Reading: Answers to Prayer (Dr.

Roels)
Introduction
The Bible gives us many stories about the wonderful ways God answered the prayers of His people.
Battles were won, lives were spared, people were transformed, sick people were healed, demons were
cast out, children were born, the blind were given sight, the deaf were made to hear, people who had
died were raised to life, grieving people were comforted, confused people were given wisdom,
perplexed people were given knowledge, and many others were blessed by a special touch of God's
grace.
These stories encourage us. When we read about those answers to prayer in the past, we become all the
more eager to bring our own petitions and requests to the Lord. Even if some of our own prayers do not
seem to be answered right away, we will still continue to pray as we remember those times when God
mercifully and graciously answered the prayers of others.
We must also remember, of course, that God sometimes answers prayers with a "No” or
"Not now” or "Not yet.” At other times, He may choose to give us even more than we ask
or hope for. But whatever the answer may be, we may be assured that God always hears
and responds to the humble and honest prayers of His faithful people.

When we read about God's answers to prayer in the Bible, we are reminded that God is genuinely
concerned about every aspect of our lives. He is concerned about our health, our finances, our work,
our play, our relationships, our minds and our hearts. There is nothing of concern to us that is not also
of concern to Him.
But we should not forget that God is more concerned about our spiritual well-being than anything else.
If He always gave us exactly what we asked for, we might become boastful or proud or begin to focus
too much on the material or physical side of life.
God's primary interest is not that we become materially rich or physically healthy. Rather,
His main desire is that we learn to love Him with all our heart and soul and mind and
strength and that we love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).

God wants us to trust Him and love Him, to praise and adore Him, and to serve and obey Him in every
area of our lives. And He desires that we increasingly become more like Jesus (Romans 8:29; 2
Corinthians 3:18). Though He delights in bringing us joy and peace and happiness and often showers us
with earthly blessings of many kinds, His primary interest is not in our physical or material well-being or
our earthly pleasures.
When God responds positively to our prayers, therefore, He graciously does so in ways that
enable us to become fruitful and obedient servants who bring glory to His name and bring
blessing to others as we become more like Jesus.

In this Lesson we will look at some of the wonderful answers to prayer that are found in the Bible. By
reflecting on these answers, we will be encouraged to pray with increasing confidence, humility, and
gratitude.

ANSWERS TO PRAYERS FOR PROSPERITY AND SUCCESS

The three examples of answered prayer which are given here are all from the Old Testament. The
followers of Jesus in the New Testament rarely prayed specifically for riches or for material prosperity
and Jesus never emphasized them in His teaching or by His example. Even so, Jesus did clearly teach
that God does provide for the needs of those who look to Him for their daily needs.
"Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, 'Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border,
and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not
bring me pain!' And God granted what he asked.” 1 Chronicles 4:10
"As long as he [Uzziah] sought the Lord, God made him prosper.” 2 Chronicles 26:5

ANSWERS TO PRAYERS FOR VICTORY

The verses cited here are from the Old Testament at a time when God's people were at war or
oppressed by their enemies.
"When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians
were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord.
. . . And Moses said to the people, 'Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which
he will work for you today.'” Exodus 14:10, 13
(Read Exodus 14: 15-28 to see the great victory the Lord gave them.)
On one occasion Moses prayed to the Lord with his hands held up toward heaven and God gave the
people a great victory over the Amalekites. Exodus 17:8-13
"[Their enemies] were given into their hands, for they cried out to God in the battle, and he
granted their urgent plea because they trusted in him.” 1 Chronicles 5:20
"The battle was in front of and behind them. And they cried to the Lord . . . and God gave them
into their hand . . . because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers.” 2 Chronicles 13:14-
18

ANSWERS TO PRAYERS FOR WISDOM OR GUIDANCE

It is always appropriate for us to pray for guidance from the Lord and to ask for wisdom as we make
decisions or as we seek to know how best to proceed in any situation.
Daniel prayed: "To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me
wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made
known to us the king's matter.” Daniel 2:23
Gideon prayed to the Lord for guidance and for confirmation that the Lord had really called him to lead
the people of Israel. God answered Gideon's prayer in a miraculous way. See Judges 6:36-40.
The early Christians often prayed to the Lord for special guidance as they made significant decisions
regarding leadership in the early church.
"And they prayed and said, 'You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two
you have chosen ' . . . And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was
numbered with the eleven apostles.” Acts 1:24-26
"While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas
and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' Then after fasting and praying they laid their
hands on them and sent them off.” Acts 13:2-3
ANSWERS TO PRAYERS FOR SAFETY OR PROTECTION
David and Elisha and Nehemiah were all significant spiritual leaders of God's people in the Old
Testament. However, each one of them was also involved in physical conflicts with the enemies of
Israel. Most Christian leaders today are not directly involved in physical warfare in the way Old
Testament leaders were, but many individual Christians serve in their country's battles and need God's
protection just as the people of Israel did. In addition, in many countries today Christians are often the
object of persecution. Believers in these countries cry out to God for His protecting grace just as people
did in the Old Testament.
David said, "'In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my
voice, and my cry came to his ears.'” 2 Samuel 22:7
(See the amazing account of God's response to David's prayer in verses 8-51.)
When Elisha was surrounded by enemies, he said to his servant:
"'Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.' Then Elisha
prayed and said, 'O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.' So the Lord opened the eyes of
the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all
around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:16-17
When Nehemiah was involved with the rebuilding of the wall around the city of Jerusalem, he
faced strong opposition from the enemies of God's people.
"And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. And
we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. . . . When our
enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the
wall, each to his work.” Nehemiah 4:8-9, 15

