Sunday, November 23, 1997 In Your Absence:
In this week's lesson, which came from Psalms 66:18-20, Luke 1:5-7,13,17, II Corinthians 12:7-9, and James 1:5-7, we studied about the reasons why our prayers sometime go unanswered. In the passage from Psalms 66, we learned about the importance of having a right attitude concerning our sins. Sometimes God does not answer our prayers because we have a bad attitude about sin. If we were required to be without sin to get our prayers answered, then none of us would ever experience an answer. However, the Psalmist still wrote that we are to have an attitude of confession and repentance. He also wrote that true prayer leads to a repentant attitude. When Moses came into God's presence at the burning bush, he removed his shoes because he was on sacred ground. As we develop the right kind of spiritual attitude in our heart, then we will become more prone to figuratively remove the shoes around our heart. At other times, as we saw in the passage from Luke, God does not always give an immediate answer to our prayers because He wants us to learn to wait on Him. Zechariah and Elizabeth desperately wanted a child, but they were approaching the later years of their life and did not have any children. God answered their prayer in a mighty fashion by giving them a son named Samuel, and Samuel was to become a great spiritual leader in the nation of Israel. Before their answer came, though, Zechariah and Elizabeth had to wait on the Lord and realize that His timing is always perfect.
In the passage from II Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul shared a burden which he had had to endure. He called it his "thorn in the flesh," and while no one knows exactly what bothered Paul so much, he made it clear in that passage that his pain was real. He prayed three times and asked God to take away the hurt, but God would not. Instead, He told Paul that His grace was sufficient for whatever trials may come in this life, including that of dealing with his thorn in the flesh. The Apostle Paul was forced to learn a difficult spiritual truth, yet he did so in his usual manner. He recognized that God had a greater purpose for his life than merely that of removing a thorn. He also knew that the discomfort of the thorn was intended to keep him humble, so he graciously accepted the Lord's reply. Sometimes, our prayers are not answered immediately because God is telling us to trust Him. In the passage from James, we learned about the importance of having an enduring, unshakable faith. When we grow weary of waiting on the Lord, then we are not trusting Him as we should. Then, because of that, our prayers might be hindered by unbelief. In our spiritual walk, let us determine to keep ourselves steadfast in our faith, rather than being "like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."
In this week's lesson, we saw that God does not always answer our prayers immediately. He also does not always answer them in the way that we would desire. Nevertheless, God is good, and more than that, He is good to each of us as individuals. As you go through the coming week, try to focus on His goodness and His love for you. Then, try to share that love with those around you.
Tom of Spotswood"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
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