Tag Archives: faith and patience

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SAY “AMEN”? – 3

Prayer, ,

In our previous meditations, we have set aside some misconceptions about prayer, especially those ideas that we must have special qualifications or that we must do certain things to get answers to our prayers.

Prayer is for all God’s children. God answers us because He is our Father. We don’t need to struggle to get answers, fighting off the devil and subduing God’s reluctance to answer us.

There is no need for us to pray long, wordy prayers because the Father knows our needs before we ask Him.

However, prayer does have some conditions that help us to understand the reasons for what we think is unanswered prayer.

Does God give us everything we pray for? If not, why not?

What are the conditions for answered prayer?

Hebrews 6:12 outlines two requirements that qualify us to inherit what His has promised…faith and patience. God tests our faith and patience by delaying answers to legitimate requests.

12] “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

God does not answer us according to our timetable. He is painting on a much bigger canvas, and He is also working on our character through tests and delays.

God also answers our prayers according to His will, not because we “wrestle” an answer out of Him.

1 John 5:14-15 NIV
[14] “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: 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 what we asked of him.”

Now, let’s get back to the heart of New Covenant prayer. God has provided all the promises we need to cover every situation in life, and to provide for all our needs for godly living…physical, material, and spiritual. Jesus has done everything for us… to deal with our sin, to restore us to the Father, and to act as the mediator between us and the Father. He has also authorised every promise God has ever made so that we are fully equipped to live this life of union with God despite the ungodly world around us.

Did you get that? We live our entire lives as God’s children on God’s promises. Let that sink in! God’s promises are the “fuel” that drives the “engine” of our lives. There is a promise, a declaration, a statement of God’s will to cover every situation, in detail or in principle.

2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV
[3] “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. [4] Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Peter summed up God’s will for us in one simple goal…

“…so that through them (His very great and precious promises), you may participate in the divine nature…”

… and one simple condition…

“… having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Everthing we are, do, and become, hangs on this one truth…what we do with God’s promises.

If we trust God, if we are willing to wait for His timing, and if we ask according to His will, prayer becomes very simple. If all of our lives are controlled by and lived out of God’s promises, and if God’s promises cover every detail of our lives, what us left for us to do?

2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT
[20] For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.

Did you get that?

God has simplified prayer to just one word… “AMEN!” He doesn’t need anything more than that! You see, the answers to all our prayers depend on what God has promised, not on our energy or efforts to persuade Him.

The rest of our time with God is about praise, thanksgiving, and worship!

So, when we really understand God’s strategy, how long does it take to say “AMEN”? You answer that question.

LIFE LESSONS FROM ABRAHAM – 3 Concluded

Christian Life, ,

Abraham’s third great lesson, and one that equally applies to all God’s children, is the utter reliability of God’s promises. Once again, this lesson is intimately related to faith in the integrity of God’s character. When God is determined to bless, He is not hindered by human failure. He bases all His dealings with humans on what He has promised to do.

‭Numbers‬ ‭23:19‭-‬20‬ ‭NLT‬
[19] “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? [20] Listen, I received a command to bless; God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it!”

So said Balaam when Balak, king of Moab, called him to curse the Israelites.

God began His dealings with fallen Adam by giving Him a promise, the first recorded promise in human history.

‭Genesis‬ ‭3:15‬ ‭NLT‬
[15] “And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Although it took millennia for God to fulfill that promise, all He did in and throughout the history of His chosen people was in preparation for that momentous event.

So it was with Abraham. Decades passed between the first utterance of God’s promises and the beginning of its fulfilment in the miraculous birth of Isaac. God was honing Abraham’s faith through trial and error so that he would trust God’s faithfulness and His power to deliver on his promise.

I once heard this profound statement which has steadied me through many seasons of doubt and discouragement…

“God will not answer your prayers until He has put all the structures in place to maintain that answer.”

What wisdom!

Regardless of the timespan humans live in, God will do what He is committed to do in His time, because He is painting on a bigger canvas that we can see, and His Word is a manifestation of Himself in another form.
Jesus is the ultimate assurance of the reliability of His promises. He became God’s Word in human form.