ANSWERS TO PRAYERS FOR DELIVERANCE

When the people of Israel were living in Egypt, the Egyptians made slaves of them and placed heavy
burdens on them.
"The people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue
from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant
with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.” Exodus 2:23-24
When the people of Israel in Jerusalem were surrounded by their powerful enemies from Assyria, they
cried out to the Lord their God for help. God responded to them with these words:
"'Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria . . . I will defend this city
to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.'” Isaiah 37:21, 35
(Read Isaiah 37:36-37 to see how God delivered His people from their enemies.)
In the New Testament we read about Paul and Silas and Peter who, on different occasions, had been
put in prison because of their faithful ministry.
"Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.” Acts 12:5
(Read Acts 12:6-12 to see how God answered their prayer.)
"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were
listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the
prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were
unfastened.” Acts 16:25-26
ANSWERS TO PRAYERS FOR HEALING
The Lord frequently answered prayers which people offered for themselves or for others who needed
healing from physical afflictions. Most of the examples presented here are prayers which were offered
for the healing of others rather than for the person who was praying. The one exception to that is
Hezekiah's prayer for healing after God had told him that he was going to die.
"Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female
slaves so that they bore children. For the Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech
because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.” Genesis 20:17-18
"And the king said to the man of God, 'Entreat now the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for
me, that my hand may be restored to me.' And the man of God entreated the Lord. 1 Kings 13:6
"Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, and he prayed to the Lord, and he answered
him and gave him a sign.” 2 Chronicles 32:24
(See Isaiah 38:2-6 for God's wonderful response to Hezekiah's prayer.)
"It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and
prayed, and putting his hands on him healed him. And when this had taken place, the rest of the
people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured.”Acts 28:8-9

ANSWERS TO PRAYERS FOR THE BIRTH OF CHILDREN

"And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his
prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” Genesis 25:21
"God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son.” Genesis 30:17
"Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. She conceived
and bore a son.” Genesis 30:22-23
Hannah, the mother of Samuel, said, "'For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my
petition that I made to him.'” 1 Samuel 1:27
"The angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your
wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.'” Luke 1:13

ANSWERS TO PRAYERS FOR FOOD AND DRINK

When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, they often suffered from a lack of food and
water. Again and again they complained to Moses because of their hunger and thirst. Moses brought
their needs to God in prayer, but the people of Israel rarely expressed thanks to Moses for praying or
to God for answering Moses' prayers!
"The people grumbled against Moses, saying, 'What shall we drink?' And he cried to the Lord, and
the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.” Exodus
15:24-25
God also provided His people with both manna and quail to eat, even though their "petition” took
the form of repeated grumbling rather than humble and sincere petition. Exodus 16: 1-36
On more than one occasion God provided His people with water from a rock after the people
complained and Moses cried out to the Lord in prayer. Exodus 17:1-7
ANSWERS TO PRAYERS FOR A MIRACLE
The Lord often provided miracles in response to the prayers of His people in both the Old and the New
Testaments.
"Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. And the Lord did as Moses asked, and
removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one
remained.” Exodus 8:30-31
"[Elijah] stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, 'O Lord my God, let this
child's life come into him again.' And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the
child came into him again, and he revived.” 1 Kings 17:21-22
"Elijah the prophet came near and said, '. . . Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may
know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back .' Then the fire of the
Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked
up the water that was in the trench.” 1 Kings 18:36-38
(See 1 Kings 18:39 for the response of the people to this miracle!)
"Earnest prayer was made for [Peter] to God by the church. . . .” and Peter was miraculously set
free(Acts 12:5-17).

ANSWERS TO PRAYERS FOR SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS

In the book of Acts, we learn that the early church prayed faithfully and fervently and was richly
blessed spiritually. See, for example, Acts 1:14; Acts 2:1-4; Acts 2:42-47.
"And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with
boldness.” Acts 4:31
Paul wrote to the believers in Colossae: "We always thank God when we pray for you, since we
heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints.” Colossians 1:3-
4
(See also Colossians 1:4-14.)
To the believers in Thessalonica Paul wrote: "We give thanks to God always for all of you,
constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering . . . your work of faith and labor of love
and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3
Paul then continued to mention the other spiritual blessings that were taking place because of
the faithfulness of the believers there. (1 Thessalonians 1:2-10)
In his second letter to the same church Paul wrote: "We ought always to give thanks to God for
you, brothers . . . because your faith is growing abundantly and the love of every one of you for
one another is increasing.” 2 Thessalonians 1:3
To the Christians in Philippi, he wrote: "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in
every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the
gospel from the first day until now.” Philippians 1:3-5

ANSWERS TO PRAYERS FOR OTHER BLESSINGS

 Moses replied [to Pharaoh], "As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to
the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the
earth is the Lord's.” Exodus 9:29
"And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord
heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some
outlying parts of the camp. Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord,
and the fire died down.” Numbers 11:1-2
Moses said, "'I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure that the Lord bore against you, so that
he was ready to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me that time also. And the Lord was so
angry with Aaron that he was ready to destroy him. And I prayed for Aaron also at the same
time.'” Deuteronomy 9:19-20
Moses said, "'I lay prostrate before the Lord for these forty days and forty nights, because the Lord
had said he would destroy you. And I prayed to the Lord, 'O Lord God, do not destroy your people
and your heritage, whom you have redeemed through your greatness, whom you have brought
out of Egypt with a mighty hand.'” Deuteronomy 9:25-26
(God answered Moses' prayer and spared the lives of His people.)

SUMMARY
Throughout the Bible we read how men and women reached out to God in fervent, earnest, and
persevering prayer and how God answered in wonderful, exciting, and miraculous ways. As they
humbled themselves before God and laid hold of His promises, they experienced His power and grace
in ways that glorified the Lord and brought great blessing to themselves and others. Truly, the God of
the Bible is a loving and gracious Father as well as a majestic and Sovereign Lord. He cares deeply about
His people and His ears are open to their cries. Though His people were often disobedient and even
ungrateful, His loving heart was mercifully responsive to their earnest prayers.

Reading: Expect the Best (Dr. Feddes)

"Everything is possible for him who believes.” (Mark 9:23)
Has a mysterious prowler been stalking you lately? You catch glimpses of him on the news, you
sense him lurking in your neighborhood, and then one day he breaks into your home and attacks you
personally. This is no ordinary prowler. He is a giant, and yet he moves in total silence and attacks
without a sound. No lock or security system can keep him away. When he grabs you, you lose all hope
of escaping, you have no strength to fight back, you don't see any way that things can turn out okay. You
might as well give up and give in. The giant's name is Despair, and if you're in his grip too long, he will
paralyze you or strangle the life out of you.

