When Prayer Seems Unanswered

Pray to Adrian Rogers prayer is not some sort of exercise where we are will will but were God of heaven gets his will built on earth.

Prayer is not some way. What we've been God's will to fit will what prayer is finding the will of God and getting it all and welcome to love worth finding found Bible teaching simply to buy Adrian Rogers first Thessalonians 517 instructs us to pray without so many times our prayers seem to go unanswered pray and seek God we ask according to his will and feels quiet. Does he hear us, we can rest assured that yes he does in Luke chapter 1 we meet Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth both righteous before God, yet bearing without any children for which they had prayed for their whole lives by observing their story. We can learn what to do and what it actually means when prayer seems unanswered.

Once again, here's Adrian Rogers, would you take your Bibles and turn to the Gospel according to Luke chapter 1, I want to talk today about prayer that I want to talk to you on the subject. When prayer seems absurd. That's a problem for many of us, we hear that we are to pray and indeed we should. But so many times we pray, and our prayer seems unanswered. Look, if you will, in Luke chapter 1 beginning in verse five there was in the days of Herod the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of a bio and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth Kelly were both righteous before God, walking in all of the commandments and ornaments of the Lord blameless and they had no child, because that Elizabeth was barren, and they were both now well stricken in years and it came to pass while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of this course. According to the custom of the priest office's lot was that is Zacharias's duty was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord, and the whole multitude of the people were praying without.

That is, they were standing outside and they were praying at the time of incense and there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense and when Zacharias saw him he was troubled, and fear fell upon him and the angel 7 AM and here's the key verse. Fear not, Zacharias Ford by prayer is heard by wife Elisabeth shall bear the assignment also call his name John. Thou shall have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth, he shall be great in the side of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine or strong drink, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb, and many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God, and he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just to make ready a people prepared for the Lord mouth when we pray we have to ask the question, sometimes why doesn't God answer my prayer.

Why does my prayers seem to be at any rate, unanswered bill. First of all, sometimes our prayers are not answered.

Very frankly, because we unmask.

There's the problem of on task prayer offered prayer. Recall that many commands in the Bible that are to pray.

Whether you understand it or not.

The Bible commands us to pray, as a matter fact for Samuel chapter 12 verse 23 Samuel said, God forbid that I should send against the Lord and ceasing to pray for you premises very plainly is a sin. The Bible has commanded that we pray first Thessalonians chapter 5 in verse 17 the Bible commands that we pray with how ceasing will never stop praying.

Luke 18 verse one and he spake a parable unto them to this and that man ought always to pray always to pray, Mark 14 verse 38 watch EM pray, lest he enter into temptation.

Very frankly, many of us are failing simply because we do not pray there is no substitute for prayer, not eloquence, not energy, not enthusiasm, not intellect. There is no substitute for prayer.

I came across this. I will share with you. I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day. I had so much to accomplish that.

I didn't have time to pray. It ever been there so much to do.

I didn't have time to pray. Problems just tumbled about me and heavier game. Each task why doesn't God help me. I wonder he answered you didn't ask, I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on gray and bleak. I wondered why God didn't show me but he said would you didn't seek. I tried to come into God's presence. I use all the keys on the lock God gently and lovingly chided my son you didn't know. I woke up early this morning and paused before entering the day I had so much to accomplish that. I had to take time to pray.

Amen.

Listen friend if you too busy to pray you to visit. There is the problem about offered prayer. But what about the other problem unanswered prayer. We do pray we do see God willing to beg going to try to get right and ask God according to his will and yet our prayer seems to be unanswered.

First of all, your prayer may seem unanswered because it has simply been denied. God cannot and God will not answer your prayer because you're not asking according to his will and he cannot give you that which is not according to his will is very obvious here that Zacharias was a man walking with the Lord, knowing the will of the Lord. Look, if you will in chapter 1 verse six. And speaking of Zacharias and Elizabeth Mrs. they were both righteous before God, walking in all of the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless and so these people want pray ground very frankly, many of us don't get our prayers answered because we are not on praying ground my putting your margin. James chapter 4 verses one through four. James is very practical. Shaved and beat around the bush.

James asked this question from whence come wars and fightings among you, come they not hence, even of your lust that war in your members. The same people fight on the outside because their war with themselves on the inside and then James says you lost and have not the kill, and desire to have and cannot obtain the fight in war, yet you have not because you asked not about deals with an offered prayer you have not because you asked not. But then he says you asked and received not that you might consume it upon your lusts you adulterous and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world is warfare with God.

Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Frankly, God cannot answer some of our prayers because their selfish. We ask and receive. Not because we asked commence you say Greg can't I ask God for my personally. Of course you can, but not for your selfish needs.

