The Trial of Your Faith, Part 3

I am receiving such encouraging responses to these blogs that I am motivated to submit yet another a bit sooner. I appreciate the encouragement and thank God for any blessing you receive from these meditations.

We concluded our last meditation pointing out that the trial of your faith mentioned in 1Peter 1:7 is “much more precious than of gold that perisheth.” The faith itself is much more precious than gold and so is the trial that purifies and improves that faith. Now it challenges our faith to think of the trying of it as being itself precious. But that it is so may be seen from this passage:

Romans 5:3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4  And patience, experience; and experience, hope….

Before we comment on this verse, let’s define tribulation.

Tribulation – A condition of great affliction, oppression, or misery; persecution, distress; vexation; disturbance of life.

Tribulation is what you suffer when your faith is tried and you are “in heaviness through manifold temptations.” Now there is something about the trial of your faith that is so precious that you can glory it, just as we noted the apostle Paul doing in our last meditation (2Corinthians 12:9). When you glory in something, you rejoice exceedingly in it. Imagine being that excited over tribulation! But why would we glory in something that by definition is a source of misery, distress, vexation, and disturbance? There must indeed be something very precious about it if it elicits that response.

The reason we can glory in tribulations is not because we are masochists that enjoy pain for the sake of pain. If the tribulation were all pleasure, it would not be tribulation by definition. We do not rejoice in the tribulation as a thing in itself. We rejoice in the tribulation because we know what God is working by means of it. We glory in it precisely because it is a trial, a test that our loving heavenly Father is subjecting us to in order to make us better persons.

For us to truly glory in tribulation, we must view it from God's perspective. Our problem is that we all too often only view it from our perspective. As believers there are three things we need to ever bear in mind about God. The first thing is that God’s rule, and thus His control, extends over all things.

Psalms 103:19  The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

Therefore, no tribulation or temptation can enter your life without His permission, which we have already noted from 1Corinthians 10:13. Remember that Satan could not lay a hand on Job or his possessions without God’s permission (JOB 1:12; 2:6). But, alas, it is at just this point that we get stuck. Much of our frustration in tribulation lies in that fact that we want to control what goes on in our lives rather than submitting to God's control. Might it not be that God is permitting a tribulation in your life to purge out just such self-willfulness? Might the Lord be trying your faith to bring it to the point of humble resignation such as our Lord expressed in the hour of His great agony: “Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42)? Fighting God for control will only make matters worse. “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker!” (Isaiah 45:9).

The second thing we need to remember about God is that He knows and understands our suffering.

Exodus 3:7  And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows….

Job 23:10  But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Psalms 31:7  I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities….

You may not understand why the trouble is there, but God does. He knows what He intends by permitting it in your life.  And this can also be a sticking point for us. If the tribulation does not make sense to us, then we think it makes no sense at all. That is because we are refusing to consider God’s take on the situation. We are exalting our understanding above His. You see, it is easy and clear to the discerning mind to know that there is a God. Our problem is coming to grips with the fact that we are not He! We are still infected with the poisonous lie that led to the downfall of our first parents: “ye shall be as gods.” We do so like to usurp His place in controlling our lives and fully understanding everything that transpires. Do you suppose that the Lord just might be letting you be “in heaviness through manifold temptations” to purge you of such self-exaltation?

And while I am on this point of understanding our tribulations, let me insert some additional thoughts. In his excellent book Disappointment with God Philip Yancey wrote: “Perhaps God keeps us ignorant because we are incapable of comprehending the answer.” There is a depth to God’s judgments and ways that we cannot fathom.

Romans 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

God dwells in the dimension of eternity and, therefore, sees things much differently than we do who are bounded by time. An author of a finished book sees the whole plot of the book at once whereas a reader must plod through it sentence by sentence to get it. So it is with us as we plod through life in a fallen world full of suffering. God sees what you go through from a vastly different perspective. Our suffering here is only an infinitesimal bleep in comparison with eternity. This is where our faith enters in. Although we do not know all the answers, we trust in God Who does know. Are you beginning to see how the Lord might try your faith to prove whether you are trusting your understanding or His? I quote Philip Yancey again: “Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.” And when you compare this infinitesimal bleep we are enduring now with the eternal glory that is ahead of us who are believers, why then, it is nothing to be compared. It is not even in the running.

Romans 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

 

And the third thing to always keep in mind is that God loves and cares for you, and purposes to do you good.

1 John 4:19  We love him, because he first loved us.

God manifested His love for you in sending His only-begotten and beloved Son to die for your miserable sins and to give you eternal life.

1 John 4:9  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

How much more must the Lord do to show you that He cares for you and intends good for you?

1 Peter 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Jeremiah 32:40  And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.

Now as you suffer your tribulation, you may choose to doubt God’s love, care, and good intentions for you. But I ask you in all honesty, just how is doubting and denying these plain statements from the mouth of God going to make your situation better or help you to cope with it better?