Expecting the Worst

Some time ago I talked on the phone with a woman. The giant Despair had invaded her home and
was attacking her even as we spoke. She and her husband had been married for decades, but their
marriage had problems, and they were just about to the point of giving up. Neither of them wanted to
throw away all those years together, but the woman didn't see much hope that things would ever get
better.
She asked me, "Do you think there's any chance for us? Can a marriage this mixed up possibly
survive?” I replied, "Of course. Anything is possible.” We talked about them going to a marriage
counselor. "My husband says he's willing to go, and so am I,” she said, but then she asked, "Do you
think it's any use? Can a marriage in this much trouble possibly survive?” I said, "Yes. Anything is
possible.” "Have you ever heard of a marriage this bad that survived and got better?” "Yes, I have.” And
so it went. All through our conversation, she kept asking, "Do you think it's even worth trying? Do you
think it's really possible?” And I kept saying over and over, "Yes, it's possible. Anything is possible.
With God all things are possible.”
Despair can paralyze you. It can immobilize you and keep you from trying to get the help you need
to improve your life, and despair can also keep you from taking action to help others.
You start out with high ideals and a desire to make the world better, but then despair stalks and
paralyzes you. You go into teaching, hoping to make a difference in kids' lives, but you don't see much
change, and after awhile you get so tired and discouraged that you stop trying to be creative, you stop
trying to get close to kids, and you just go through the motions to get your paycheck.
Or you try to make a difference in the political arena, but your efforts keep going down to defeat,
and after a while you give up. You stop writing the offices of government officials, you stop being
politically active, you may even stay away from the polls and not bother voting at all.
Or you try to improve conditions in your neighborhood, but the gangs keep moving in, the
businesses keep moving out, the crime keeps going up, and all your efforts seem like a waste. Why keep
trying? Why not just keep your head low and do your best not to get yourself hurt, or better yet, get out
of the neighborhood entirely, if you can.
Maybe you want to do something to help the homeless in this country or the hungry in other
countries, but there are so many, and there seem to be more every time you look. Every time you turn on
the television, there seems to be another disaster, another famine, another group of refugees fleeing their
homeland. It grieves you to see these tragedies, but after a while, it all gets so overwhelming that you're
tempted just to ignore it. You can't change the world, so why not forget about it and get on with making
yourself comfortable?
Those are just a few of the ways that the despair can paralyze you. Despair makes you expect the
worst. The world will never be any better. Your relationships will never be any better. You look forward
to nothing but "the same old same old.” You stop believing in a better future, you stop thinking things
can ever be different, and you stop trying.

Everything is Possible
Has this giant Despair been stalking you lately? If so, I have good news for you. You don't have to
expect the worst. Expect the best! You may not see how you can find your way out of a mess you're in;
you may not see how your efforts can make any difference in the world around you--but if you'll stop
looking at yourself long enough to look at God, your entire outlook will change.
Listen to some of the things Jesus says in the Bible: "With man this is impossible, but with God all
things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). "I tell you the truth,” says Jesus, "if you have faith as small as a
mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be
impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20). "Everything is possible for him who believes” (Mark 9:23).
What's possible? Everything is possible!
In Mark 9 the Bible describes the situation where Jesus said that. A boy was possessed by an evil
spirit, a demon. This spirit made the boy unable to talk and often threw him into seizures and
convulsions. The boy's father took him to Jesus' disciples and asked them to help. They tried, but they
couldn't heal the boy or free him from the demon. Some religious teachers saw all this and made some
remarks which the disciples didn't appreciate. The disciples soon got into an argument with these
teachers. Meanwhile, the man and his son were left standing.
Sound familiar? Those of us who claim to follow Jesus sometimes like to argue and bicker with
those who disagree with us, and meanwhile, we're no help to people in desperate need. Too often our
religion is not one of divine power to help others, but of quarrelsome words to prove we're right. We
sometimes think our greatest need is a better argument to straighten out people who disagree with us,
when what we really need is the power of God to help people who are desperate.
The disciples were embroiled in argument with their opponents when Jesus walked up and asked
what they were arguing about. Before any of them could say a word, the desperate man spoke up and
explained the situation. He described his son's problem and added,
"I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”
"O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall
I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”
So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a
convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?”
"From childhood,” he answered. "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But
if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
It's no wonder this father had a hard time expecting anything good to happen. His son had been this
way as long as he could remember. Why expect anything to change? The spirit gripping the boy was
mysterious and powerful, it seemed nothing could dislodge it, and when the man went to some followers
of the great healer from Nazareth, they were no help at all. The best they could do was ignore him and
have an argument with somebody else. No wonder the man had a hard time expecting the best. So he
wearily said to Jesus, "If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”
"'If you can'”? said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes.” The question wasn't
whether Jesus was able, but whether the man would believe.
Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
Jesus then drove out the evil spirit, and gave the boy to his father, healthy and normal. Later, Jesus'
disciples asked him, "Why couldn't we drive it out?” He replied, "This kind can come out only by
prayer” (Mark 9:14-30)
If you depend only on your own power, and if you look only at the circumstances around you, you'll
eventually reach a point where you fail completely, where you lose hope, where you no longer expect
the best. That's when you need to focus on Jesus and on the power of God.
The father of the demon-possessed boy had to look beyond the power of the demon, beyond past
disappointments, beyond all the discouraging factors in the situation, and realize that because of who
Jesus is, "all things are possible for him who believes.” The disciples had to realize that their failure and
their getting bogged down in arguments came from relying on themselves, when they should have been
praying and relying on God.
I remember a conversation with a man who had a huge problem. For many years he had been
involved with the occult and the dark power of demons. It had all started with an interest in Wicca, a
religion of nature worship and a cheerful, appealing view of witchcraft. But his involvement in
witchcraft had grown deeper and darker year after year, until he found himself enslaved to powers he
had never dared to imagine. When he spoke to me, he desperately wanted to be free, but he had a hard
time believing it could ever happen. "Do you think it's possible God could ever forgive me?” he asked.
"Do you think it's possible for me ever to recover from the damage that's been done to my soul?” I kept
telling him over and over that the blood of Jesus makes it possible for God to forgive even someone who
had entangled himself in the work of demons and that the power of Christ is great enough to set anyone
free. In fact, the power of Christ compared to demons is like an elephant compared to an ant. That's why
anyone who believes in Christ can expect the best.
 Before you can expect the best, you must focus on the Lord and his power, not the size of the
challenge or on the resources you have. This is true in escaping our own personal problems and having a
brighter future, and it's also true when we're trying to deal with the needs of others.
One day Jesus was preaching to a crowd of over five thousand people, and it was getting late. The
people were getting hungry, so Jesus told his disciples to give them something to eat. The disciples look
at their resources and decide it was no use even trying to feed a crowd that size. "We have here only five
loaves of bread and two fish.” But Jesus says, "Bring them here to me.” Then he proceeded to feed the
entire crowd, and there are leftovers besides (Matthew 14:13-21).
To expect the best, you and I need to stop thinking only of the immensity of the challenge or the
smallness of our resources, and we need to start focusing on God. Today we still face the huge task of
helping countless hungry people, and like the disciples we're tempted to say there's not much we can do
for them. We're tempted just to despair and do nothing. But when we focus again on the power of God,
and how Jesus can turn small beginnings into something great, how he can turn a family lunch into a
feast for a multitude, then we can offer what little we have, and trust Jesus to take care of the results.
Focus on Jesus and his power--that's the key to expecting the best and accomplishing the impossible.
Maybe you know the story of when Jesus' disciples were out in a boat, and Jesus came to them walking
on the water. Peter said, "Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus said, "Come.” So
Peter got out of the boat and started walking toward Jesus. He did fine for a few steps, but then he
suddenly noticed how stormy it was, and he got scared and started to sink. Peter cried out, "Lord, save
me!” Jesus reached out his hand and caught Peter. "You of little faith,” he said, "why did you doubt?”
(Matthew 14:25-31) As long as Peter focused on Jesus, he was okay, but the moment he paid more
attention to his circumstances than to Jesus, he chickened out and started to sink.
That can easily happen to you and me. We look at all the difficulties and challenges we're facing,
and it suddenly seems impossible to go on. It can happen in a marriage, in a friendship, in a parent -child
relationship, in an goal you've been pursuing. You start out okay, but somewhere along the line, you see
all the problems and impossibilities in your situation, and you start to sink. But even then it's not too late.
Whatever storms and waves are threatening you, Jesus is greater than all of them. So don't give up hope.
Instead, stop looking only at the storm, start looking at Jesus again, and, like Peter, cry out, "Lord, save
me!” Expect Jesus to carry you through.

