Ever wonder how your prayers get answered?

You are never alone...even though you may feel like it

I've always been intrigued by prayer. I've often heard that the answer to prayer is either "yes, no, or wait" I want to dig a little deeper on those answers. 

I want to look at it as this. Answers to prayer may be grouped into the following...

• Sometimes immediately.
   Isaiah 65:24  I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!
  Daniel 9:21 As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice.
  Luke 18:7-8 So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly!

   
• Sometimes after delay.
  
   Daniel 10:12 Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.
   
• Sometimes differently from our desire.
   2 Corinthians 12:8-9 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 
   
• Beyond expectation.
   Jeremiah 33:2-3 This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it—the LORD is his name: ³ ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
  Ephesians 3:14-20 ¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

   ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

  
  

  There are many ways that God answers prayers...and sometimes His answer is not what we want or desire. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says "Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 

  I often find myself wondering what is the big picture? Often I pray asking for His Will to be done, then I wonder what His will is. I can remember several month back I was at a men's retreat and the evangelist that was there came over to me and said, "Tim, stop focusing on God's divine plan...that is for Him to know, not you. Do what you are doing now and stop always praying for God's will and actually learn to receive what He has for you."

  You see that really spoke to me. I was searching for God's will so much, that I was actually taking for granted the blessings that the Lord was giving me. In other words - I couldn't see the forest for the trees - I am missing the BIG picture. 

  This is a unique BLOG entry for me...pointed at me - I sometimes just need to write my thoughts out....then I can actually think more clearly. If this does help you though - Blessings to you !!!

Find yourself worrying? Here are a few thoughts.

As the sun sets today, it is already rising somewhere as tomorrow.

Do you worry a lot? Here are a few thoughts about worry that I found.

• Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday.

• Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.

• Troubles are a lot like people - they grow bigger if you nurse them.

• Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.

• Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.

• Worry is a complete cycle of inefficient thought revolving about a pivot of fear.

So what is the one thing all these thoughts have in common....think about it for a second.... Worry just wastes time, drains energy and is bigger than what it really is. How many times have you worried about something, only to have it never happen? Or what if you worried about something and it did happen? Either way, it either was going to be or not. What did worrying accomplish? I can tell you what it easily can accomplish... higher blood pressure, anxiety, depression, ulcers, short temper, stress, nausea, muscle tension, headache, dry mouth, dizziness, irritability, sleeplessness, nervous energy, heart attack, shortness of breath, suppression of the immune system, overeating, and drug/alcohol use. Quite a list.

However, a little bit of worry may help you. What, help me? It may help in this way – if you have a test, a little worry may help you study more. If you have a job interview – it may help you prepare more for the interview. The problem is when worry becomes so irrational that you can't think clearly. It is easy to say – Stop Worrying! The fact is, it is hard to do.

One way that I cope with the “worries” of life is to rely on God. There are so many verses in the bible that speak on this very topic. Here are a few that encourage me:

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:25-27

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

We live in a very fast paced, crazy world. Things are happening quicker now, than at any time in history. We are in information overload and it is only going to get worse... Maybe it's time to step back, take a deep breath, re-examine priorities and look to the Lord for comfort, peace and rest. Let God worry about tomorrow for you...He already knows what tomorrow holds :)

Have a great day friends.

Reality Check... for me

There is a lot of dead animals around. I am not sure if it is just because it is spring and all the grass has yet to grow? And the thing is, I'm not talking about the regular road kill - groundhogs, raccoons, and the odd deer.

Just in the last week I saw a coyote about 40 feet off the road, dead. It's light gray coat standing out in stark contrast to the brown forest floor. It just looked like it was sleeping. It's legs underneath, and it's head lying to the side. 

deceased coyote in the forest

Then, the other night, there was a dead calf. It looked like the coyotes had dragged it to the side of the bush. And last night, there were 4...yes 4 deer skeletons at the side of the road within 10 feet of each other. 

4 deer skeletons on the edge of a bush

Makes me wonder what happened to these animals? I do know that they probably didn't think when they awoke that that would be their last day on earth.

A couple verses keeps coming to my mind - they are found in James 4:13-15 Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” ¹⁴ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. ¹⁵ What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”

So many times, I find myself planning...thinking that I am in control. Then I get a reality check. Sometimes all it takes is a drive down a back road or a walk through a bush to see how quick life really is...an interesting reality check.

You can't live life relying on promises made by people...

You can't live life relying on promises made by people...

For the most part, I am a relatively positive person and I like to think the best of people. Some of my family members may disagree with that statement, but thats ok. The last few years have been a test, a trial and a time of teaching for me.

It is extremely discouraging when a promise is made and then nothing happens. It can be summed up like this a stated by Samuel Butler, "A promise is a word, and a word is just wind." Just think about your life for a moment - how many promises have been made to you? How many promises have you made? Now how many of those promises have been fulfilled? If not, Why?

So many excuses, so many rationalizations, so many reasons....but still the promise has been broken. It is so hard trusting people now a days. Honour has left the equation. People are looking out for themselves. They will do what ever is needed to get ahead in this life - Does it matter if people get hurt? - no. 

One thing that I hold onto though are God's promises. Here are a couple that I like:

 Ps 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." 

Jer 29:13, "If you seek Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me."

Remember friends, people will promise things to you and let you down. People will lead you into doing things that benefits them, and then let you down. People will say one thing, and then do another. That's life, and it happens daily. 

Are all people like this - no. But a large number are. 

Keep positive though - keep looking up to the One who makes promises and keeps them. :)

A beautiful day

It's a beautiful day - enjoy it !