WHY HAS GOD NOT ANSWERED YOUR PRAYER? (PART 2).
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." - Matthew 7:7-8 (KJV)
This message is the continuation of Part 1 in the series published on the 5th day of June 2023. You may access it via our link: https://wordfortoday.netlify.app/
We noted that one of the reasons that can preclude us from receiving answers to our prayer is because we ask wrongly.
James 4:3 says:
"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."
Having discussed in Part 1 what is meant to "ask amiss", we pointed out at the concluding part that you can be hindered from receiving answers to your prayers because you ask that you "may consume it upon your lust" (Jam 4:3).
To lust is to have among other things, an intense longing or craving for something. In other words, it's a passionate desire for something. At other times, it can be a longing for something that is forbidden. One should be careful of allowing negative emotions to dominate one’s life, because in dealing with us, God searches our hearts:
"I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. " (Jeremiah 17:10)
What's your motive for asking? It's essential that we allow love to govern our heart when we pray.
1Cor 10:24 tells us to
"Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth (or good)."
Most of us are simply out to seek our own selfish good. When love does not rule, then the motives of life become distorted. The moment we learn to remove the good of self from prayers, we become selfless; then we stand in a sure, unfettered position to receive answers from God!
Let me give you an example. I'm one that desires the preaching of the Gospel of God "not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:" (1 Cor 2:4). That is to say, I love to demonstrate God's power in order to authenticate the Gospel. Each time I have a preaching engagement, I pray intensely for the visible or manifest demonstration of the Spirit and Power of God. But I have discovered that each time I had a passion to "show off" before others that I can demonstrate God's Power, God will not bless me with the ability, I got disappointed! This is to say in other words that I didn't receive an answer to my prayer because I desired the demonstration of God's Power that I may consume it upon my lust (Jam 4:3). Whether or not you will receive an answer from God to your prayer is largely determined by your motive for asking! That's a settled fact!
The caution here is that though Scriptures may support or make provisions for what we ask from God, we can suffer a setback as far as answers to prayer is concerned because we ask in order to consume it upon our lusts (Jam 4:3).
Finally, assuming that you have asked, knocked or sought according to God's will, assuming also that you have not asked amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts (Jam 4:3), Jesus said that you should receive (Matt 7:7-8). "But Pastor Dele, I did and it didn’t come to pass!” Listen, the truth is that if you asked for something promised in God’s Word, then He gave it to you! “No, Pastor, I did ask but He didn’t give it to me!” How do you know? “Because I didn’t see it!” Really?
To be continued!
PRAYER:
Father, thank You for the privilege to ask and to receive, seek and to find, knock and to be opened unto me. I believe it because You said it. I receive it because You cannot lie! Amen!