Realistic Expectations
Expect the best. Expect God's power to give you victory over any evil you face. Expect this because
God's power is unlimited--nothing is impossible for God. And expect this because the deepest truth
about the universe is that it has a happy ending, and you can be part of that happy ending if you belong
to Christ. When you trust Jesus to be your Savior and Lord, you can expect the best, because the best is
going to happen. You're not just wishing or fantasizing. You're being realistic. You can be sure that your
life has a happy ending, and that the world itself has a happy ending.
The giant Despair tries to convince you that it's no use, that it's all over. You don't have much of a
future, the world doesn't have much of a future, and so you'd better just get used to it. But God is bigger
than any giant. The gospel of Jesus Christ declares that no matter how dark your situation, you have a
future, a great and glorious future. And no matter how troubled the world is, the day is coming when the
world will be made new. God will wipe away every tear, and there will be no more death or mourning or
crying or pain (Revelation 21:4). And because that is true, God's message to you and me is this: Be not
afraid. Trust in Jesus. Expect the best. And never give up. Never, never, never give up.
Never give up on your own life. You may be facing some tough problems, some terrible struggles.
But don't give up. God is greater than your troubles. Expect the best. Scripture says, "The prospect of the
righteous is joy” (Proverbs 10:28). The Bible also says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give
you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). "And we know that in all things God works for the good of
those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). If you belong to
Jesus, God has a wonderful plan for you, and he will work all things for your good.
What does this mean in your day-to-day life? Often it means that God will solve a problem or heal
an illness or restore a relationship in a surprising and miraculous way. Just when you see no hope for
changing the situation on your own, you look to God and cry out to him and trust him to help you, and
you get a direct and astonishing answer to your prayers. The God of the Bible is alive and well, and he
still answers prayer in very specific and startling ways.
But what if he doesn't? Sometimes God doesn't give you the answer you're looking for. What then?
Well, expect the best anyway. Expect that no matter what disappointments come your way, God will
bring you through to share in his ultimate blessings. Even if you don't get over a sickness or handicap,
even if your spouse refuses to love you and divorces you instead, even if you fail at something and your
finances collapse, don't give up. Expect the best.
Don't let the giant Despair convince you that you're finished and your life is over. As Yogi Berra
once said, "It ain't over till it's over”--and it ain't over. You're still a child of God, your life is in his
hands, and he is going to pick you up and carry you through. Your life is worth living as long as you
have God and he has you. And in his own time and in his own way, he will bring you to the splendid
destiny he has in mind for you. The Bible says, "A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord
delivers him from them all” (Psalm 34:19). In another place God says, "For though a righteous man falls
seven times he rises again” (Proverbs 24:16).
Not even death itself can drive you to despair. Some of you may have life-threatening illnesses, and
unless you get a miracle soon, you will die. But even death is not the end. You can still expect the best.
Jesus conquered death, he rose from the grave, and he promises a new resurrection body for every one of
his people. The God who delivers you from many troubles, who lifts you up again and again when you
fall, will deliver you from death itself and lift you up into everlasting life. If that seems farfetched, even
impossible, listen again to Jesus: "With God all things are possible. Everything is possible for him who
believes.” To people who didn't believe in resurrection, Jesus said, "You are in error because you do not
know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matthew 22:29). But if you do know the Scriptures, and if
you do know the power of God, then you know that your destiny is resurrection. So even if you're dying,
you can expect the best.
Never give up on your own life. Never. And never give up on the future of this world and its people.
Expect the best for yourself, and expect the best for the whole creation. Never give up trying to make a
difference, because someday the world will be different. Don't let past disappointments discourage you
and paralyze you. Let the future control your outlook, not the past. A day is coming when there will be
no disease, no hunger, no war, no hatred, no tears. So no matter how overwhelming these things can
seem at times, you can keep right on trying to overcome them with the power of love, because you
already know that love is going to have the final word. God's creation will indeed have a happy ending,
and you can have a part in God's plan to bring that about.
The Bible says, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”
(Hebrews 11:1). With this kind of faith, the heroes of the Bible were able to face impossible odds, do
great miracles, and win great victories over the power of evil. And even those who didn't enjoy success
in their lifetime but instead were persecuted and killed--even these people never gave up on God or on
his ideals or on the future he had promised. Even their suffering played a part in carrying out God's plan.
Faith gives you the power to endure the worst and still expect the best.
When you expect the best, you expect the triumph of love. Through Jesus Christ God's love is the
ultimate future of his people, the ultimate future of this creation--and when you know that, the future
takes hold of the present and transforms it. Someone has said, "Hope is the ability to listen to the music
of the future. Faith is the courage to dance to it in the present.” Are you listening to the music of God's
future? Are you dancing to it right now?
Reading: The Prisoner and the Dictator (Dr. Feddes)
The dictator was evil; the prisoner was innocent. The dictator was in charge; the prisoner
was in chains. The dictator was on a roll; the prisoner was on a losing streak. The dictator was
about to gain more power; the prisoner was about to die. But the prisoner ended up free, and
the dictator ended up dead.
The Bible tells the story in Acts 12. The dictator, King Herod, arrested the apostle Peter.
Peter wasn't a criminal, and Herod had nothing personal against him. It was just politics.
Important people wanted Peter dead and Christian activities shut down. Herod figured it would
pay politically to keep those people happy, so he had Peter arrested.
Peter was kept in a cell. Beyond the walls and door of his cell was another walled area with
another door. If he somehow got past that, he still wouldn't be free. He'd find himself in a
courtyard facing an even higher, stronger wall, with the only exit being a locked iron gate.
Escape looked impossible. Peter was between two soldiers at all times, with one of his wrists
chained to one soldier, and the other wrist chained to the other soldier. A third soldier guarded
the door to the cell, a fourth guarded the next door, and various soldiers patrolled the outer
courtyard. A total of sixteen soldiers--four squads of four soldiers each--took turns guarding
Peter around the clock. Herod was taking no chances that Peter might disappear.
"So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him” (Acts
12:5). They prayed because they were devout and were supposed to pray, and they prayed
because they were desperate and couldn't do much else. But they didn't expect much. They
figured Peter was a goner.
The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two
soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly
an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the
side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists.
Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so.
"Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him
out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really
happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second
guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and
they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the
angel left him.
Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord
sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches...”
When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John,
also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked
at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door.
When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without
opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!”
"You're out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so,
they said, "It must be his angel.”
But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they
were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described
how the Lord had brought him out of prison. (Acts 12:6-17)

