Today’s devotional: why doesn’t God just do something?
Earlier this week, we highlighted a devotional about effective prayer. But what about prayers that God doesn’t seem to answer at all? Are those “ineffective” prayers? When we call out to God for help or when an injustice happens, why doesn’t He always appear to set things right? Why doesn’t He do something?
That’s the question asked in this devotional at Lifetime Guarantee Ministries. Anabel Gillham wonders about God’s apparent silence:
Why does He wait and wait and wait when we so desperately are begging Him to “do something?” Why? Because God is omniscient. He knows everything. He has His plans all drawn up and we cannot grasp His ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:9 NAS). We didn’t know what God had in mind that dark day on Calvary’s hill. He was fulfilling the plan that had been set in motion before the foundation of the earth. He was redeeming mankind. He was making a way for us to regain our fellowship with Him. He was opening Heaven’s doors for His children. Reconciled at last!
And we can say, “I see that was necessary for His plan to be carried out! But why war, why tragedies, why suffering?” Because He is fulfilling the plan that was set in motion for you and me before the foundation of the world. God has a plan for my life as surely as He had a plan for Jesus.
Read the full devotional at Lifetime Guarantee Ministries.
Have you ever wondered why God remained silent and inactive in spite of your prayers? How do you respond when God’s response to prayer or needs in your life isn’t what you hoped for?
Prayer is not about asking God “to do something.” By asking Him for things, we are asking God to change his mind, or attempting to tell God what to do. It does not work that way.
HE is God, WE are His.
Prayer is about learning from God what He wants from us. God already knows what He will do with and for us. He already knows the end of the story. It is up to us to learn from God.
Prayer is much like meditation. We are thinking and focusing on God both in prayer and in meditation. We are channeling a line of communication to Him. Only, God does not act upon our requests — although He does hear them and I am sure God sympathizes with our fears and concerns — but God is telling us what He wants from us.
We have to look at our lives from God’s point of view: Our momentary wants and desires mean nothing compare to God’s plan for His creation. We are to remain focused on our salvation. We must carry our cross and do what God commands once we have given our lives over to Him the moment we ask for His saving grace. Jesus pays our ransom and for that supreme act of mercy we belong to Him.
A great example of this is Job. He knew that it was God’s will for him that was supreme, and not his present sufferings. Everything belongs to God, He is the creator of all. God simply allows us to use what He wants us to have, and God may take it away from us anytime He wishes. We are simply to remain faithful and continue to worship and praise God because He will take us into Heaven with Him for all of eternity, and not banish us to the pains of Hell.
God wants us to pray to Him, we are commanded to do so. God wishes to have a deep and loving relationship with us. He wants to be our best friend, our brother, our Father, our everything. God is with us at all times and wishes we would talk to Him. In keeping an open dialog with God we are open to hear what He is telling us in each and every situation we find ourselves in. Then we being to develop that Christ-like character.
please help with prayer for my life. I feel worthless and lonely so I drink but resent I have started to use drugs. Pray hard for me. I need to be saved. Thank you…
Prayer will be doe for you, but also, you have to make an effort not to drink or do drugs. God will help but you have to be willing to get helped!!! Jesus Loves you and he doesn’t want anything bad happen to you or any of us. He loves us!! Let him work in your life, let him in!!! Whenever you have that urge of drinking or doing drugs, talk to him, ask him to help you leave the bad things that will hurt you and others. He will listen, he is everywhere!! REMEMBER THIS!!
Dear Kat,
If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are SAVED.
There is NOTHING you can do wrong to lose your salvation. Once saved always saved.
God’s love for you does not change because of your sin(s), you lose your fellowship with God but He gave us (Believer’s only)a way to enter His fellowship.
“If we confess [acknowledge] our sins, [to God the Father] He is faithful [He always does it because He is immutable] and righteous to forgive us [to blot out completely] our sins [the personal sins we are aware we commit ]
and to cleanse [purify] us from all unrighteousness [sins we commit or wrongdoing of which we are not even aware]. (1John 1:9)
You will then be in fellowship with God, filled with the Holy Spirit, and ready to learn more Bible doctrine from the Word of God.
Every person on Earth has problems, you are not alone. EVERYBODY
believers and unbelievers alike have an “old sin nature”. The Holy Spirit indwells you and is always in conflict with the old sin nature.
Remember when you fall God is always there to pick you up.
God gave us a wonderful problem solving device in confession,it gives us a “license to worship Him”.
“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in [the filling of the] Spirit and [biblical] truth.” (John 4:24)
1 “I feel worthless”— please be aware that when you feel worthless you are saying to God that what He did on the cross for you was needless. You are one of His Saints,one of His gems,He will never lose you.
2.”I feel lonely” Loneliness is an emotion that can be overcome with more doctrine in your soul.People are frantically searching for happiness. Where is this happiness, is it financial security, or is it in your spouse, or your environment? NO! Happiness belongs to those who keep on hearing the word of God!!!.
3. “I drink but resent I have started to use drugs”
That’s temptation your old sin nature produces in your body,a battle that can be overcome by the filling of the Holy Spirit, (easier said than done).
I hoped this has helped you,
Charlie
I agree we should be listening to the Holy Spirit for instructions and counsel regarding out actions and thoughts. However, the Word of God specifically tells us that there are times when we need to ask.
Matthew 18:19 “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 21:22 “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Mark 11:24 “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.
Luke 11:9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
And many more….
Like so many times with God, I find that He likes ANDS and not just ORs. He likes listening and asking. Not just one or the other.
Good morning,
I am currently suffering from anxiety and would like to know where to find a passage or passages in the bible that will help me to pray for strength.
God Bless,
Sarah
Luke 21:34…….1 Peter 5:7….Proverbs 12:25….Phillippians 4:6 I hope & pray that u will let God speak to you through these scriptures* God Bless you
Am a christian i love jesus and always seek his face, i like yr comments so much God bless you. so on prayer God answers prayers because psalms 37:4 says delight in the lord and he will satsify the desires of our hearts, and God has good plans for us plans for prosper not disaster so God hears our prayers as a father to his sons and daughters.
be blessed
The Epicurian questions stand unanswered:
Is God willing to prevent evil but not able?
Then he is not omnipotent
Is he able but not willing?
Then he is malevolant.
Is God both able and willing?
Then whence comes evil?
Is he neither able or willing?
Then why call him God?
God is able and willing to prevent evil. that is why he sent Jesus Christ to die and pa y the price for our evil that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. from Adam to date God is in the business of remedying our sins and the consequences of our sins within the limits his nature (love and the law or justices). the law demands judgment and condemnation upon the whole world for sin but love and mercy says no!!!! God says i will exalt mercy over judgment. please my brothers and sisters. the mercy and the love of God is over flowing now. let appropriate to our self through our unshakable faith on Jesus Christ our savior. till Jesus Christ comes back evil and suffering will continue because the whole world is in the power of the evil one. the evil has no power over Man but he manipulates man into sinning against the Law of God. but that power has been destroyed now because in Christ Jesus we are new creatures and by the Holy Ghost we are partakers of the nature of God , but even when we sin death has not power over us anymore because we have an advocate in heaven Jesus Christ our Lord. this is the Good news. let share this news with others they do not need to fear the evil one any more. Yes we may surfer the consequence of our sins and the sins of others let us be sure in our mind that it was not the plan the plan of God . let us ask him for help in our suffering instead of charging him with unrighteousness which is our own doing or the doings of others. but most importantly let us rejoice also knowing that Jesus has conquered death. Hallelujah !!!!!