object and content. The follower of Jesus Christ doesn’t believe in faith; he believes in Jesus Christ. His faith (what he believes about Jesus Christ) continually grows as he seeks to know Christ better and better. We exercise faith when we study God’s Word and train ourselves to apply what we discover in it. An athlete trains continuously. Practice may not make perfect, but it usually leads to marked improvement!

The rules of participation point to our connection with others and with God out in the open. Eventually we have to get in the game. Stepping across the boundary and onto the track or the field of play always involves a sudden change of perspective. Studying and knowing how to talk to someone about your faith in Christ differs a lot from the thrill and terror of actually talking to someone about Christ. How will you practice and participate in faith today?

Taking the Initiative Against Drudgery

February 19, 2015

Arise, shine… —Isaiah 60:1

When it comes to taking the initiative against drudgery, we have to take the first step as though there were no God. There is no point in waiting for God to help us— He will not. But once we arise, immediately we find He is there. Whenever God gives us His inspiration, suddenly taking the initiative becomes a moral issue— a matter of obedience. Then we must act to be obedient and not continue to lie down doing nothing. If we will arise and shine, drudgery will be divinely transformed.

Drudgery is one of the finest tests to determine the genuineness of our character. Drudgery is work that is far removed from anything we think of as ideal work. It is the utterly hard, menial, tiresome, and dirty work. And when we experience it, our spirituality is instantly tested and we will know whether or not we are spiritually genuine. Read John 13. In this chapter, we see the Incarnate God performing the greatest example of drudgery— washing fishermen’s feet. He then says to them, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). The inspiration of God is required if drudgery is to shine with the light of God upon it. In some cases the way a person does a task makes that work sanctified and holy forever. It may be a very common everyday task, but after we have seen it done, it becomes different. When the Lord does something through us, He always transforms it. Our Lord takes our human flesh and transforms it, and now every believer’s body has become “the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Taking the Initiative Against Despair

February 18, 2015

Rise, let us be going. —Matthew 26:46

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples went to sleep when they should have stayed awake, and once they realized what they had done it produced despair. The sense of having done something irreversible tends to make us despair. We say, “Well, it’s all over and ruined now; what’s the point in trying anymore.” If we think this kind of despair is an exception, we are mistaken. It is a very ordinary human experience. Whenever we realize we have not taken advantage of a magnificent opportunity, we are apt to sink into despair. But Jesus comes and lovingly says to us, in essence, “Sleep on now. That opportunity is lost forever and you can’t change that. But get up, and let’s go on to the next thing.” In other words, let the past sleep, but let it sleep in the sweet embrace of Christ, and let us go on into the invincible future with Him.

There will be experiences like this in each of our lives. We will have times of despair caused by real events in our lives, and we will be unable to lift ourselves out of them. The disciples, in this instance, had done a downright unthinkable thing— they had gone to sleep instead of watching with Jesus. But our Lord came to them taking the spiritual initiative against their despair and said, in effect, “Get up, and do the next thing.” If we are inspired by God, what is the next thing? It is to trust Him absolutely and to pray on the basis of His redemption.

Taking the Initiative Against Depression

February 17, 2015

Arise and eat. —1 Kings 19:5

The angel in this passage did not give Elijah a vision, or explain the Scriptures to him, or do anything remarkable. He simply told Elijah to do a very ordinary thing, that is, to get up and eat. If we were never depressed, we would not be alive— only material things don’t suffer depression. If human beings were not capable of depression, we would have no capacity for happiness and exaltation. There are things in life that are designed to depress us; for example, things that are associated with death. Whenever you examine yourself, always take into account your capacity for depression.

When the Spirit of God comes to us, He does not give us glorious visions, but He tells us to do the most ordinary things imaginable. Depression tends to turn us away from the everyday things of God’s creation. But whenever God steps in, His inspiration is to do the most natural, simple things— things we would never have imagined God was in, but as we do them we find Him there. The inspiration that comes to us in this way is an initiative against depression. But we must take the first step and do it in the inspiration of God. If, however, we do something simply to overcome our depression, we will only deepen it. But when the Spirit of God leads us instinctively to do something, the moment we do it the depression is gone. As soon as we arise and obey, we enter a higher plane of life.