A short time ago, I did a study called the ABCs of Prayer, in which we examined the elements that composed an effective and Biblical outline of what our prayer-life should be like. These elements, we saw, were three in number: Ask, Believe and Claim (A - B - C, as you can read). There were many verses examined in support of this, but here I can give one for each by way of a brief review.

For asking: "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." (John 15:7)

For believing: "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, 'Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea;' and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. " (Mark 11:23)

That would also work for claiming as well. But in regards to the third element, we have even clearer references, such as: "And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." (1 John 5:15)

If we have faith, we know that we HAVE the things we have asked of him - note that it is not "will have," and this is important as a statement of claiming the promise.

Now one thing that study did not address, and that we will cover tonight, is this: Does God ALWAYS answer these prayers? We may all have prayed for something at some point that didn't happen, or at least didn't come to pass in the way we expected it to, right? So what happened there? Was it that our faith was not strong enough? Maybe it's just that it wasn't the "will of God," I've heard it explained. Well, we can take a look at all those possibilities.

Let's start here: "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him." (Mat 6:7-8)

Even before we actually do pray, our Father knows our needs. That's a comforting thought, isn't it? So He already knows what we will ask for, and perhaps has already set up the circumstances by which we can claim the results. That's all well and good, but what about the other side of that? What about when the prayers don't have a visible result? That means He already knew what we would ask, but decided way ahead of time that He would not respond, doesn't it? We know this: "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.'" (Isa 46:9-10)

And: "(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before Him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were." (Rom 4:17)

So the paths of our lives were set from the very beginning, and He had a purpose for us even before we were born: "Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 'Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.'" (Jer 1:4-5)

It is important, then, that we understand the vast responsibility that our Father has given us in the gift of free will. We can choose to ask what this purpose is, and then follow it - but we can also reject the path He had planned for us (either by purposely walking away or never taking the time to find out), even though this will certainly not lead to a happy ending! It is for this reason that even Christ, His begotten Son, prayed this: "And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, 'O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.'" (Mat 26:39)

We see: it is not wrong to want things, it is not sinful to desire peace, and happiness, and security (as long as it is not at the expense of someone else). If the Christian life was one of solemnity and boredom, how then could Paul have said: "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice." (Phil 4:4)

Now, this doesn't mean our walk is a riotous party, of course. This concept is well balanced: "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil 2:12) "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Pet 5:8)

Yet we know that even in this calm, clear understanding of who our enemy is, and that we have the extraordinary job of representing Christ to the unsaved, there are times of great refreshing, and there should always be peace in our souls. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)

It is not wrong to want things, but as our Savior demonstrated, even in the worst of circumstances, these desires must be subject to our Father's will. It is not that He will ever withhold any good thing from us - and this is a most important point: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" (Mat 7:11)

Even among Christians, even here in Crosswalk - I have seen people complaining about their lives and fleshly circumstances as if they did not have a loving Father. How little they understand the faith they profess to have! It is written clearly: "Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14)

We must understand that if we are in a difficult situation, and there are things we believe we need - but God is not supplying them, then it is always for a very important reason. Nor is this a "cop out" answer, for we have this example of Christ - that as He prayed, He prayed for release from His torment; yet had the Father granted this to Him, where would we be now? It is only because He suffered and died, taking the penalty of sin from us, that we have the opportunity to be led back to the eternal life which was created for us all.

The wording of His prayer was significant - "If it be possible," He prayed, "take this suffering from me, BUT, let thy will be done." Even in His great pain, He knew that the Father loved Him, and would never cause Him any unnecessary torment. Should not our attitude be the same? We are told this: "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience." (Rom 5:1-3)

Even when Job lost all that he had: "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, 'Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.' In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." (Job 1:20-22)

This is not a thing that is easy, or natural, or even possible to do for the "natural man." It may even be a troubling thing just to hear: "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man." (1 Cor 2:14-15)

We, who are in Christ, walk in the Spirit, and thus we can see even the worst of sufferings in their true light. Did the martyrs die with a frown on their faces? Did they curse God for their role in Creation's history? None of those I have read about - and yet, are we called to any less exalted a role? "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." (Rev 2:10)

This is His promise to the Church, and has doubtless sustained the peace of many in the days since that prophecy was spoken.

Going back to the subject of "destiny," the will of God for our lives - if people persist in resisting the role that our Father has set for them, He will not force them to be faithful. "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient." (Rom 1:28)

Eventually, He will give the stubborn over to a "reprobate" mind. That word, the Greek "adokimos," means unfit, not approved, and... untested. It was often used of coins and currency, which needed to be inspected before being released into circulation. This condition, however, is not the mind of a Christian, for to us Christ said: "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." (Rev 3:18)

We are encouraged to use the "currency" which has been tested in fire. And if the "gold" here represents our faith, whose faith would be tested in fire? In that same book we are told: "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." (Rev 14:12) Whose faith?

