What Causes God to Listen After Hours

Nakita Kolov, the Russian nightmare.

No, the devil's nightmare here. From it's time to man up. Challenging men to step into their true manhood. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just a few seconds. Enjoy it.

Share it. But most of all, thank you for listening to the Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network. Coming to you from an entrenched barricade deep in the heart of central North Carolina, Masculine Journey After Hours.

A time to go deeper and be more transparent on the topic covered on this week's broadcast. So sit back and join us on this adventure. The Masculine Journey After Hours starts here now. Welcome to the Masculine Journey After Hours. And yes, I'm looking in the entrenched bunker.

No gophers here. There's quite an entrenchment in here, is all I could say. But nonetheless, it's great to be with my band of brothers. And today's topic, if you listen to the regular program, is what makes God listen. We talked to the last few weeks about listening and hearing and how we can hear rather than when we can pay attention and when we can listen. But the reason why I kind of suggested this topic to Sam, who bailed on us thoughtlessly. Sorry, I just had to throw that in, Sam.

I didn't get a good one in on the regular show. But anyway. And he wouldn't even answer his phone when we called him. Well, that was really, yeah.

He was in a Zoom call, really. So anyway, the topic seems like, what? God always listens. Of course he does. But I really struggle, actually, every single morning to be transparent of my life in prayer, trying to get to the place where I feel like I'm in the relationship I want to be in with God. And so I'm trying to discover in my heart kind of where is that place to where I feel that I am connecting with God. I feel like we're moving in some direction where I can get a sense of where he is and those kind of things. Well, I hope, I really do hope that you've had a chance to watch the TV series The Chosen.

Dallas Jenkins, absolute genius, in my opinion, of showing. You like that, too, don't you, Andy? Yeah, it took us a long time to get Robby to come around to The Chosen, but now he's all in.

I really am. So here we're coming to the end of season two, and Jesus has been working on the Sermon on the Mount. And the beautiful, cool thing about it is, if you watch The Chosen, is the Matthew character is autistic and quite a different person, but he is the one who is writing everything down and doing all this stuff, and he's helping Jesus with, right, the sermon. And so, you know, what a cool setup, because you do, you know, the Sermon on the Mount is in the book of Matthew, and you can see there's insights into that sermon that are only in that book, and you can't help but wonder, you know, what the relationship was there. And so they do a good job of illustrating this. But here, as you hear the setup to this, you hear two voices.

They both speak with a little bit of an accent, so you can't tell who's who. But it's Matthew who's been given a chance to comment on Jesus' sermon. So you just think about this for a minute. Jesus comes to you and says, what do you think? About the Sermon on the Mount?

Are you serious? So Matthew actually has some thoughts, because at the point that Matthew is hearing the sermon, it starts out with, you're the salt of the earth. And so Matthew thinks we need a little different interest, and so does Jesus.

And so they have this discussion. Then you'll hear a bit of a time lapse when Jesus wakes Matthew up and says, I got it. I have the perfect opening.

And then you get a sense of Jesus' heart, and what I feel like is a sense of what God's heart is into the question that I'm really trying to ponder here. R. There's the beginning and the end. What about the beginning?

I consider that the beginning is more logistical. R. I think the sermon needs some sort of introduction, an invitation into what, as you have rightly pointed out, will be a complex and at times challenging set of teachings. R. Matthew.

Matthew. Have I? I've got it. The opening?

Yes. What is it? A map. A what?

Directions, where people should look to find me. Have I? Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Yes, but how is it the map? If someone wants to find me, those are the groups they should look for. Darrell Bock So to me, you know, here we have several, you know, as Wayne pointed out, love, but here are some other attitudes, actually beatitudes if you want to use that, some attitudes of the heart of where to go looking, right, in prayer, as you're trying to get that connection. And so to put some legs on that, I have a story that kind of incorporates for me almost all of those attitudes. I was, at one point in time, a car dealer, for those of you who don't know. I was a dealer in Mocksville, North Carolina, Chrysler dealer, and when I took on that dealership, there was a salesman there by the name of Johnny Hendrix, and Johnny Hendrix was the guy, just the classic Davie County car salesman, the nicest guy in the world. Everybody in the county knew him, you know, ball cap, friendly as he could possibly be, but you could not really get into any type of deep discussion with Johnny, because it wouldn't go anywhere.

He was definitely wonderful to be around, but the relationship wasn't an inch deep. And so I'd known him for some time, invited him to the Bible study we had at the dealership. I invited him to the Christian Businessmen's Committee. He paid for the first Christian Businessmen's Committee meeting, the breakfast and all, yet he wouldn't come. So I never really knew where he stood, nor had I ever asked him where he stood, but I do know, you know, he seemed to get teared up sometimes when we would do things at Christmas.