All these three things taken together, God's control of all things, God's understanding of all things, and God's love and care for you, let you know that God has something good wrapped into that heaviness you are bearing. From these three facts about God you may have the assurance expressed in these famous words of the psalmist David.

Psalms 23:6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Goodness and mercy are tracking you as you make your way through your tribulation. It might not seem so clear to you now, but as time passes you will be able to look back and see clearly that goodness and mercy were there tagging along all the way. I know it has been thus with me. And this is what gives me courage to keep trudging ahead.

Now we are expressly told something God intends by permitting us to be “in heaviness through manifold temptations,” and that is, the trying of our faith in order to develop patience. But, alas, that will have to wait until the next installment. In the meantime, let it suffice you for now to know that through the trial of your faith, God is making you a type of His adorable Son for all to see. Our tribulations are all part of the plan to make us more and more like Jesus. Greater honour there cannot be than being like the Lord Jesus Christ, for that is the grand end of the salvation of God. “Oh, to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer!”

1 John 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

The Trial of Your Faith, Part 2

We pick up where we left off considering “the trial of your faith,” which is mentioned in this passage:

1 Peter 1:6  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ….

Three words that I have often emphasized when I have dealt with this passage are those words “if need be.” If you are presently “in heaviness through manifold temptations,” it is because you need to be. Any temptation in your life is there because it needs to be. Furthermore, it can only be there if God permits it to be.

1 Corinthians 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

This verse lets us know that it is God that suffers (permits) a temptation to get through to us. But it also assures us that our God is faithful to never let any temptation get to us that is above our ability to bear. And He will “with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Now Satan will do his utmost to convince you that whatever trial you undergoing is more than you can handle. But that is his lie to get you to doubt God’s faithfulness. And once you doubt that, Satan has you right where he wants you. So when you are in heaviness, keep 1Corinthians 10:13 steadily in mind.

There are a couple of other very important things that 1Corinthians teaches about a temptation. Not only it is there because God allowed it, but it is also common to man. You are not the only one to struggle with it.

1 Peter 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Because we are Christians our battles with the devil certainly qualify to be afflictions for us, and they are afflictions our brethren also experience. And it gives us comfort to know this. This very point jumped out at me one time when I was reading the book of Lamentations.

Lamentations 2:13  What thing shall I take to witness for thee? what thing shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? what shall I equal to thee, that I may comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion? for thy breach is great like the sea: who can heal thee?

Note that in order to comfort the virgin daughter of Zion, the prophet needed to find something to liken to her or to equal her. So it is with us. If we learn of something that is like to what we are dealing with or equal to our temptation, we find comfort. We don’t feel so alone or odd in that case. We all have experienced sharing a struggle with someone and discovering to our great relief that they have had the same struggle.

Another very important thing to glean from 1Corinthians 10:13 is that when you are dealing with a difficult temptation, God in His faithfulness will make a way of escape so that you can bear it without being overcome by it. But note! This point is crucial! The escape is not that the temptation goes away entirely. Rather, the escape is found in being able to bear it! God provides some outlet, some resource so that you find help, comfort, and peace to be able to bear it. Don’t doubt this because if you do, the help could be right in front of you staring you in the face and you won’t see it. Nothing is so blinding as unbelief in the word of the living God.

I go to 1Corinthians 10:13 because it is so germane to the subject of temptation and we are dealing with the “manifold temptations” mentioned in 1Peter 1:6-7. But I now wish to come back to 1Peter 1:6-7 from which I draw the title of these meditations, The Trial of Your Faith. Zero in on those words “more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire.” Now the question is whether Peter is describing “your faith” as being more precious than gold, or “the trial of your faith” as being more precious than gold. Is it the faith or the trial that is more precious than gold? Well, if you think about it, it’s both. There is no question that faith is precious. In his second epistle, Peter writes “to them that have obtained like precious faith with us” (2Peter 1:1). And faith is more precious “than gold that perisheth.” But insofar as our trials purify our faith like fire purifies gold thus making better stuff of our faith, the trial can also be deemed precious.

Now I shall have more to say about why the trial of your faith is so precious, but that will be for another installment, God willing. For now I would like to exhort you to examine yourself as to just how precious your faith is to you. Is it more precious than your most precious material possession such as gold might be? This verse should give you some idea of the premium God places upon faith:

James 2:5  Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

If you have faith, you have the potential to be very rich, if that faith increases. And that is what the trial of your faith is all about. If you properly respond to the trial, it will purify your faith of its weaknesses and cause it to be stronger and thus better. So why wouldn’t you consider the process precious that increases the value of your most precious possession? In the end it will only make you richer. Perhaps you can now get a glimpse into why the apostle Paul could write: “most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities” (2Corinthians 12:9). Those infirmities enriched his faith. This was a man so rich in faith that he “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). How would you like to have a faith that was even remotely that effective? And if you are “rich in faith,” then you are “heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him.” As is said in our modern slang, “It don’t get no better than that!”

