Seeking Answers From God
-Proverbs 25:2 (TLV)
Think about what you don't know, that you want to know. What is it that you want to know, that you don't know? That information that you don't know is a mystery, it is hidden, it is unknown to you.
I am referring to the "what?" and not the "why?" It can be, "who?" It can also be, "when?' or "where?" It is the unknown that can be known.
Unanswered Prayer Isn't The Answer
Something that I was reminded of this week was that we do not draw a conclusion from unanswered prayer. In other words, if you don't have the answer, don't fill in the blank with a negative. Especially about God. Don't do "bad theology", based on your (negative) experience.
The fact that you cannot see it does not mean it is not there. The fact that you have not received it does not mean it is not available. The fact that you have not done it does not mean you cannot do it.
People "settle" for no answer and call it "God's will". They say it, "must be God's will", that something did not happen, but they stopped praying. I often think about the old hymn that says we needlessly carry crushing burdens, because we don't take it to the Lord in prayer. There is God's sovereignty and our responsibility.
Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart
Jesus spoke about praying and getting answers:
For this reason I say to you, whatever you pray and ask, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (TLV)
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (ESV)
I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours. (NLT)
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (KJB)Answers come out of discipleship with Jesus
-Mark 11:24
Do Jesus words apply to you and me, today? Yes! Then, how does it work? I think, first of all, that he is speaking to disciples. Are you a disciple? Are you his disciple? Are you walking with him and have you taken up your cross? If so, he is talking to you. I think that when we walk with the Lord, we will begin discovering who we are and what we are for.
Walking with the Lord, you get desires to pray for, and those are the things you pray for. God put those desires there. What are the desires of your heart? A key to know, is that he gave you the deepest desires of your heart.
Letting God know you
We pray to God for revelation of the things that are hidden or concealed from us, and as we pray, we need to be letting God know our hearts. It is a profound mistake to not tell God how you feel and what you think and what you fear and what you hope for.
I recently heard someone share about the verse where Jesus says to people, "I never knew you" (Matt. 7:23). It is astonishing to me that someone could do all sorts of ministry, but have Jesus say these words to him.
Either the Lord chooses not to know us, as far as we do not choose to reveal ourselves to him, or he is adamant about our sharing our hearts with him. Letting him know you is more important than doing ministry.
We need to let Jesus know us. When you tell him what is going on in your heart, he sorts you out. He helps you to know who you are and what you are for. When you tell him what is going on with you, he gets to know you and he wants that.
We are mistaken if we think we don't need to talk to God and share our hearts. We are badly mistaken if we think we have no need to be authentic and transparent with God. He wants us to let him know. You might say, "but he already knows". And I would reply, "let him know".. Tell God. Let him know..
We need to pour our hearts out to God (1 Sam. 1:15, Ps. 62:8, Lam. 2:19).
The Journey
We are on a journey to discover, to investigate, to search out things that are concealed by God. On that journey, we already know about God's nature - that he is good, that he saves, and redeems. But there is a category of things we don't know. So, we are searching, discovering, and investigating.
We pray for answers. We also ask God to guide us. We search, investigate, and discover with God. Not having the answer yet is not the answer. Everyone that got to Jesus got an answer. I do not see him every ignoring a sincere request.
The God you are praying to has that same personality that Jesus displayed that we see in the gospels. One translation says that "It is the privilege of God to conceal" and "the privilege of kings to search". Privilege means "special right". God gets to conceal things and you get to search them out.
We desire more from God. God does not lack or have limited resources. God is always good. All the promises of God are "yes" and "amen" in Christ. The journey is about being in Christ, letting him live his life through me. As we seek God for answers, direction, provision, sustenance, and healing; he transforms us.
Jesus says to not give up praying (Luke 18:1).
Jesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray all the time and never give up.Paul writes that prayer, constant prayer, is in the context of a life in Messiah:
Rejoice always,
Pray constantly,
In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Messiah Yeshua.
Do not quench the Spirit,
Do not despise prophetic messages,
But test all things, hold fast to what is good,
Keep away from every kind of evil.
Now may the God of shalom Himself make you completely holy; and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept complete, blameless at the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
Faithful is the One who calls you-- and He will make it happen!
Brothers and sisters, pray for us.
Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss.
I charge you under oath, by the Lord, that this letter be read to all the brothers and sisters.
The grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah be with you.
-1 Thessalonians 5:16-28 (TLV)
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