Remember when you asked your parents if you could do something or go somewhere and they didn't ’answer but gave you that look? It was usually because at some point in the past they told you that you couldn’t or shouldn’t do that, or go there. They had also given you enough information for you to know that if and when you asked that the answer would be "No", but you asked anyway. It may have been something they had done before with bad results, or they may have known someone else who did it with bad results. So when you asked you just got that look…….no answer.
God has done the same thing for us. His Word, the Bible, gives us complete instructions on how we should live our lives, our relationship with Him, and our relationship with others. Many people use an acronym for the B.I.B.L.E. “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth”. Study of the the Bible will alert us to those things that are both bad and good for us. It tells us those things that result in blessings…..a "Yes" answer, and those where the answer will be "No".
2 Peter 1:2-4 (NKJV)2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Psalm 119:133 (NKJV)133 Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.
Psalm 48:14 (NKJV)14 For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death.
Psalm 32:8 (NKJV)8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Quite often when we pray we ask God for things, a new job, a spouse, a house, a car, a good grade on a test, etc. We’ve been told that if you ask anything according to God’s will that He will answer with a "Yes". Maybe not right away, but eventually with a yes. In that case we say He either answers “with a Yes” or with "Wait".
When it’s clear that we asked something outside His will we already know the answer is "No". But what about those times that we have really done out best, in our opinion, to please Him and we’re pretty sure that what we asked was not outside His will and there’s no answer at all? I say that silence, much like that of our parents, means the answer is "No". There is no thunder and lightning or someone coming to us to confirm a no answer, but we know the answer is "No" and we knew it even before we asked. In other words no answer is "No!"
1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV)14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
I believe it's that same way with God. The believer who is in fellowship with God will not ask anything that is contrary to God's will.
Two reasons we may get not get an answer (No!)
James 4:3 (NKJV)3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Do we really expect an answer when our prayers are to Fulfill An Inner Lust, Dreams, Or Illusions. God won’t answer a prayer that would add to our honor or assist our temptations.
Psalm 66:18 (NKJV) If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.
Have we forgotten?
Psalm 24:1-5 (NKJV)1 The earth is the LORD'S, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.2 For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters.3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place?4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.5 He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Prayers that start with lust need quick answers or we plain often to the point of saying that God doesn’t hear our prayers. Clean your hands and your heart with the help of the Holy Spirit and then “receive blessing from the LORD”....a “Yes”.
Could it be that we don’t get an answer because we want to dictate when qnd how we should get the answer?
When we don’t trust someone is when we usually give the terms of the answer that we want. If we trust God we will leave the complete answer and it's terms to Him.
Some no answers are simply … unexplainable. No matter what form a no from God seems to take, choose to believe that He is sovereign—that He alone fully sees, fully knows and fully understands the past, the present and the future. Then determine that you will trust Him through the good and the bad.
God has done the same thing for us. His Word, the Bible, gives us complete instructions on how we should live our lives, our relationship with Him, and our relationship with others. Many people use an acronym for the B.I.B.L.E. “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth”. Study of the the Bible will alert us to those things that are both bad and good for us. It tells us those things that result in blessings…..a "Yes" answer, and those where the answer will be "No".
2 Peter 1:2-4 (NKJV)2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Psalm 119:133 (NKJV)133 Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.
Psalm 48:14 (NKJV)14 For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death.
Psalm 32:8 (NKJV)8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
Quite often when we pray we ask God for things, a new job, a spouse, a house, a car, a good grade on a test, etc. We’ve been told that if you ask anything according to God’s will that He will answer with a "Yes". Maybe not right away, but eventually with a yes. In that case we say He either answers “with a Yes” or with "Wait".
When it’s clear that we asked something outside His will we already know the answer is "No". But what about those times that we have really done out best, in our opinion, to please Him and we’re pretty sure that what we asked was not outside His will and there’s no answer at all? I say that silence, much like that of our parents, means the answer is "No". There is no thunder and lightning or someone coming to us to confirm a no answer, but we know the answer is "No" and we knew it even before we asked. In other words no answer is "No!"
1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV)14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
I believe it's that same way with God. The believer who is in fellowship with God will not ask anything that is contrary to God's will.
Two reasons we may get not get an answer (No!)
James 4:3 (NKJV)3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Do we really expect an answer when our prayers are to Fulfill An Inner Lust, Dreams, Or Illusions. God won’t answer a prayer that would add to our honor or assist our temptations.
Psalm 66:18 (NKJV) If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.
Have we forgotten?
Psalm 24:1-5 (NKJV)1 The earth is the LORD'S, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.2 For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters.3 Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place?4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.5 He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Prayers that start with lust need quick answers or we plain often to the point of saying that God doesn’t hear our prayers. Clean your hands and your heart with the help of the Holy Spirit and then “receive blessing from the LORD”....a “Yes”.
Could it be that we don’t get an answer because we want to dictate when qnd how we should get the answer?
When we don’t trust someone is when we usually give the terms of the answer that we want. If we trust God we will leave the complete answer and it's terms to Him.
Some no answers are simply … unexplainable. No matter what form a no from God seems to take, choose to believe that He is sovereign—that He alone fully sees, fully knows and fully understands the past, the present and the future. Then determine that you will trust Him through the good and the bad.
Silence Can Be Golden
I talked about those times when we already knew the answer would be No before we asked. However there are times where there is silence and the answer isn’t No. We know that what we’ve asked is within the will of God for us. We know that that we are not asking to satisfy any lust, we really asked that God do it His way. It’s at those times when we don’t get an answer that we must exercise our faith in God and our belief that He keeps every one of His promises. It’s at these times that silence is golden.