There's a difference God must meet every one of your personal needs. But God does not want to feed your lust and your pride in your selfishness and if your friend of this world and you're asking God to make you a stronger person. Why should God give you more strength to serve the devil. God calls friendship with the world. Spiritual adultery. Suppose there is a woman who is married to a man she's unfaithful to her husband and she has a boyfriend she comes to her husband and says a husband would you give me some money to go to New Orleans and spend the weekend with my boyfriend. Why would he underwrite her sin. Why would God underwrite your spiritual adultery. Why should God give you more strength to serve the death prayer is not some sort of exercise where we get our will on earth done in heaven but where God in heaven gets his will done on earth. Prayer is not some way. What we in God's will to fit our will, but prayer is finding the will of God and getting in on it. But this first and also your margin first John chapter 5 verse 14 and 15 and this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask him anything according to his will, he here with us according to his will, he here with us and if we know that he hears whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions we desired of him and so sometimes folks very plainly where just simply asking was sent in our heart out of the will of God and our prayers are simply denied my having said that, let's tighten the focus a little bit and give you the second reason sometimes the prayer seems unanswered. Sometimes it's answered and God says no.

The second reason, however. Not only is prayer, sometimes simply denied because is out of the will of God.

But sometimes, dear friend. It is strategically delayed strata to magically delay you see with God. Timing is far more important than time and God answers but sometimes not. When you think you should, but when it will be far better for his glory. And you're good for him to answer. Sometimes, prayers are delayed and is strategically delayed. I think about another example of delayed prayer prayer that has been granted but not yet given. Remember Daniel in the book of Daniel put this verse down Daniel. Chapter 10 Daniel had been praying and seeking an answer from God and in verse 12 we read this Angel came to Daniel, he said. Then he said unto me, do not Daniel from the first day that thou data set thy heart to understand and to chasten thyself before God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words, but the Prince of Persia that's the Prince of Iran withstood me one and 20 days and low Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me and I remained there with the kings of personnel.

That's a very enigmatic and hard to understand passage of Scripture. But God said Daniel. From the very time that you began to pray your prayer was heard, but it was 21 days later when Daniel received the answer to see God may grant a prayer without giving the answer until a delayed time until a later time limited universe Mark 11 verse 24.

This impinges all that I want to say right and I will give Terry and Williams translation because I think it makes it abundantly clear. Here's what Williams translation says so then I tell you, whenever you pray and ask for anything. Have faith that it has been given you and you will get. Have faith that it has been given you and you will get.

That is God's is going to get what you already have just believe that you have that you already have it.

Believe that you have. That's not faith when you don't have a believe that you haven't him estimate. Another words just believe that has already been given you and you will have you seen years ago. Years ago God had given Zacharias and Elizabeth God had given them a son, and the angel comes and says to Zacharias values, an old man and his wife is old, he says, well stricken in years and then gets his new prayer was her new prayer was her. I think that many of us have asked God for something we think that God had heard our prayer, but differ in our prayer was heard and we are waiting on God to give us what he has granted us. Why does God delay. Why did I want to tell you that with God.

Timing is far more important than time is a wonderful verse.

I love this verse. Listen to it. Isaiah chapter 30 and verse 18 and therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, in a beautiful old listen if you been asking God for something and you really feel it's in the will of God and for God's glory in your heart is clean and pure and the answer doesn't come, and therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted. Now wait a minute.

God wants to be gracious to you and God mostly glory to himself God's grace and God's glory are one of the reasons that God waits now watch therefore the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted. God is going to answer your prayer when it will give to him the greatest glory, that he may have mercy upon you for the Lord is a God of judgment. That is a God of intelligence, a God of discrimination God of wisdom, the Lord is a God of judgment. Blessed all they that wait for him pull my friend, don't quit waiting on God. God is waiting for you to wait on him and God wants you to wait on him. God sometimes delays the answer to prayer until the situation gets so difficult. There's no way that you're going to get the glory from it. Let me give you a cardinal rule.

God always takes the route that brings himself the greatest glory. God always takes the route that braced himself the greatest glory and really that's why we pray. Have you ever thought about why we pray. Here's a reason we pray. If you praying correctly.

John 14 verse 13 and whatsoever you ask in my name, that will I do that the father may be glorified in the son he does and what to do, that you have what you need, whatever you ask in prayer, that will I do that the father may be glorified in the son. I is the desire of your life that God glorified.

You see, sometimes our prayers are strategically delayed to display God's glory that here's the third thing you want to say to you, sometimes prayer maybe simply denied were praying out of the will of God. Sometimes prayer may be strategically delayed God for his glory and for his grace waits that he may be gracious unto you, that here's the third thing. Sometimes the answer be a prayer may be strangely different, strangely different, significantly different, but these verses down Psalm 34 verse 10 the young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing, but this verse down Psalm 84 verse 11.

The Lord God is a sun and the shield the Lord will give grace and glory no good thing will he withhold from them that walk up rightly my frame. If God withheld it for you.