Low Expectations
 That story reminds me of a farming community that was hit by a long period of hot, dry
weather. Parched plants began to shrivel. If it didn't rain soon, the crops would die. There
would be no harvest. Many farmers would be ruined. As the situation became more and more
desperate, the local Christians decided to have a special prayer meeting to ask God to send
rain. When they had gathered in the church, the pastor looked around at them and said, "This
is a prayer meeting for rain. Why didn't any of you bring your umbrellas?”
When Peter was in prison and the Christians met to pray for him, they didn't bring
umbrellas. They didn't expect their prayers to be answered. When Peter knocked at their door,
Rhoda was so amazed to hear Peter's voice that she forgot to open the door for him. When
she told the others, they thought she must be hysterical. When she kept insisting that Peter
was there, they figured that Peter's guardian angel--unemployed now that Peter was dead--had
come to pay them a visit. In their minds, anything was more likely than Peter himself, in the
flesh, knocking at the door. But it was Peter!
When people prayed for Peter, shouldn't they have been expecting Peter to show up?
When people pray for rain, shouldn't they have umbrellas standing by? When you pray for
something, shouldn't you pray with confidence? Well, it's not easy to pray with confidence
when you're on a losing streak. If you've prayed again and again for rain but the drought
continues, it's easy to assume that you'll come up dry on the next prayer too. Why bring any
umbrellas to this particular prayer meeting? If you've prayed on various occasions for God to
save someone's life but they've died anyway, why expect God to rescue the person you're
praying for now? If your praying seems to be on a losing streak, if God himself seems to be on
a losing streak, it's hard to pray with high expectations.
Peter's friends might have had higher expectations if they had been praying while they
were still on a winning streak. There had been a period of time when God was doing one
amazing thing after another. The winning streak started when God raised Jesus from the dead
after his enemies had killed him. The winning streak continued when Jesus ascended to the
throne of heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to his followers on Pentecost. They received such
power in preaching that thousands of people put their faith in Jesus. The apostles did amazing
miracles, and many more people became Christians. Even when enemies opposed them, the
Christian winning streak continued. The first time the apostles were arrested, their enemies
couldn't decide how to punish them, and they let them go. A bit later the apostles were arrested
again. "But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them
out” (Acts 5:19).
Now, if it had been right at that point that Herod arrested Peter, those Christians would
have prayed with confidence for Peter's release. They would not have been shocked to see
Peter standing at their door. There had already been one angel rescue from prison, so why not
expect another? But between that first rescue and the later rescue of Peter, a lot had
happened. The winning streak had come to an end. The rescues had stopped. The momentum
had apparently shifted to God's enemies.
God seemed to be on a losing streak. It began when the apostles were arrested yet again.
Some of their enemies wanted to kill the apostles but were talked out of it and settled for
whipping them severely (Acts 5:40). After that whipping, things went from bad to worse. A
deacon named Stephen, a key leader among the Christians, was killed by an angry mob, who
pelted him with rocks until he died. Then the problems went beyond mob violence to a planned
campaign by the government to destroy the church's leadership. King Herod arrested some
Christians. The dictator ordered that the apostle James, one of the three top leaders of the
church, have his head chopped off. I'm sure the church was praying for James, but he was not
rescued. James was killed at Herod's command. And then Herod had Peter, the chief
spokesman of the apostles, arrested and held under the tightest possible security.
 What a losing streak! First a savage whipping, then a key leader murdered by a mob, then
an even more important leader executed by the government, then the most important leader of
all arrested and scheduled for death. In a losing streak like that, it was hard to expect much in
answer to prayer. Sure, God had done great things in the past, but what had God done lately?
What if the era of miracles was over? What if God was no longer answering prayers as he did
earlier?
Maybe you know the feeling. You enjoy a period of time when things go well for you and
many prayers are answered the way you hoped, and it's easy to pray with confidence. But then
the momentum seems to shift. One thing after another goes wrong, and your prayers seem to
make no difference. In fact, the more you pray, the worse things seem to get. Even then, you
still pray, but not with confidence. You pray mainly out of duty or desperation. Duty says
praying is what you ought to do, and desperation says praying is the only thing you can do, so
you do it. You pray. But you have low expectations or none at all. That's what a losing streak
can do to your confidence in prayer.

Name It And Claim It?

One way people try to build more confidence in prayer is by trying to convince themselves
that God will do whatever they ask, if only they can get themselves to believe strongly enough.
Their philosophy is, "Name it, and claim it.” State what you want, declare that it's yours, and it
will be yours. In this view, the key to getting results in prayer is to want something eagerly
enough and to believe firmly enough.
But is this true? Did God rescue Peter from prison because people prayed with such
certainty? Far from it! When they prayed, they didn't believe Peter would be rescued. Even
after it happened, they still could hardly believe it. God's action obviously did not depend on
their level of confidence. They had far less confidence when they prayed for Peter than when
they prayed for James. When they prayed for James, an earlier rescue was still in their minds,
and they probably expected it to happen again. But James was killed. When they prayed for
Peter, they didn't expect much. But God rescued Peter anyway. So God's answers to prayer
don't always depend on our level of certainty but on his wise choice of what's best.
The "name it and claim it” approach is right to emphasize confidence in God's power to do
anything we ask, but it's wrong to assume that we always know God's will ahead of time or that
getting the result we desire is as simple as stating what we want and feeling certain we'll get it.
This approach isn't just incorrect; it's harmful in at least three ways. The first problem is that
it degrades God by putting him under our control. God has no choice but to do what we tell him
to do. All it takes is for us to psych ourselves into being sure. If only we can pump up our
confidence enough, God has to do it. The power comes from him, but the decision is ours.
Once we name and claim something, God must do what we say. We call the shots, and God
follows our orders. This approach degrades God. It fails to recognize that God is always free to
follow his own mysterious wisdom rather than do what we want--no matter how sincerely and
confidently we might be praying.
A second problem with this approach is that it judges and blames people. If "name it and
claim it” is true, then if you can't get a problem solved or get a prayer answered the way you
want, it's your own fault. Someone suffering from cancer is told, "The reason you haven't been
healed is that you don't have enough faith.” Someone struggling with financial setbacks or
other problems is told, "You must have some secret sin that blocks you from the prosperity
God can give you.” A person paralyzed in an accident is told, "If you would simply name it and
claim it, you could walk again. But you have too much doubt.” This is terribly wrong. If it is
God's will not to grant a prayer request, then it is cruel to blame someone's sin or lack of faith
for their problem. It harms those who need help. It discourages those who need
encouragement.
A third problem with "name it and claim it” thinking is that it puffs up those who ought to be
more humble. If things are going your way and you're prosperous and healthy, you say to
yourself, "Ah, this is because of my strong faith and clean living. I don't have hidden sins that
block me from God's blessing, and I have a high-quality faith that makes good things keep
flowing from God to me.” Instead of humbly thanking God for undeserved blessings, you feel
proud that you've impressed God.
God's ways are not so easy to figure out. James was beheaded; Peter was rescued. Was
that because James was more sinful than Peter? Was that because the church's prayers for
Peter were more expectant than the prayers for James? No, the prayers for Peter
were less expectant, and James was no more sinful than Peter--both were saved by Jesus'
blood, not by their own goodness. Why did James die while Peter went on living? For reasons
known only to God.
You might think Peter got a better deal than James, but keep in mind that James was taken
straight to heaven, while Peter had to go on working hard leading people to Jesus and
struggling with obstacles. Years later Peter was killed by being crucified upside down. Even an
apostle rescued from death ended up being killed later on. At some point, even faith healers
end up dying of something that their faith doesn't heal. It's clear, then, that God doesn't always
spare us from trouble, and the Lord doesn't always give us exactly what we pray for. All of us
will have times when our prayers don't get the answers we were hoping for, and all of us end
up dying of something, no matter how much faith we have.

Expect More
"Name it and claim it” thinking is wrong, but there's another way to go wrong. Many of us
go the opposite extreme. Our problem isn't that we expect too much of prayer but too little. We
might pray, but we're stunned when we get a joyous answer to prayer. We're shocked when
God actually does what we ask him to do. Our expectations are often far too low.
If we have a prayer meeting for rain, God might choose not to send the rain--but shouldn't
we take an umbrella to the prayer meeting just in case? If Peter is in prison and the church is
praying for him to be rescued, God might not rescue him--but shouldn't someone at least be
watching for him just in case God does rescue him? If you bring your requests to God,
shouldn't you be looking for his answer?
Many of us need to expect far more than we do. Let's not only think it's possible God will do
what we ask, but let's consider it certain that God will give what we pray for, unless he chooses
to answer in a way that's even better than what we prayed for. Some of God's answers are
thrilling, while others are at first disappointing, even shattering. But when God's people pray,
God always answers in the way that's best, even if it doesn't always seem that way at the time.
No obstacle can prevent God from doing what he chooses. His answer doesn't depend on
the difficulty of the situation or on whether you feel like you're on a winning streak or a losing
streak. God is not affected by momentum. Sports announcers often talk about momentum. One
team has the upper hand for awhile, but then the momentum swings to the other team. Well,
God never loses momentum. God never has a losing streak, even when it seems that way to
us. God never fails. He works all things according to his own purposes and for the good of his
people. You can be sure of that. If you pray for something, you might not be absolutely sure
that God will do what you ask, but you can be absolutely sure that if it's best, God will indeed
do it. You might sometimes be unclear about what God will decide, but never be unsure of
God's power to do what he decides. When God decided to free Peter, cells and doors and iron
gates couldn't stop him. Chains and soldiers and a nasty dictator couldn't stop him. If God
wanted Peter to be free, then Peter would be free.
Peter himself did not need to be rescued from death in order to be okay. He was as ready
to die as he was ready to live. Peter was not afraid of death. I sometimes think that the biggest
miracle in the story is how soundly Peter slept the night before he was supposed to be
executed. Would you sleep that soundly if it looked as though you would die the next day?
Peter was so deep in sleep that the angel struck him on the side to wake him up. Even then
Peter was so sleepy that he thought he was dreaming until he found himself a block away from
the dungeon with the night breeze in his face. How could Peter rest so well? The Bible says,
"Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” (Romans 14:8), and that was Peter's attitude.
He was ready to die and spend eternity with Christ, but he was also delighted to go on living
and serve Christ awhile longer.
What a difference it makes when you know Jesus as your comfort in life and in death. You
can have peace in your heart when death threatens you, and you can have joy in your heart
when God extends your life. In all circumstances, count on the Lord. He never fails. He will
either do what you pray for or do something that even more effectively honors his name,
advances his kingdom, and enhances the good of all his people. When God allowed James to
die, it was not because God couldn't handle the power of Herod. It was because God in his
wisdom chose to bring James home to Jesus. When God decided to rescue Peter, Herod
couldn't stop him. No power on earth or in heaven can stop God.

