Do you sometimes think your prayers are just falling to the
ground? Or falling on deaf ears? There are things on my heart which have been
there for so long that there's a sense of desperation because nothing appears
to ever change; the sickness or trouble remains despite so much being attempted
in every way, and despite years of prayer; intense prayer, purposeful and
personal.
Can it be that Jesus has forgotten about this trouble?
"Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his
favour again? Has his unfailing love
vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?" (Psalm 77:7-8).
I ask "Is it me? My sin? The way I'm praying? Am I not
praying hard enough, or with too little heart? Am I full of pride or self
interest?"
" .. has God in anger withheld his
compassion?" (Psalm 77:9).
After a while I remember who I am, just like this Psalmist
who goes through the exhausting process of doubt and self-doubt before he pours
out praises to God.
Deep down I know that my name is written on God's hand,
that God is my Abba Father (Romans 8:15), not simply a stern, authoritative
father figure. I know that Jesus delights to be my brother. I know that
I'm in the midst of a dialog with Jesus, that we often share together, that He
so very often directs my path and that I have known so many miraculous
healings of spirit, soul and body, (Trish says my healings of spirit and soul
are profound and life giving for our whole family).
The very fact that these www.PsalmsOfJohn.com articles are
inspired, get written, and posted (a long slow process) is a continuing example
of Jesus' loving kindness, (He does most of the work!)
So, is there a simple answer? Is there a reason some prayers are answered while others seem to persist in not being answered?
Our older daughter, Kate, has been sick, pretty much all the
time but with varying symptoms, since she was 8 years old. At that time we
lived on a hobby farm in our Southwest where I'd taken an IT job for a mining
company. Kate will be 30 in a few months. Through all those years we, (and now
as an adult, she), has seen every kind of medical doctor and had every kind of
test, and seen many "other" health professionals, Christian healing
ministers and counselors. Medical and the health sciences have leapt forward
over those 20+ years, nothing has thrown light on Kate's problems, or helped in
any real way. We've never given up,
never stopped praying. Strangely I'm not tired of the battle, although I think
Kate is. She's moving back in with us, we all think this will be very good.
Trish and I are determined to see Kate well and leading a full life, with her
own family, making a way for herself as an artist where she shows such precious
talent and aptitude.
As our first daughter, Kate has always been special and very
beloved. She was the first in our family to show creative talent with the drive
and desire to produce art works, and, I think, the first of our children to
consciously come to Jesus as a believer.
(We also pray for others whose situations seem not to
progress; people with bi-polar, ME, MS, diabetes and more, and for others with
really sad relationship troubles).
When I think on these things I have more questions than
answers. It appears from what we can see that God is inconsistent but we know
that this is not so. Scripture is adamant that one of God's great attributes is
that He never changes and is the same "yesterday and today and
forever" (Hebrews 13:8), He is always "our Rock" (1 Samuel 2:2,
Psalm 18:2).
PAIN AND SUFFERING IN THE BIBLE
A major theme of Scripture is that of pain, suffering,
affliction, tribulation and sickness. This is not an area we tend to emphasise,
but it runs throughout God's wonderful story of humankind, from Adam and Eve in
Genesis to Jesus, triumphant, in Revelation.
After speaking the Universe into existence, God found it
"very good". Then Satan came into the Garden where Adam and Eve, as
God's beloved and faithful helpers were participating with God to bring much
fruit, and he messed things up .. Satan is now called "the prince of this
world" (John 12:31, Ephesians 2:2); he has been defeated by Jesus but
continues to rule through this present age.
To Adam God said, "Because you listened to your wife
and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat from
it' cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food
from it all the days of your life" (Genesis 3:17).
Our experiences show this still to be true .. Jesus' words
confirm the situation but also encourage and give hope ..
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may
have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have
overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Jesus knows our situation, whatever it is, because He has
experienced it:
He was despised and rejected by humankind, a man of suffering,
and familiar with pain and grief. Like one from whom people hide their faces He
was despised, and we held Him in low esteem (Isaiah 53:3).
Jesus led the only perfect human life, we are encouraged to
follow Him and emulate Him with all our heart and strength ..
"Whoever does not persevere and carry his own cross and
follow after Me cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:27).
Paul, that fabulous Christian minister and teacher who
surely was the apple of God's eye, shared this testimony:
"Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes
minus one. Three times I was beaten with
rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a
night and a day in the open sea, I have
been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from
bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in
the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false
believers. I have laboured and toiled
and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have
often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the
pressure of my concern for all the churches.
Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly
burn? If I must boast, I will boast of
the things that show my weakness" (2 Corinthians 11:24-30). Paul wrote
these words from prison.
PROMISED VICTORY
But Paul knew how to find the promised victory in Jesus ..
"Through Him we have access by faith into this grace in
which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only this, but we also rejoice in our
sufferings, knowing that suffering works perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and
proven character, hope" (Romans 5:2-4).
Over and over those godly writers of the Scriptures tell us:
"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in
them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers"
(1 Timothy 4:16).
"For it is commendable if someone bears up under the
pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God" (1 Peter 2:19).
" .. rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation,
devoted to prayer .. " (Romans 12:12).
"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will
of God, you will receive what he has promised" (Hebrews 10:36).
"Take care of yourselves; don't throw away all the
labour that has been spent on you, but persevere till you receive your full
reward" (2 John 8 J.B. Phillips).
ALWAYS PRAYER
And remember prayer .. always be ready to pray .. it's God's
way to an answer ..
"On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen;
all day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the Lord,
take no rest for yourselves" (Isaiah 62:6 NASB).
"For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh
but spiritual, and have divine power to destroy strongholds and false
arguments" (2 Corinthians 10:4).
JESUS' GREAT PLAN IS ADVANCING
"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but
to do the will of Him who sent me. And
this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that He has
given me, but raise them up at the last day.
For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes
in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day"
(John 6:38-40).
We then remember many, perhaps hundreds, of Bible verses
which describe God's mighty deeds for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and for Ruth
and Samuel, David, Elisha and Job, then Mary and Elizabeth, Jesus and His
Twelve, and Paul and all the others; a compassionate caring God who is fully
able and willing to keep up His end of the covenants He has made with
humankind, right down through the ages.
From our own Christian walk we take such strength from the
signs and wonders we have heard about or seen or experienced or shared in
because we prayed. I can remember supernatural events for so many, near and
far, all around the world; there must be a thousand miracles that I know to
be true!
Strangely I'm not even sure that this is where my faith
comes from. I think that that comes from knowing Jesus, from being so
beloved by Him, by Him bringing me to His Father and asking "Abba, here's
John. Please make him a son, just as I am .." and Father God immediately
accepting me, just as I am, because it was Jesus asking. The same Jesus who is
the only perfect man, the God Jesus who was raised from the dead by a loving,
just and holy Father because He is perfectly without sin and had willingly
given His life to pay for all our sin forever. Jesus who is King of kings and
Lord of lords now and eternally. The Boss!
A few years ago Jesus impressed on Trish and I that He
wanted us to set aside one Saturday night a month to pray and to soak in His
presence, to be free of all human clutter so we could hear what He had to say.
Initially we advertised these evenings which meant we had to spring-clean the
house and be home on that night. So it is sacrificial. But, wow! Are these
nights special! We end with Communion then a time of spoken prayer as people
feel called to speak, then a cuppa (or dinner) and a time of sharing. Amazing
things happen. Every time.
We now can't wait for once-a-month so most Saturdays (or perhaps the Sunday) Trish
and I have an hour or so of soaking prayer before dinner, just us and
Jesus, Father God and Holy Spirit. We play simple
spirit filled music, otherwise it is quiet. Invariably we are overwhelmed by
the assurance that God is still who He says He is, and that we can leave all
our problems with Him because ultimately He will deal with everything,
fully and compassionately.
"But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the
afflicted will never perish" (Psalm 9:18).
For me, this sense of assurance is enough. I'm still old and
a little overweight with a list of medical problems; these things seem not
to change week by week, or even year by year. But my big things have been
dealt with; I'm a changed man, just ask Trish and our kids, and I no longer
have the big health issues: no more melanoma cancers, my heart is fixed,
the diabetes is gone, my skin is holding together and my knees and feet work
well enough that I can still trek and ride a bike!
"But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the
afflicted will never perish" (Psalm 9:18).
Amen.
FAVOURITE BIBLE VERSES
"
.. will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25).
" .. that the body of
Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the
knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure
of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians
4:12-13).
" .. through him we also
have access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of
the glory of God. Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering works perseverance; and perseverance, proven
character; and proven character, hope" (Romans 5:2-4).
"God has chosen to make
known the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory" (Colossians
1:27).
“Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord,
to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life’" (John 6:68).
Bless you. Pray and give blessings. Amen.
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Praise Jesus.
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