He seemed to have something there, but there was never any real obvious relationship with Christ. Well, after I'd known him for about five years, one day there came this knock on my office door, and it was Johnny, and he said, Robby, we need to talk. And I actually was very overwhelmed with things that were going on at the time, not that there was any excuse, but I totally blew it. So I was worried about building a new building and a lot of things, and he came in and he said, Robby, I need to let you know that I have pancreatic cancer. And being a cancer survivor, it didn't really hit me. I was like, well, you're going to be fine.

We'll pray for you. Oh, what a horrible thing it was, what it was. And, you know, he got this look on his face, and I can remember him turning around and leaving, and I could tell that I'd left this giant opportunity sitting in my office that day, but yet I didn't really know how to get it back. And there it was, and he left. Well, two weeks later, Tammy and I were actually going to another funeral, and we got a call from Geraldine, his wife, and Johnny had lapsed into a coma almost immediately.

And he was in terrible shape. By the time we get to the hospital, his family's there, his best friend's there, the whole scene up there, you know, in intensive care, and the doctor comes in and says, well, he probably only has about an hour or so to live. Geraldine, who do you want to go in with me? Because only one person can go, and his whole family's there.

You know, his wife all these people, and she says, Robby. Well, man, I couldn't have felt any lower, like really, I had a chance to really share something with Johnny, and now they want me to go in there. And the reason why she had said that was she knew I would pray and wanted me to pray, and I certainly wanted to pray. But I can't say that that prayer in Johnny's room that night, I felt that, you know, did much. And so as it came out of the, you know, after seeing Johnny for a few minutes, I walked back into the waiting room, and I said, Geraldine, I just got to know, does Johnny know Jesus? And she said, I don't really know.

That's his wife. And I looked at his best friend, Bruce Rollins. Bruce, did Johnny know Jesus? And Bruce says, well, I really don't know, Robby. He used to go to Turntine Baptist Church, but he got mad at the pastor, and he never would come back.

I really don't know. And oh my goodness, all of a sudden, I was face to face with this man that I had worked side by side for. I really did respect and really did love.

He might be spending eternity in hell, because I never had had the discussion with him. And so I went out and got my car, and I began to pray right here, right? I couldn't have been more meek. I couldn't have been mourning. In other words, all those things came into where this was a contrite heart, believe me, and I was like, God, clearly I have blown it.

And clearly, I had a chance to talk to this man, and I just, please, please, please, if there's any way in the world that you could just give him some more time, whatever that might look like, I promise, promise, promise, I'll either introduce him to you or help him to get to know you better, because I didn't know where he stood. And I could sense that prayer did not hit the ceiling. I could sense in my heart that he heard that. I didn't get any real, you know, verbal answer, but I just had a sense of faith, like, okay, there's a plan here. And so I got back to the hospital, and when I did, they were talking about, we've got to pull the plug, because there's no brain activity, there's this, that.

And I said, no, no, no, please don't, please, please. I just sense that something else is going on here. Give him another day or two. Well, that was on a Friday. Saturday, they got more insistent.

Sunday, they got even more insistent. And Monday, right, when I got to the hospital, this is, he had to live in Davie County to fully appreciate this, but I walked into Johnny's room. He was sitting up in the bed like nothing had happened, and he was completely in his right mind and talking and just, Johnny. And everybody was just like, whoa, you're just not going to believe it, Robby. So I get in there, and as soon as I do, I realize, oh, God's full shrill to his part of the deal, but I have no idea how I'm going to share it, because it was a proud man.

I just did not know how to enter into this conversation with Johnny. So I actually went back out, got in my car, went back to the same place, prayed again. I said, okay, God, clearly, you have come through for me in this. You have really, really done it. And where do I go? How do I share you with him?

Can you give me some help? Because I know it seems really low. And all God said to me, it was very, very clear this time. It was clear the prayer hit, and it was clear that he had answered for me, and he says to me, Robby, Johnny is a car salesman.

And immediately, I knew what he meant, especially a Davie County car salesman. And I'll explain. So I go back into Johnny's room. He's sitting there looking at me, it's just me and Johnny. And I said, Johnny, I got to tell you something. What, Robby? I made a deal with God. What kind of deal did you make with God, Robby?

Well, I told him, if you, if he would give you any more time, that I would either introduce you to him, or I would help you to get to know him better. And Johnny looked at me, a Davie County fashion said, well, you better get to it. And the reason that he said that was because to a car salesman, especially Johnny, a deal is a deal. Like you've made it a deal.

And yes, it's honor among thieves, whatever you want to call us, okay. But to a car salesman, a deal is a deal. And I had made a deal with God. And that resonated with Johnny. So I began to take Johnny through the book of John. And as we went through it, you know, he was very interested, very engaged.

They were good conversations, but still not very deep. So we were going through the I am statements. I am the bread of life.

You know, I am, you know, right, light of the world, all these things. And so we get to, you know, he finally goes home from the hospital. I'm going out to his house. And I go to talk to him about, I am the resurrection, which is where he raises Lazarus from the dead.

And so we have a nice little discussion and I leave. Well, when I come back the next day, the whole block is covered with cars. And I'm thinking, oh, no, this can't be good.

He's, he's passed away. Because when you see all those cars, you know, by somebody's house. But when I get in there, it's like a party. And, you know, Jimmy Lancaster is a good friend and pastor of mine and Johnny. And all of Johnny's family is there. And they're all like, and Jimmy Lancaster, the pastor says to Johnny, Johnny, you got to tell Robby what's happened. He said, well, when you walked out yesterday after talking about Lazarus, my sister came in, right as you were walking out. And she had a whole stack of Gaither CDs.

And the first, very first CD she slides into the player is four days late, but right on time. And I realized that I was in this coma for four days and that, you know, God had brought me back to life for the very thing that I, to show me life. And so they had called Jimmy Lancaster. He had prayed to receive Christ. And if I, you know, there's just no explaining what it was like to have discussions with Johnny, he only lived two weeks after that.

But there was much fruit in those two weeks, much that had to do and much mercy that I received as a result of all those things, you know, that we're talking about. And I've always thought that, you know, here I was at one of the lowest points of having blown such a clear opportunity, but God had other plans. So, Harold? Harold Jones Well, I guess I'll go a little bit of a paraphrase of a nursery rhyme, Harold, Harold, quite contrary, because I realize a lot of the times I may seem as a contrarian, and I do have a little bit of a different take on this thing.

I have on a t-shirt that my son and daughter-in-law gave me that says, I've stopped listening, so why are you still talking? And my thought on it is that God listens when we're in tune with His plan. I don't think that God listens when we're praying for selfish prayers. I don't think Janice Joplin got that Mercedes Benz by praying to God. If she got it, she bought it on her own. Darrell Bock But her friends all had Porsches.

Harold Jones Yeah. So, anyway, I think that God is always listening, but if we're trying to pray for selfish things to use on our own benefit, that He probably stops listening, because that's not what He's interested in. Now, to pray for your friend and his situation, that was not a selfish prayer on your part, even though I'm sure it meant more to you than you can express. But you were praying for something that was a benefit to someone else, and that's when God hears us. He has His plans, and He wants us to fall in line with Him, not that we're going to give Him the plan and let Him follow us.

And that's just my little contrary take on it. Darrell Bock I'm wondering if Wayne is still on there, because I want to toss the ball up for him to slam dunk. While I was listening to that, we had talked about humble, contrite heart being necessary for God to listen. But Wayne, when asked earlier, said it's love, and it was your love for a friend that brought that miracle about. Are you there, Wayne?

Wayne Taylor I am. I am here. Sorry, there's nowhere else to go other than love, absolutely. It's the essence of why Jesus came for each one of us, because of His love. He so loved the world. He knew all the mistakes we were going to make.

He knew all the things we were going to do. And it was because of that love. And it was more than just to keep us out of hell. It was to bring us into a right relationship with our Father, with God. And even Jesus said, it says in His word, how can you say that you love God who is in heaven when you don't love those who are in front of you?

As you all were talking a minute ago, I was actually thinking about, Harold was talking about praying for others, praying out of a heart of love for others rather than for yourself. And I was thinking about my mother and my sister. And the life I've been living the last year and a half, they don't understand. They can't comprehend why I'm doing the things I'm doing. And that thought crossed my mind is, are they praying for me, or are they judging me? And it's not even so much about them, because we're all guilty of it.

I'm as guilty of it as anyone. We spend so much time judging one another rather than loving one another, rather than… Darrell Bock Well, that's a great setup for Danny's clip, I'm just saying. Gary Barnes Well, let's go ahead and listen to Danny's clip. Darrell Bock No, it really is, Wayne.

It really is. And so, you know, Danny has such a beautiful story. Unfortunately, he got called away. It's one thing to come up with a topic, and he actually gave us the clip, was sitting in the studio and got called away on a service call. So we didn't get the benefit of his story, but we do have his clip, which is from a movie that I dearly love called It's a Wonderful Life. And for those of you who may not be that familiar with it, it's the story of George Bailey, who lived a very sacrificial life for everybody in the community.