Throughout scripture we see that God is not in a hurry.
How long did Abraham and Sarah wait for the son promised in their old age?
Genesis 17:1-6 (NKJV)1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:4 "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.
Ten years later, at age 100, Abraham and Sarah finally had their son.
Genesis 21:1-5 (NKJV)1 And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken.2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him--whom Sarah bore to him--Isaac.4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
How long did the Israelites wander through the desert after leaving Egypt on their way to
the Promised Land?
Numbers 32:13 (NKJV)13 So the LORD'S anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone.
Forty long years. It certainly doesn't take 40 years to get from where they started in the Nile Delta to reach Jericho.
What about Simeon? The old man in the temple when Mary and Joseph came to offewr their sacrifice and dedicate Jesus.
Luke 2:25-32 (NKJV)25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:29 "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."
In order to patiently wait on God’s timing and not “freak out” with stress and anxiety we have to know that God acts on our behalf. We have to rely on Him and his timing to guide our lives, not our own schedule and timing. What we can see and know is limited but God’s knowledge is unlimited He knows the end from the beginning.
Isaiah 46:10 (NKJV) Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,'
It really doesn’t matter what you are waiting on God for; a job, a spouse, a house, a car, a child, healing, whatever it is God’s timing is always perfect. So whatever you are praying and trusting God for wait patiently, even if it’s very hard to do.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
I talked about those times when we already knew the answer would be No before we asked. However there are times where there is silence and the answer isn’t No. We know that what we’ve asked is within the will of God for us. We know that that we are not asking to satisfy any lust, we really asked that God do it His way. It’s at those times when we don’t get an answer that we must exercise our faith in God and our belief that He keeps every one of His promises. It’s at these times that silence is golden.
Throughout scripture we see that God is not in a hurry.
How long did Abraham and Sarah wait for the son promised in their old age?
Genesis 17:1-6 (NKJV)1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying:4 "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.
Ten years later, at age 100, Abraham and Sarah finally had their son.
Genesis 21:1-5 (NKJV)1 And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken.2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him--whom Sarah bore to him--Isaac.4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
How long did the Israelites wander through the desert after leaving Egypt on their way to
the Promised Land?
Numbers 32:13 (NKJV)13 So the LORD'S anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone.
Forty long years. It certainly doesn't take 40 years to get from where they started in the Nile Delta to reach Jericho.
What about Simeon? The old man in the temple when Mary and Joseph came to offewr their sacrifice and dedicate Jesus.
Luke 2:25-32 (NKJV)25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:29 "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."
In order to patiently wait on God’s timing and not “freak out” with stress and anxiety we have to know that God acts on our behalf. We have to rely on Him and his timing to guide our lives, not our own schedule and timing. What we can see and know is limited but God’s knowledge is unlimited He knows the end from the beginning.
Isaiah 46:10 (NKJV) Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,'
It really doesn’t matter what you are waiting on God for; a job, a spouse, a house, a car, a child, healing, whatever it is God’s timing is always perfect. So whatever you are praying and trusting God for wait patiently, even if it’s very hard to do.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Why Do We Have to Wait?
God is arranging circumstances. God may be putting people in certain places just so they can be the answer to you are waiting for. He may be building a new ministry for you to join where you will find your answer. Look at how long it took for God to finally put David on the throne as king of Israel. He was preparing him through all the hardships to be the ruler of His people. He had the Israelite army march around Jericho numerous times confusing the people of Jericho. A great example of God arranging circumstances was in the case of Jacob’s son Joseph. When Joseph’s brothers sold him God started arranging things so that Joseph became the leader of Egypt under Pharaoh and was able to sustain his entire family by providing food for them and by providing a fertile area for them to live in, to multiply and begin the entire nation of Israel from which came Jesus. God is purifying our motives. When we wait on God we don’t act out of lust, greed, or pride, we are motivated by love, service, and obedience. God is teaching us to rely on Him. If every prayer were answered immediately, we might never learn to trust God. If we never had to wait for God then we would never experience who He is to us. God is protecting us from unseen danger. When we run ahead of God we can run into unexpected problems. Look at what happened to Abraham and Sarah when Sarah got ahead of God in having Abraham father a son. The results created big problems in the family and there are still ramifications of it going on today. God is preparing us to impact others. When you wait on God’s timing, you can be an awesome testimony of the Lord’s faithfulness. Christians and non-Christians are watching you as you wait on God. Some may never have gone to a church, or watched a Christian TV show, or read the Bible but they can see you and how you wait patiently. That will have a much greater impact than the Bible verses you quote, or the praise and worship music they hear when they get in our car. If you are waiting for the answer to a prayer right now and you have been waiting a long time, remember that God’s timing is perfect. He may just be putting things in place, or moving something out of the way for you. Trust Him because he loves you remember what it say in; Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. He desires that we simply leave our requests lodged in His powerful arms, cast all our care upon Him, and go forth with peace and serenity to wait His relief. How tragic to have so great a God and so little faith in Him. Are you waiting for something now? Trust in God and His timing. Trust that God is in control, that He is good, and that He gives good gifts means trusting that His timing makes better sense than our timing. So if God is silent, pray for His peace. Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Pray for His will to be done. Matthew 6:9-10 (NKJV)9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. And pray that He gives you the kind of faith that will wait. Psalm 25:3 (NKJV) Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. If we have faith and trust in God, we won’t sweat whether the answer is “Yes”, “No”,"Wait" or there’s no answer at all. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. What He has in mind will always be best for us. Our prayer should always end, as Jesus’ did, with "Not my will, Lord, but Your will." Luke 22:42 (NKJV) saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." |
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