Taking a break from posts "living in community."
Do you ever feel or think that God isn’t listening? Or, if He is listening, the answer is usually “no” to whatever you request? The Bible is replete with promises like the following.
Matthew 7:7-11 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
Matthew 7:7-11 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
Doesn’t this sound like if you ask and seek and knock you will receive, find an open door. Many
such promises are listed in Scripture. The basic theme: ask in faith and you will receive.
I’ve asked God for what seemed legitimate things He could do to demonstrate His power with and for me – “for the world to see.” More times than not He seemingly wasn’t listening or was saying “no” to “giving me good gifts for the asking.” Has that ever been your experience?
I’ve asked God for what seemed legitimate things He could do to demonstrate His power with and for me – “for the world to see.” More times than not He seemingly wasn’t listening or was saying “no” to “giving me good gifts for the asking.” Has that ever been your experience?
What is your response? For many years I was cynical. I believed in God. In prayer. But my attitude was, “Don’t ask for anything and you won’t be disappointed.”
I’ve changed that mind set. I don’t want to be cynical. Don’t want to be mad at God for not answering my prayers – healing for stuttering; healing for Parkinson’s Disease; rejuvenation of the nerves in my leg so I won’t need a wheel chair or walker.
I was recently talking to God about this and it seemed like He said to me: “Ray, I’m not intereseted in your comfort; I’m wanting you to become more like Christ (Romans 8:29). That doesn’t come from being comfortable. It comes from the kind of response you have to these things you’re asking me to do when I don’t cooperate. Yes, let your requests be made known (Philipppians 4:6-7). But trust me to do what is best regarding that request.”
Because I’ve walked with God most of my 71 years and can look back and see how He has worked “everything to my good” because of His grace and because I’m wanting to follow Him, it is easier to yield to His direction.
Does God play baseball? If so, He has to be a pitcher. He threw me a curve ball that was totally unexpected. AS a young man, beginning my career, He and I had a “come to Jesus meetin’” regarding stuttering. I felt He said He’d heal the causes of my stuttering. For 40 plus years He slowly performed that work. Fluency increased - until four years ago. It has been down hill since, so that now there are times I just get stuck and can’t get a word out.
“How did you handle that?” you may be asking. Not very Biblically. I was madder ‘n hell at God for what I saw as a renig on his part. I wallowed in that anger and self pity for a lengthy time. In God’s grace and goodness, He seemed to say,
“You’re angry and that is okay, except you’ve carried it too long and it will cripple you and stifle our fellowship. I will be giving you something better than the healing of stuttering. Trust me.”
“You’re angry and that is okay, except you’ve carried it too long and it will cripple you and stifle our fellowship. I will be giving you something better than the healing of stuttering. Trust me.”
I can’t imagine what that would be. All I know is that the demise in fluency ocurred when I changed Parkinson’s medication. I found that some research indicates that Parkinson’s is too little dopamine in the brain and stuttering involves too much dopamine. Is God’s power stifled by my bio-chemical process? I don’t think so. God speaks in Jeremiah 32:27 “I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?
I am curious though. What has God got planned that is better than healing of stuttering …. Besides the obvious “de-priding”. Or establishing the greater dependency on Him to do greater things than I can do in my own strength. What is He up to? Though seemingly silent, He is more concerned with my growth in Christlikeness than in my comfort of fluent speech.
But it is that curve ball! So be it, Abba PaPa.
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