Death of a Dictator
The story of the prisoner and the dictator shows God's kindness and help for his friends. It
also shows God's judgment of his enemies. When Peter turned up missing from the prison, the
soldiers couldn't figure out what happened. Herod ordered a search, but Peter was nowhere to
be found. Herod questioned the guards (probably using torture) but the guards couldn't explain
what happened to Peter, so the dictator had them executed.
Then Herod attended to other political matters. He had a dispute with some cities in a
neighboring country, but Herod had the upper hand, since they depended on the dictator's
country for their food supply. So Herod went to visit them and scheduled a speech in a
stadium. Modern politicians have media experts and image consultants, but they couldn't top
Herod's talent in this department. Josephus, a historian who lived at that time, wrote that Herod
had a special robe made with silver woven into the fabric so that light would gleam from it. He
timed his speech for early morning, starting at sunrise, so that the first rays of the sun would
shine on the king's silver robe and dazzle the people. As Herod spoke, the people responded
by shouting, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Whether the people were dazzled into
thinking Herod was divine or were simply hungry and wanted to flatter Herod into supplying
them with food, their shouts were exactly what the dictator wanted to hear. It felt good to have
absolute power and to be praised as a god.
In the Bible God says, "I am the Lord... I will not give my glory to another” (Isaiah 42:8).
The position of absolute power and deity is already occupied, and not by Herod. God had been
patient with Herod and had allowed him to go on living despite committing many sins, but at
that point, God decided that Herod was finished. "Immediately, because Herod did not give
praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms, and died”
(Acts 12:23). Josephus the historian parallels the Bible's account and reports that Herod
suffered terribly for five days before died. He was 54 years old.
Acts 12 starts with Herod at the height of his powers, with Peter in prison, and with the
church afraid and apparently in danger of being wiped out. Acts 12 ends with Herod dead, with
Peter spreading the gospel, and with the church growing by leaps and bounds. Indeed, after
the Bible describes all these events, Acts 12:24 says, "But the word of God continued to
increase and spread.” That's what it's all about. Some people may be martyred while others
may be rescued, depending on what God decides. Dictators may attack the church or be struck
down. But through it all, the word of God keeps spreading, and its impact keeps growing,
bringing people to faith in Jesus, transforming lives, affecting societies and nations. If you pray
for God to rescue you from a particular problem, he might do it, and he might not. Either
way,you may be sure that God will do what you ask when you pray, "Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” God's name will be vindicated,
and those who defile God's name will perish. God's kingdom will flourish, and God's enemies
will end up as worm food.
The story of the prisoner and the dictator is a sweet promise and a stern warning. Those
who belong to Jesus have the sweet promise that nothing can separate them from his love and
that they have divine power to triumph over every enemy. Those who reject the Lord and make
themselves their own supreme authority have the stern warning that God's enemies will perish.
When God rescued Peter and destroyed Herod, he gave a snapshot view of what's at stake for
every one of us. God's angel rescued Peter, and Jesus promises that he will someday come
again with all his holy angels to rescue his people and renew the world. God's angel struck
Herod with worms that gnawed inside his body, and Jesus warns that after death, God's
enemies will suffer in "hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark
9:48). Each of us will either be rescued from all evils by the Lord's saving power, or we will
perish under his wrath. There is no third option, only salvation or damnation. The lowliest
prisoner who has Christ is better off than the mightiest ruler without Christ.

Reading: Getting Whatever You Pray For

Mark 11:12-25
12On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And
seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on
it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for
figs. 14 And he said to it, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his
disciples heard it.
15And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive
out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the
tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he
would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was
teaching them and saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a
house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And
the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him,
for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And
when evening came they went out of the city.
20As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its
roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you
cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I
say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,'
and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it
will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that
you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying,
forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in
heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Withered fig tree: a warning

 "There will be no figs on the tree, and their leaves will wither. What I have given them
will be taken from them.” (Jer 8:13)
 Jeremiah called the temple "a den of robbers” and said that Jerusalem and its temple
would be destroyed. (Jer 7)
 The withered fig tree was Jesus' warning of judgment upon the fruitless temple,
priesthood, Jerusalem, and Jewish nation, unless they repented.

A picture of judgment
Like the fig tree in full leaf but devoid of fruit, the temple, bustling with priestly
activity, was all show, with no true fruit for God. Consequently, the Jerusalem
temple, which was supposed to be functioning as a house of prayer for Jew and
Gentile alike, would soon be destroyed and replaced by a new community of
prayer to be drawn from all nations. (David Crump)

Withered fig tree

 Negative picture of judgment on a faithless, fruitless people.

 Positive picture of prayer power.

23And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever
says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in
his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for
him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have
received it, and it will be yours. 25And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you
have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may
forgive you your trespasses.”

Slides of Christmas presents, palmy beach, football touchdown, Lamborghini

sports car, mansion, beautiful singing star, romantic couple, happy children,
megachurch. Can you get each of these by claiming Jesus' promise: "Whatever
you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” No!

A thrilling promise

 Enthusiastic about Jesus: Christ came to give us abundant life. God is good.
 Optimistic about our future: Our faith can get us anything we pray for and make
each day better than the last.
 Confident in prayer: God's will is for us to be healthy, happy, and successful. By the
prayer of faith, we receive health, happiness, and success into our lives.

A troubling promise

 Disappointed in Jesus: Prayer doesn't work like Jesus said it would.

 Ashamed of ourselves: Our faith must be too weak to get what we're asking.
 Confused in prayer: Does God want us to feel sure that we have received what we
request? Or does God want us to feel unsure about the answer and end prayer with, "If
it be your will”?

