Learning Prayer: God is a Good Father
Welcome to another installation of the Learning Prayer series. Today we are going to talk about the importance of learning that God is a Good Father. Before we jump in I would ask that you consider sowing into the ministry. Thanks!
Why Doesn’t God Answer? It’s not His Will
You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
James 4:2-3 NASB1995
This passage is super important in the study of prayer because it is one of the rare passages in the scriptures where God is said to not answer a prayer. Now what I think is interesting here is that with this rare scripture, we can get a deeper glimpse into the mechanics of prayer. In this section of scripture James tells us that one of the reasons why a person would not receive answered prayer is because they are asking for something that they will use in a wrong manner.
The source of this misled prayer is actually lust. Lust is our worldly and fleshly desires. God will not answer our prayer when our motivation is to fulfill this need instead of being motivated by love.
God is a Good Father
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Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 19:24 NASB1995
Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
Matthew 7:9-11 NASB1995
The Lord showed me a while ago an answer to why He might withhold a prayer from one of His children, and it has to do with God’s love for us. It is very difficult if not impossible for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. Why is this? A man must first be trained to only rely on the Lord because otherwise he will trust in money and not God. But it isn’t only about money, it can be about almost anything.
If you ask for a platform to speak, get ready for criticism and judgment. If you ask for more responsibility, be ready for a higher level of discipline and self sacrifice. God is a good Father, and because of that He will not give you things that you cannot handle. That is why we must first deal with lust, then we can receive the things we desire. Remember, we must ask to receive, but make sure you are ready to pay the price for what you ask.
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