The faithful do not have faith of themselves, that is to say - they did not create this faith in their own hearts, rather they received it from the Son by believing in Him and letting Him truly pay the price of their sin. Now we come to the heart of the matter: that of faith. If our prayers are not answered, we know two things: either there is a REALLY good reason why the thing we ask for is being withheld (as with the case of Christ, it was to save the very world), or we are not really believing and/or claiming what we asked for.

These two reasons are connected, and in this study I will tell you something of a "secret." It's not really a secret in that it is hidden, but it is kept away naturally from those who would only study the Word on It's surface, and not truly ask for the Spirit to guide them into the "knowledge of all truth," as was It's whole purpose for living in us. That secret is this: there is often times a way to overcome the first reason. Even if it is something important, even if there is a VERY good reason for God withholding the things we ask for, we can still have them. Now, this is a quite dangerous responsibility, as you can imagine... had Christ chosen to exercise this freedom, and turned away from His sufferings and death, we would all be lost, and so it is no small matter that we are speaking of now.

Before we get to how this is done, let's go back a ways, and see this "secret" being applied. "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing." (Gen 12:1-2)

Abram is promised to be the father of a "great nation," even though at the time: "But Sarai was barren; she had no child." (Gen 11:30)

In many ways, this is a parallel to what we have been talking about. We are promised that we shall have what we ask for, yet the promise is made before the "thing" is seen. In order for Abram to accept this as being true, he had to "see" it in his mind, he had to see it by faith. Now, had he rested in this consistently, the history of even our modern world would have been very different, but instead: "Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, 'Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her.' And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai." (Gen 16:1-2)

Rather than wait, and "call things which were not as though they were," Abram decided to try things his own way. Well, it worked... sort of... "And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. And Sarai said unto Abram, 'My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.'" (Gen 16:3-5)

Hagar did conceive, but even before the child was born, we see problems arising. It's said that God allowed polygamy in those early times for various reasons (social, cultural etc.) but in every case recorded in the Bible, something really bad's happened when a man took more than one wife. This situation only got worse after the expectant mother came to term, as later verses record. But yet, even though Abraham now HAD a son, Ishmael, we find that God repeats His promise to Abraham: "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly." (Gen 17:1-2) "Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee." (Gen 17:5-7)

With even more impressive terms than before, God repeats and reinforces that Abram will be a father of many, and even changes his name from Abram (Exalted father) to Abraham (Father of many) to reflect this. And just to make sure that Abraham really "gets it" this time, God is even more explicit as to who the mother will be: "And God said unto Abraham, 'As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.'" (Gen 17:15-16)

Abraham points out that he already has an heir, Ishmael: "And Abraham said unto God, 'O that Ishmael might live before thee!'" (Gen 17:18) This is a much easier promise to believe, after all. But God is clear in His purpose: "And God said, 'Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.'" (Gen 17:19)

However, though Abraham did not act in faith, and tried by his own efforts to achieve the desired results, we're still talking about a person here, so: "And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." (Gen 17:20)

Remember the whole David and Bathsheba thing? That certainly wasn't a good occasion, and yet their son, Solomon, became a mighty king of Israel. It's the same here: God can use even the worst of situations to bring about a great blessing, yet how much easier would the path have been if not for humans trying to do God's will using their own efforts? The Crusades are another such lamentable story. It's the same with us too... we know that God promises us good things, like peace, and prosperity - yet too many think that success depends upon their own efforts. I'm not saying people shouldn't work, and strive for what it is they want, of course: "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." (2 Th 3:10)

But the important thing is that we do not depend upon these things. Christ has already ensured that we will have all we need. We DO have them, in fact. "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." (John 15:3)

So we've seen an application; let's look at the principle as it applies to our lives - specifically to our prayers.

Abraham knew what God had promised, yet as the years came and went, he began to fear that what had been promised would not come to pass. "Will God truly do what He said He would?" Now whose question is this? From the beginning, that has been the question that Satan has tried to place in the minds of the faithful. "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, 'Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?'" (Gen 3:1)

"Hath God indeed said?" "Did He really mean it?" If we have this question in our minds - it means we've been listening to a serpent... and we should ask that this thought, and the area of our lives that allowed it to even get in there, be dealt with ASAP. In regards to prayer, it's often this way - we don't see the results immediately. But what does this mean? Does it mean God has not heard us? Does it mean He will not answer? Hardly. "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." (Col 4:2) This is the key verse of this study, and there is another passage by Paul that is very like it: "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality." (Rom 12:10-13)

Now this all sounds like a very good plan! And we see that the common element is this: that we "continue" in prayer. When things go bad, and we've tried everything we can do... what's our next step? We try prayer :) But should this be our method of dealing with situations? Well, first of all, the prayer should come FIRST, not last... and secondly, there's no such thing as "trying" true prayer. Sometimes English words will fail us, because in a previous study I called the Christian faith an "experimental" faith, meaning a try-it-and-see faith. When we get to Heaven, and our speech has been refined, getting across concepts like this will be easier, but for now, does everyone see the difference between these two things?

In terms of our faith, we are invited to test our Father, to prove His love for us. In terms of prayer, however, it shouldn't be something we should "try" in terms of frequency. Yes, we try it in order to have God reveal His mercy to us, but that doesn't mean it should be a periodic, sometimes thing. This is an important point, so if anyone has further questions about the distinction, please do ask :)

So then the application is this: we are to be consistent, and persistent in our prayers. In another place, this advice is given: "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." (Eph 6:17-18)

So if we have to keep asking God for something, didn't He hear us the first time? :) Well, Christ would spend entire nights in prayer: "And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." (Luke 6:12) But how many things did He ask for in all those hours?

The purpose of this was to train Himself to be in constant communication with the Father. Moses did not get to this point in one day: "And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face." (Deu 34:10)

He needed to have his spirit refined to the point where he wouldn't fall on his face when he saw even a hint of God's glory, as did many of the other prophets: Daniel, Isaiah and so on. It was done by consistent, continuous prayer: "Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God." (Job 15:4) "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)

The connection there should be obvious: the more often we spend time in prayer, the more settled we become in the truth about God, that He is love; and this will cast off our fear, and enable us to stand before him, white as snow. If we pray "once in a while," or only when things go bad... does that speak well of our relationship with Him? And if our prayers do not go answered, we have the reason for that too: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." (Heb 11:6)

Who are those that are rewarded here? Those that seek Him only. Yes, He sends the rain, the good things of nature, on the just and unjust alike, but for those who know Him - who are His friends, for these there are special blessings. And that "secret" I spoke of is this: if we continue in prayer, constantly seeking what we desire, He will often give it over to us. This isn't the same thing as the "vain repetitions" spoken of in this verse we saw before: "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." (Mat 6:7)

For whereas they do it with the thought that their prayers will be heard only if they keep talking - we know our prayers are heard from the beginning, and that He knew our prayers even before they left our mouths; but that we, like Christ, simply enjoy the task of communicating with our Father.

Now, if we know in our hearts that what we ask for isn't the best thing, and yet we continue to pray, as if demanding it of God, that's never a good thing! Still, there is a process of learning involved, for it is written: "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." (Rom 14:5)

Everyone will be given plenty of opportunity to learn for himself or herself that God is who He says He is... and sometimes (unfortunately) that involves some painful education: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." (Rev 3:19)

We will make mistakes, this seems certain, but the important thing be that our hearts, our attitude, be right: "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars." (2Ch 16:9)

That word there translated "loyal" in the NKJV (which was used for the live study - D.) is the Hebrew "Shalem," which means whole, complete, perfect, finished, thus the original KJV has a slightly more accurate rendering.

It does not say we must be perfect in all our ways... only that the heart be perfect - and for a born-agan Christian, this is the only way our hearts can be (whether we judge it so according to our human senses or not): "'Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" (Ezek 18:31)

And since we have this, we will take all correction, from both God and those whom His Spirit shows to be His messengers, with an attitude of love, patience and gratitude.

The important thing is not to have fear. If any man desires ANY thing, the Scriptures, say, let him ask it. If you're wrong, it will be shown to you... God does not cast us off for making mistakes. "Believe your beliefs and doubt your doubts," I've heard it said. So until His Spirit or another messenger shows you the error, why not be confident? "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward." (Heb 10:35) "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil 1:6)

And that is really something to look forward to! Therefore, if anyone desires anything (and if we be in His Spirit it will be a good and profitable thing), let him ask it with confidence - and not just once, not just "every now and then." We can take these times as wonderful opportunities to grow closer to our loving Father, getting to know Him better and better, improving our prayer lives - which are to be consistent and joyful. In this way we continue to have our own spirits refined to meet with Him - the Father of Spirits - on that great and wonderful day of judgment.

David.