WHY HAS GOD NOT ANSWERED YOUR PRAYER? (PART 7). 

TEXT:
"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that by multiplying their words they shall be heard. Now then, do not be like them; for your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him." (Matthew 6 verses 7 to 8, A Faithful Version).

Our particular concern this morning is verse 8 of Matthew chapter 6, "for your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him." This verse speaks of God's omniscience, His ability to know our needs, even before we ask Him in prayer. In other words, the Lord Jesus is letting us know that God is aware of our needs, even before we ask Him in prayer. 
       Now, if God is aware of our needs before we even ask Him, it follows that we don't have to report those needs to Him again when we pray. Some people say that since God knows what things we need before we ask Him (Matthew 6 verse 8), it means that we do not need to pray at all. No! A thousand times, no! 
    The truth is that this verse doesn't tell us not to pray. It simply teaches us that when we pray, we should avoid making a report to God about our situation. Definitely, God tells us in His Word to pray. He didn't tell us to report to Him our situation, because He's fully aware of them. A whole lot of people report their situation to God instead of praying. You may ask if there's a difference between praying to God and reporting your situation to Him. A lot!
     We serve an Omniscient God who knows everything about our situations, the things we are going through in life. When we report our situation to him in prayer, we are in effect accusing Him of sitting idle and choosing not to act on our behalf when action is rather needed. 
   For instance, in Matthew 8 verses 24 to 25, the Bible says that "there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he (Jesus) was asleep. And the disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish." (Emphasis added).
     "Lord, ... we perish" (Matthew 8:25, above) is an example of a report to Jesus of the situation that the disciples were in, but "Lord, save us" (the same verse) is a prayer to Him for His intervention. Again, "Master, carest thou not that we perish?" in Mark 4 verse 38 is a report and not a prayer. We ought to know and understand these things! 
     Choosing to report your situation to God in prayer, like I said is like accusing Him of not loving you as He claims to do, or of not caring for you as He claims to do, because the reasoning is that if He loves you or cares about you as He claims to, why on earth will He watch you go through that ugly situation? Therefore, to report your situation to God is like you are doubting His love and care for you. Besides, it's like you are doubting His ability to save or deliver you from that situation. 
       To doubt is to waiver and to be double minded! It shows a lack of faith in God. The Bible says in James chapter 1 verses 5 to 7 that we should ask in faith, not wavering because "he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." 
    This accounts for why some don't receive from God when they pray. The correct thing to do is not to pray about your problem, but to pray the answer to your problem (ie, to pray your desire). When you pray the problem or report the problem to God when you pray, you are in effect holding fast to it and confessing it before Him. Indeed, when you pray the problem, it will get worse. 
  A lot of folks are actually complaining, thinking they are praying. They are telling God their problems and why He's not solving them. Did you know that the more you pray the problem the more you say the problem? The more you say the problem, the more you will believe in the problem. The problem will then begin to grow because you are always keeping it before you. It is just like fertilizing the problem. It will grow bigger!
    The Bible says that you will have what you say or confess (Romans 10:10, Mark 11 verses 23 to 24). Like in Matthew 8 verse 25, "Lord, save us" is preferred to "Lord, we perish.", because the latter is a report and not a prayer. Confessing "Lord, we perish" will fetch you what it says. Indeed, before long, you'll perish! It depicts doubt in God's love, care and ability! If He already knows what your needs are before you pray, why remind Him again?
    As little as this difference is, it's good that we take note of it because it's fundamental to whether or not we receive answers to our prayers from God. 

PRAYER:
Lord, henceforth, I cease to report my situation to You in prayer, rather, I pray the solution.