10-29-2016

Good Morning All,

           John 11:41; “So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.”

       Some years ago, Garth Brooks recorded a song entitled “Unanswered Prayers”.  It was a song that told a story of a man who, while in high school, prayed to date this certain girl.  It didn’t happen and he met another woman and married her.  Years later, he and his wife met the original dream girl and the man realized that his true love of his life was his wife so he was glad that his prayer in high school went unanswered.

    We spend a lot of time talking about prayers that seem to go “unanswered”.  We try to explain them away as God is telling us no or God is telling us to wait or, like the song implies, God has a better plan for us than we have for us.  We spend a lot of time dealing with these prayers.  We look at them and try to discern why we received the answer that we received.  When we focus on these prayers, ones we deemed as “unanswered” we often come to question or doubt God’s loving action in our lives.  “If God loved me…” leads us down a path that is destructive to our faith. 

    Yet do we spend any time on answered prayers?  When each of our grandchildren were born, we prayed for “ten fingers and ten toes” meaning we only wanted a healthy child to be born. All three are healthy; I must confess that I was slow to respond as Jesus did in our verse.  “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.”  When we pray for safety in our travels, when we pray that no one gets hurt during the harvest or any of other numerous prayers, do we thank God for hearing us?

    Even in our “unanswered prayers” God hears us.  He listens to our cry for relief or comfort. He hears us as we open our heart to him in both praise and concern.  God hears us, when we call upon his Name He does not turn away.  God inclines his ear, much like a parent or grandparent leans in to listen to the soft voice of a child, to hear us and he responds to us with his loving grace.  God listens to us in each prayer we raise even if we are unable to express ourselves with coherent words; He hears, understands and fulfils his promises to us.

    So, in all our prayers both answered and unanswered we should always give thanks to the Lord that He has heard us.  We should at all times give thanks to God that we are able to come before him and to speak to him as we speak to our parents.  We should always give thanks to God for his gracious inclusion of us, sinners and reprobates, in his holy family.  Give thanks that in his mercy, he cares for us and provides what we need. 

Father, we thank you that you have heard us.  As we lift our voices to you we know your ear is always attentive.  Forgive us when we assume we know all the answers and we fail to trust your holy decisions.  Keep us always mindful that you alone are all-knowing.  Protect us from our own arrogance and selfishness. Guide us by your Spirit.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret