Series of Sermons on Prayer, #4

Frank Ottati

 

Text: Luke 1:5-23 – Zacharias and Elizabeth

A child wrote to a missionary the following note: Dear Mr. Missionary, we are praying for you. But we are not expecting an answer.”

This child exemplifies the prayers of most Christians who pray a lot but they don’t expect an answer. Why does God delay to answer?

To receive an answer from God we have to have four attitudes:

1. Let God answer your prayer in His own time (whenever)

The angel said to Zacharias, “your prayer has been heard.” Luke 1:13

What was his prayer? To have a baby. Yes, but when they were

young not when they got old. They quit praying that prayer. This is why Zacharias was skeptic. The Lord heard that prayer immediately, vers. 18 and 13, but, He waited a long time to answer it.

Why did God delay in answering their prayer? God is never late. He is never in a hurry. It was not His time. God needed time to prepare and change Zacharias and Elizabeth, to receive a baby who was going to be the one who prepared Jesus’ coming.

They needed to grow, in order to handle this unusual baby.

What do you do when God delays?

a. Keep praying until you get an answer.

• Keep praying until you get assurance you will get an answer.
• Stop praying when you know it is not God’s will. You become uncomfortable praying about it.

2.Let God answer your prayer in His ownway (however)

God says: “My ways are not your ways.” Isaiah 55:8

If the Lord had answered Zacharias and Elizabeth’s prayer when

they were young; they could have had a nice little Jewish baby. But God wanted a John the Baptist. A forerunner for Jesus.

When you let God answer your prayer in His own time and in His own way, He wants to answer them in a bigger way. Why? Because the Bible says so: “But God is able to do even exceedingly above what you are able to think or imagine.” Eph 3:20

3.Let God answer your prayer in His own power.

God often waits until the situation is impossible before He answers.

He waited until Zacharias and Elizabeth were old. It was impossible for them to have children. Why? Because when God answers an impossible situation, who gets the glory? God!

Ex: Abraham and Sarah , tried to help God, and they got in trouble.

Warning : when you pray about a problem, do not be surprised if it gets worse before it gets better, so God will be glorified in a more spectacular way.

Ex: Jesus intentionally delayed His coming to heal Lazarus, why? What would better glorify God? To heal him or to raise him from the dead?

Sometimes God waits until it is humanly impossible to answer our prayers to make us grow.

Other times He lets us see miracles in the life of others before He answers our prayers: Ex: Jesus on his way to heal Jairus’ daughter, was touched by a women who was sick for 12 years She was healed.

4. Let God answer your prayer for His own purpose . ( whatever reason)

The entire Bible summarizes why God answers prayer in two statements: for our growth and for His glory.

God had a purpose for the life of Zacharias and Elizabeth’s son. The purpose was to make that little boy, a John the Baptist who could proclaim the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Paul’s dream was to go to Rome and preach the Gospel where no one had preached before. He asked members to pray so he could have a prosperous journey. Rom 1:7-10,15; 15:20,24-32.

Did Paul go to Rome? Yes, but when? In God’s time. How did he get there? On a cruise? On a Love Boat? No! Together with a bunch of prisoners! Was God’s power with him? Yes. The angel of the Lord told him, that no one would perish in the shipwreck. He was bitten by a snake, and nothing happened to him. God was glorified in the whole experience.

When he arrived in Rome he was put into house arrest, Acts 28:16.

What was God’s purpose for Paul? To preach in a Coliseum for several days? Nope, God wanted Paul for something bigger: to write a large portion of the New Testament in a secluded house jail!

Sometimes God denies the original request, to give you something bigger and better to make you grow for His glory.

When you pray and the request is not right, God says “No”

When you pray and you are not right, God says: “Grow”

When you pray and the timing is not right, God says: “Slow”

When you pray and everything is in place, God says: “