‭John‬ ‭1:14‬ ‭NLT‬
[14] So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”

When Jesus spoke, His words were the incarnation of everything God had ever said. He became the guarantor and His words the guarantee of every promise God has ever uttered. So He could affirm to the devil himself,

‭Matthew‬ ‭4:3‭-‬4‬ ‭NLT‬
[3]”During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” [4] But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:19‭-‬20‬ ‭NLT‬
[19] “For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. [20] For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”

The assurance of Jesus’ authority and power to deliver on God’s promises has two major results for God’s people.

  1. Prayer becomes, in the New Covenant, not, “Please do… ” but “Thank you that you have done…” because prayer is the “amen” we speak to God’s promises already fulfilled in Christ.
  2. God’s promises are all directed towards one purpose.

‭2 Peter‬ ‭1:3‭-‬4‬ ‭NLT‬
[3] “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. [4] And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

God’s goal, in all His dealings with us, is to restore the likeness of Jesus in us. So, He is working towards that goal in everything we experience in life.

‭Romans‬ ‭8:28‭-‬29‬ ‭NLT‬
[28]”And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. [29] For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

How then, do we appropriate God’s promises to fulfill His purpose? We have the example and pattern in the lives of God’s ancient people.

‭Hebrews‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭NIV‬
[12]” We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

So, Abraham’s faith, and the faith of all who follow in his footsteps, comes full circle. Promises… faith… fulfilment… greater faith…intimacy with God… indestructible faith.

Here is a final, practical note that helps us to handle our difficult situations, big or small, so that we stay in line with God’s greater purposes.

A while back, while I was reading the story of Paul and the great storm he was in on his way to Rome, the Holy Spirit showed me a vital detail in the story. While the sailors were desperately trying to save the ship and their lives by lightening the ship, where was Paul? He was down in the hold. What was he doing? Praying!
An angel from God gave him a promise that changed the course of events.

‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭27:18‭-‬26‬ ‭NLT‬
[18] “The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard. [19] The following day they even took some of the ship’s gear and threw it overboard. [20] The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone. [21] No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. [22] But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. [23] For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, [24] and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ [25] So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. [26] But we will be shipwrecked on an island.”

Out of Paul’s experience came a life lesson for me. The Holy Spirit clearly said to me, “Don’t ask for a miracle; ask for a word.” God promised Paul that no one on board the ship would be lost. It was this promise that gave Paul the authority to stop some of the sailors from trying to escape in a lifeboat. God rescued everyone on board the ship because He was faithful to His word to Paul.

Prayer for a miracle in a crisis is open-ended. It might or might not happen, but God’s word is secure. What He says He will do.

There may be many more lessons to learn from Abraham’s walk with God but these three, well learned, will equip us for a confident life in God.

A LIVING HOPE

Christian Life, ,

“Hopefully” – this word comes up regularly from our favourite sports captains when they review the match. What do they mean? They are full of hope that they will do better next time or win the next game, or win the World Cup or whatever. It’s always about the next time but it’s always uncertain.

“Hope” is also a Bible word, but it has a very different meaning. It’s about a future that is already present to God because He is in the future. Here is an illustration.

My brother is building a model of an ancient sailing ship, the Santa Maria. What guarantee does he have that his model will turn out as it should? He has a picture of it on the box and he has diagrams and instructions for each step. If he follows the instructions, the end result will be just like the picture.

Bible hope is like that. God has already shown us the end result of our faith – Jesus. He is the picture on the box. He has also supplied the instructions for becoming like Jesus – His Word. If we follow the instructions, the end result will be exactly like ‘the picture on the box’. But there is something special about Bible hope that my brother does not have.

He has the pieces and the instructions but it’s up to him alone as to whether his model eventually looks like the real Santa Maria or not. He has no one to help him iron out his mistakes or help him build it to specifications. What if he puts a cannon in the wrong place, or leaves a piece out here or there? His model will be incorrect or incomplete and won’t match the picture. We have the Holy Spirit who interprets God’s word and helps us to obey His instructions.

My brother has a box full of ready-cut pieces. We have a book full of God’s promises. He puts the pieces together with faith and patience. We inherit God’s promises with faith and patience. When he has completed the task, he will have a perfect model of the Santa Maria. When God has finished His task, we will be exact replicas of Jesus with a resurrection body and a perfect spirit just like His.

That’s our hope but it will only be fulfilled if we do our part by working with the Holy Spirit and following the instructions. Our guarantee is that God has promised to complete what He began.

‘. . .Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 1:6)