It wasn't good. I why do you complain of God withhold something that for you was not good to see many times God doesn't give us what we ask Bill why God and give us what we ask. He has something better than we ask when we give you verse Romans chapter 8 and verse 26 likewise the Spirit also help with our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we all all of us. So there. Sometimes we pray God, I think, is this I think is landlord. I don't know we don't know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Thank God, dear friend.

We are asking for one thing, and God the Holy Spirit says now father there's Adrian he's down asking for something he sincere.

This is what he thinks he wants but God. This is what he needs. Sometimes the answer may be delayed and sometimes answer my dear friend may be different, not very far from my house is a great big metal thing stuck on the pole is called a transformer. Powerlines big lines coming that transformer set ranging energy goes into that transformer and somehow something happens and that transformer and that energy is changed, the line goes into my house and puts energy into our toaster. My dear friend, if you put that energy off that wire and put it in our toaster without going through the transformer about burnt toast and toaster. I mean, it is all gone now. It is the same energy when he goes through a transformer that makes it adaptable and acceptable.

Tennis wait is with our prayer. Sometimes it is the same energy is the same prayer is the same motivation. God knows our desire for his glory, and God puts our prayers through the Holy Spirit that great transformer makes intercession for his pain.

He takes our prayers. He makes them acceptable to the throne of grace and then our prayers are answered because sometimes we know not what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. Hallelujah for that. Sometimes prayer may be denied because were out of the will of God. Sometimes prayer may be delayed for God's glory and for his grace and sometimes my dear friends prayers are different but they are better ways to have a preacher down in Florida. He was tongue-tied. His name was Ed Solomon. He was a great man of God. He was so why one time he was preaching in his own alma mater. I think I told you the story is college church and his wife were sitting out there was tongue-tied way for God to give me anything you want. He said I never got to go to school to go to that was his alma mater. Anything God did let mama woman I want to marry his wife were sitting right out there anything God never let me pastor the church.

I want to pastor and his church people out there. You talk about embarrassing.

Give me anything I wanted. But if that God always gave me some better than ever wanted home friendless, listen, God gives the best blows leave the choice with him.

You just remember that sometimes prayer may be denied. Sometimes prayer may be delayed. Sometimes prayer may be different.

Now what you do then if you praying a prayer seems to be unanswered. First of all, use checkup and my right with God, am I seeking the glory of God, am I am I asking for his glory are that I might consume it upon my lust.

If you are convinced that you're asking for the board.

God then continue to pray just keep on praying, don't quit, pray and pray and pray and pray. The Bible says that where, pray without ceasing. Men ought always to pray not to faint. And Jesus told about that woman who went to that unjust judge and she just wouldn't shut up the Lord Jesus told about that man would need to borrow bread from a friend in Enoch to let friends nor the friends in Galway said no. I just keep on knocking the Bible says ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be open of you and that word actually means. Keep on asking people seeking people knocking keep on keep on people just keep on praying he said wait a minute, wait a minute.

Doug never come a time when I stop praying. Yes yes number one when you get the answer you have answered your hand. You begin to praise maybe don't have answered your hand God says it's done of the burden is gone when you say all right, Lord.

Thank you. I don't have in my hand but I have my heart. Thank you.

I pray should just begin to praise them or maybe God may say to you, as he said to Paul, Paul S got three times to take the phone from his flesh. God's up all my going to but I will give you something better. I will give you my grace, my dear friend, you just keep on praying, do you have the answer in your hand in your heart or God shows you a better way. But man ought always to pray and our greatest need is a church as individuals is truly to know how to put father I pray in the name of Jesus that you would teach us to pray, amen.

What a great reminder of the urgency to learn to pray 11 wayfinding has a fruitful and intentional prayer ministry. In addition to our on-site prayer team and dedicated volunteers. We have a free resource on the Leavenworth finding homepage called prayer wall.

There you can submit a prayer request or you can pray for others in the community to find out more go to LWF.org/radio and scroll down until you see the prayer wall section on behalf of the Leavenworth finding team.

It is a privilege to join with you in prayer again. Go to LWF.org/radio if you'd like to order a copy of today's lesson on a single CD call us at 1877 love God and mentioned the title when prayer seems unanswered. This message is also part of a powerful series. The school of prayer. If you'd like to complete collection. All five insightful messages. Call 877 love God or go to LWF.org/radio to order, or you can write us at Leavenworth finding box 38, 600 Memphis, TN 38183 what you do in your prayer seems unanswered.

Check to make sure that you're seeking God's glory. Then pray without ceasing. Thanks for joining us for a study in his word today. We hope will tune in next time for more profound truth.

Simply stated by Adrienne Rush's writing on love would find blessed thought many of you blessed you are on Jesus prayer list profound truth. Simply stated, we hear this often is, people are exposed to the wind in the wisdom of Adrian Rogers factor Leavenworth finding. We coined the term Adrian isms for some of his nuggets of truth and now we are excited to tell you about our new Adrian isms card said created with original art and lettering. Each of the 52 cards included insightful. Adrian is as well as an accompanying Scripture on the reverse side.

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