‘God never sleeps; He never slumbers, He never tires
of answering our prayers’- Don moen
There
are many questions that bother every young Christian. Does God truly answer
prayers? If yes, why has He never been able to answer my prayers? Why did I
fail that examination in spite of the fact that I put in all my best? Why did
He refuse to provide for my parents so I could travel out of this frustrating
country? Why has He not granted my heart desires? Why? Why? Why? Why? This has
been the questions that have bothered many Christians at one point or the
other. No matter how strong you think you have grown in your Christian
faith, you have definitely come to a crossroad in your life where you almost,
if not doubted God. I heard of a very funny story that better butress this
point. There was a young boy who had prayed to God for his heart desire for too
long a time. After some months, the boy stopped praying and screamed to God
‘Dear Jesus, are you deaf?
Just
like that young boy in the short yarn above, many christians including myself
have at on time or the other screamed at God 'are you deaf?'The holy book has
inexhaustible chronicle of great men and prophets who almost threw their faith
and trust in God in to the trash can! Daniel asked God ‘Dear God why have
you forsaken me? Jeremiah screamed ‘Is there is no balm in Gilead? There
are numerous recounts of strong men of God who at one point in their lives
began to have shaky faith. But despite the fact that as some point in our lives
God seems to be 'slow' in answering our prayers, we know well that He still
answers prayers. We know well that he is the same yesterday, today and forever more.
He assured us that ‘If you ask anything in my name I will give it to you’.
Despite my little knowledge about God, I am not still blind to His Goodness and
generosity.
For you to understand the nature of God , you must
understand that His ways are not our ways and that His thoughts are not our
thoughts. He is the
Omnipotent i.e.almighty, the beginning and the end. He was there when the
foundations of the earth was casted. This is to say that he is ‘all
understanding’ and 'all knowing'. He knows every thing and can best tell what
is best for us. Where we have erred is our inability to understand what He is
trying to say, our ignorance in asking in line with the will of God for our
lives. Like a young minister once noted ‘Prayer is a dialog When we pray,
then we have to listen to what God is trying to say’. All we want is
for God to listen to us and we turn our ears deaf to what He has to say. As a
result, we complain, scream, and begin to doubt if truly he hears us when we
pray. I have come to understand that there are three ways God answers our
prayers. Which are explained briefly.
1. YES!
God
says yes to our requests in prayers only when He has fully scrutinized our
prayers. When He has gone through it and conclude that, of a truth we are
worthy of the request. Here He is sure that granting us that request will do us
not harm or land us into any problem whatsoever. When he says YES! To our
prayers nobody, no forces, no prince of Persia can stop us from receiving it.
2. NOT YET!
When
God says ‘Not yet to our prayers’ He is trying to make us understand that He
has not fully trusted us. He is trying to allow us undergo some more test and
training of our faith. He is trying to work something out and as soon as
he is done He will answer us. Probably he knows that if He grants us that
request we may turn our back on him or land ourselves in some kind of peril. As
recorded in the Genesis, God did not send down rain because there was no man to
cultivate it. Because he loves us and would not afford to lose us he would
delay us a bit. He may be trying to tell us to repent first from some kind of
sins before He can commit our requests to us. So He says ‘my son, my daughter
NOT YET’
3. I HAVE A BETTER PLAN FOR YOU!
God will always seem to delay the answers to our prayers
when he has a better plan for us. He may want to really give us a surprising
package that will ‘wow’ our mind. So he will say to us ‘My son I have a better
plan for you I know you have lost that opportunity, but don't worry I will work
something better for you’. Do not forget that God’s plans will not always be
our plan. My friend Obagidi Victor is a young man that understands how God
works. And I come to understand also that when we know how God operates or does
His things, then we will not always be worried. Victor taught me a secret while
praying. He said ‘After my prayers and requests to God, I always end my prayers
with these words ‘All the same, let your will be done’.
The truth remains that after we have prayed only God’s
will, must be done. If He says ‘Yes! Then that is it. If He says ‘Not yet’,
then that is it, if He says ‘I have a better plan for you’ then we have no
other choice than to wait patiently. I have been oblivious of this truth
through out my life but today God has given me this little understanding.
Remember when Jesus was weighed down about the death he was to face at
Golgotha. Humanly speaking, he desired his death and crucifixion to pass him
but He ran to His father and said ‘Lord take this cup away from me, but at
the same time let your will and not mine be done’.
CYPRIAN HENRY
08088733350
No comments:
Post a Comment