I mean, he'd saved his brother through the ice. You know, he'd given up his hopes and dreams to build this building and loan, and help people build houses that didn't have money, and had given to everybody. And then through no fault of his own, his uncle's a little different, and he misplaces a large deposit. Now it looks like George is going to jail, and he's got to make up a crazy amount of money. And George has decided his only way out is to cash in on this life insurance policy. But before he does that, he's got a little prayer. But, you know, you need a little backstory here that when he was so upset about having lost all this money, his daughter had come home with a sore throat, and the teacher is who George blamed, and he'd bawled her out on the phone.

Now he has an opportunity to meet her husband after his prayer here. Want somebody to take you home? Why are you doing so much, my friend? Please go home, Mr. Bailey.

This is Christmas Eve. Bailey? Which Bailey?

This is Mr. George Bailey. The next time you talk to my wife like that, you'll get worse. She cried for an hour. It isn't enough she's a slave, teaching you stupid kids how to read and write.

You had to bawl her out, eh? Get out of here, Mr. Welsh. I'll wait. I want to pay for my break.

I don't mind the money. You get out of here quick. You ain't my best friend. Get out. You all right, George? Who's that? He gone.

No worry. His name is Welsh. He no come into my place no more.

No, Welsh. That's what I get for praying. The last time he come in here, you hear that, Nick?

Where's my insurance policy? I heard it. No, no, please no go this way, Mr. Bailey. No, no, you no feel so good.

Sit down and rest. Please. No, go away. Please. Now look what you did.

My great grandfather planted this tree. Hey, you. Hey, you. Come back here, you drunken fool.

Get this car out of here. So there was George's prayer, and his prayer was responded by a punch in the jaw, which, you know, you might have heard there from his teacher's husband. But you got to watch the movie, really, to see how much God really did show George the way. It took a punch in the jaw, and how many of those did I need?

And how many times do we say, that's what I get for praying? But the beautiful part of the movie and the genius of the thing is that he's taken on, you know, a very difficult road to find out what life would be like if he had not existed, to find out really the value of wealth is in exactly what Wayne is describing, and that because of the love that he'd shown for this entire community, now they love on him, and they all come to his aid by pouring in all this money, and even his brother, who now is a World War II, you know, saved all these people in the war, and he came back on the plane, you know, all of them. It's quite a scene, not to mention Clarence gets his wings, and if you don't shed a tear, you know, it's just not Christmas. I was already crying by that point.

That was my point earlier. This reminded me of, well, I'll start with who it is. My wife and I in the 90s were Henry Blackaby groupies, and anytime he was anywhere close, we'd go listen to him, and he had a lot to do with my developing a real relationship with God. From that, and he would not claim any credit for it, he said, oh, that's God. I'm glad he used me kind of thing.

He's that humble a guy. But we listened to a tape of his last week, and it reminded me of something that Wayne reinforced there. He was talking about love, and, you know, Henry wrote Experiencing God, and people said, well, how do I experience God? And he said, well, it's with the people you encounter, whether it's your spouse or your children or your worst enemy or a pagan stranger.

Every time God puts someone in your path, that's an opportunity for experiencing him and having a dialogue with him. He'll tell you like he did Robby. And Robby, that's such a beautiful story, and I'm amazed. I don't think anybody here remembered hearing that before. Darrell Bock A great story, for sure. Darrell Bock Well, along those lines, when you said that, I couldn't help but remember, when I was a baby Christian, like you were talking about, like I had just begun to pray and all these things. Well, Tammy had really frustrated. Tammy is my wife, if you don't know. And, you know, I'm a young father, and she said some stuff that just fried my bacon. And I go downstairs in the basement, and I am screaming to God, did you hear what she just said? Are you going to just sit here and take this? Are you going to let all this happen, you know? And I'm shaking my finger at God, and he says, oh, so you want me to hold her accountable.

Is that what you're saying? I went, whoop, delay that order. Darrell Bock Abort, abort. Darrell Bock Abort, abort.

I'll never ever forget that conversation as long as I live. Now, I think accountability is not good here. I think grace.

I'm thinking grace is good. And love. Yes, it is.

Yes, it is. Thank you, Wayne, for joining us on the phone and Rodney and Andy and my friend Harold. And of course, Jim, it's been a wonderful time with you, but it wouldn't be the same without you listening. So you, the podcast listeners, we're so grateful. But we'd love to meet you at the boot camp. It's coming up November 18th through the 21st. This is the Truth Network.