Slides of hospital patient, graveyard, hungry orphans, soldiers with weapons: Many
people pray but do not get what they asked, even though Jesus said, "Whatever
you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

A blank check?

 Does God promise to do whatever you ask if you're able to make yourself believe that
you already have it? No.
 Faith is trust in God and believing his promise to do some particular thing.
 God's promise does not originate in our faith; our faith originates in God's promise.
 Doubt-free faith is not psyching yourself into believing that something must happen.

Psychological gymnastics
We must not encourage in ourselves or others any tendency to work up a
subjective state which, if we succeeded, we should describe as "faith,” with the
idea that this will somehow insure the granting of our prayer. We have probably all
done this as children. But the state of mind which desperate desire working on a
strong imagination can manufacture is not faith in a Christian sense. It is a feat of
psychological gymnastics. (C. S. Lewis)

Whatever you ask in Jesus' name

I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the
Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it... If you remain in
me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you... I
tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name... Ask and
you will receive, and your joy will be complete. (John 14:13-14, 15:7, 16:23-24)

"In Jesus' name” does not mean:

 In the name of Jesus, who walked dusty roads and had no place to lay his head, I
claim a luxury car and a mansion!
 In the name of Jesus, who says we cannot serve both God and money, I claim wealth!
 In the name of Jesus, the man of sorrows who was familiar with grief, I claim a pain-
free, pleasurable life!
 In the name of Jesus, who died on a cross, I claim comforts without any crosses!

In Jesus' name
Prayer in Jesus' name is not just believing really strongly that you'll get what you want and
saying "in Jesus' name” really loudly.
Praying in Jesus' name means:

 I rely on Jesus' merit and deny mine.

 I seek Jesus' aims and not my aims.
 I pray in Jesus' authority and power.
 I call for Jesus' supplies to carry on his mission.

Prayers God ignores

 Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen (Isaiah 1:15)
 When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen. (Zech 7:13)
 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may
spend what you get on your pleasures. (James 4:3)

Have faith in God!

Faith in God Himself comes before faith in particular answers to prayer.

 Embrace God's Son

 Know God's character
 Believe God's Word
 Trust God's grace
 Desire God's glory
 Hear God's promise
 Count on God's power

Have faith in God!

Believing God is simply looking at God and at what He is, allowing Him to reveal
His presence to us. Give Him time and completely yield to Him, receiving and
rejoicing in His love... Faith in the promise is the fruit of f aith in the promiser... Faith
that prays effectively is indeed a gift of God. It is not something He bestows or
infuses all at once, but is far deeper and truer. It is the blessed disposition or habit
of soul which grows up in us through a life of communion with Him. (Andrew
Murray)

Contrasting prayer patterns

 Get things from God: Power in petitionary prayer depends on visible passion,
declared faith, length of prayer, number of prayers, and perhaps posture.
 Get to know God better: Power in petitionary prayer depends on intimacy in relational
prayer. Know God a little, and experience little power in petition. Know God a lot, and
experience great power in petition.

Grace-based prayer

 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that
your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. (Mark 11:25)
 Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned;
forgive, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37)

Unhindered prayers

 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors... For if you forgive others
their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive
others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matt 6:12, 14-
15)
 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives... so that
nothing will hinder your prayers. (1 Peter 3:7)

Faith to forgive
"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins
against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,'
you must forgive him.” The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!” And the
Lord said, "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this
mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.” (Luke
17:3-6)

Moving mountains
 Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. Who are you, O
great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. (Zech 4:6-7)
 Every mountain and hill shall be made low... And the glory of the LORD shall be
revealed. (Isaiah 40:4-5)
 And I will make all my mountains a road, and my highways shall be raised up. (Isaiah
49:11)
 Mount Zion, the temple mount, would be removed when God's judgment came and the
Romans destroyed the temple. The mountain that resisted and rejected Jesus would
be tossed into the sea of judgment.
 Persecuted Christians would be comforted that their main early opponents could not
permanently hinder Jesus' followers.
 In the war of faith against the mountain of unbelief, faith in Jesus would triumph.

God's colleagues
Such promises about prayer with faith refer to a degree or kind of faith which most
believers never experience...it occurs only when the one who prays does so as
God's fellow worker, demanding what is needed for the joint work... the fellow-
worker, the companion or (dare we say?) the colleague of God is so united with
Him at certain moments that something of the divine foreknowledge enters his
mind. (C. S. Lewis)

According to God's will

 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm
37:4)
 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according
to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know
that we have what we asked of him.(1 John 5:14-15)

Faith claiming God's will

 Andrew Murray: It is often spiritual sloth that, under the appearance of humility,
professes to have no will. It fears the trouble of searching for the will of God, or, when
found, the struggle of claiming it in faith.
 Before we can believe, we must find out and know what God's will is. Believing is the
exercise of a soul surrendered to the influence of the Holy Spirit. Once we do believe,
nothing is impossible.

First things first

 Relating before requesting: then requests flow from relationship.
 God's glory before my gladness: then my main gladness is His glory.
 God's purposes before my priorities: then God's purposes become my priorities
 Others before myself: then answers to my prayers for others bring as much or more
joy than answers to prayer for myself
 Holiness before happiness: I am more eager to be Christ-like than comfortable

Lord, teach us to pray.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our
debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from the evil one. (Matt 6:9-13)

Specific faith

 Overall faith in God makes possible each prayer of faith in a particular situation.
 As we relate with God and partner in His mission, God may grant a special gift of
knowing what God is about to do.
 This faith, this knowing of something not yet visible, enables us to pray a completely
confident prayer because God has given an extraordinary clarity and assurance of
what He is about to do.

Authorized and empowered

 Jesus' curse on the tree was authorized and empowered by God in answer to prayer.
 The more we are in tune with Jesus and his mission, the more our prayers bring about
things authorized and empowered by God.
 In the new creation, our words and work will rule reality. We will be perfectly in tune
with God, know exactly what he wants, pray with certainty, speak words that always
come true, and accomplish all works we attempt.

Getting whatever you pray for

What Jesus doesn't say here:

 "God factors your requests into His plan.”

 "God grants requests that are good for you.”
 "Prayer doesn't change events or God's actions; prayer changes you.”
 "God always answers prayer. He answers yes, no, or wait awhile.”
Jesus says: "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have
received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24)