The Trial of Your Faith, Part 1

As I was praying this morning, my mind was going over several of the burdens that the people under my ministry are bearing. Other than the stresses that are common to everyday living, and the aches and limitations that come with aging, my personal life is going well beyond anything I deserve. But quite a number of the people under my ministry are going through some very sore trials. I endeavour with the help of God to be a pastor to these people after the pattern of the apostle Paul, who wrote this to the church at Thessalonica:

1 Thessalonians 2:7  But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:

8  So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

Being like a nurse to these people and holding them dear to my heart, their burdens become my burdens. What nurse is worth her salt that does not feel burdened for the sufferings of those she cares for? Not that I bear the burdens of my people to the same extent as they, but I do bear great concern, a concern I bring before God in my prayers for them.

As I consider these things, I sometimes wonder why it is that there is so much trouble among the people I serve and strive to bless. I search my own heart and wonder if there is something wrong with me or something lacking in my ministry. Am I being punished? And then I see others who claim to be ministers of Christ with prospering ministries when I know they are promoting glaring errors. I wonder why it is thus? Have I missed something? But as I was praying today, it came to my mind that the Lord is letting all this happen as a trial of my faith. And, it follows, that the faith of my people whom I serve is also being tried. This all took me to this passage that I have preached on several times before, but that I need to be continually reminded of:

1 Peter 1:6  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ….

The believers to whom Peter was writing were “in heaviness through manifold temptations.” Manifold temptations are varied or different kinds of temptations. That is what I see throughout the church I serve. I see all kinds of troubles that the folks are going through. And those are the ones I know of! What must it be were I to add on those I know nothing of?

Now a temptation arises from being tempted. The word tempt as defined in a dictionary and as used in the Bible can refer to a trouble that tries or tests a person, or it can refer to an attraction to do something evil. A temptation might be a sickness, a personal loss, or a persecution. But it might also be some strong attraction to evil. For a Christian, being strongly attracted to something sinful can be an affliction. Let’s face it, unfulfilled desire is vexing and that is exactly what we experience when we are strongly attracted to something sinful that we know we must not give into. And such a temptation also becomes a test. Will we stay true to God and do what is right, or will be forsake the Lord and fulfill our lust? And every trouble you go through, even if the trouble itself is not an allurement to sin, can lead to sinning if you use it as an excuse to forsake the Lord and do your own thing.

Also notice that these manifold temptations were causing these believers to be in heaviness, which suggests that these temptations were a source of pressure or stress. These were hard tests. They were not easy to get through or resist. Some of the troubles my folks are going through are pressing them heavily. They are sore temptations. And inasmuch as I care for my people like a nurse, I am in heaviness as well.

So what is the effect of being “in heaviness through manifold temptations”? The effect is called “the trial of your faith.” Now let’s define the word trial.

Trial - The action of testing or putting to the proof the fitness, truth, strength, or other quality of anything; test, probation.

“The trial of your faith” is a putting of your faith to the test to prove it. “The trial of your faith” will prove whether your faith is true or false. Do you really believe God and what He says in His word? Do you really believe the King James Bible is the pure, preserved word of God? Do you really believe you are in a true church sitting under a true man of God, and is he really telling you the truth? Your trials are going to prove if you really believe what you say you do. For, you see, it would be easy to answer “yes” to all of these questions if everything was going smoothly, if you and all your family were enjoying robust health and plenty of money, and all getting along well. But will you trust God and hold to what you believe is the truth when things are going against you, and you are in heaviness through all kinds of troubles? If you can hold fast your faith in such circumstances, then “yes,” you really do believe all those things. For your trials will prove whether faith is real or feigned. In 1Timothy 1:5, Paul mentions a “faith unfeigned.” That is a faith that is not pretended, that is genuine. It is a faith that runs deep, rather than some superficial believing that might arise over hearing something new. Temptations will prove that superficial faith to be the fake that it is.

Luke 8:13  They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

According to the verse we are considering in 1Peter, the trying of your faith works like the trying of gold with fire. The fire purges out the impurities in the gold and makes better stuff of it. So your trial will reveal whatever is defective in your faith. Perhaps you are putting too much trust in the creature comforts God is giving you. In that case, all the Lord has to do is remove those comforts and then it will be seen if your faith rests in Him or in the comforts He gives. The following passage set forth this particular purpose for trials.

Deuteronomy 8:2  And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

3  And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

The Lord is going to test you to see if you truly believe His word and will obey it even in the face of loss. He will test you to see if you are living by His word, or by what you put in your belly, or what makes you comfortable.

And, furthermore, “the trial of your faith” will test the strength of your faith. If adversity causes your faith to falter, then your faith is weak.

Proverbs 24:10  If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

We should all want a faith like Abraham of whom it is written:

Romans 4:19  And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:

20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

Abraham believed God even when his circumstances were screaming that what God had promised couldn’t possibly be. If you find your faith caving in under the pressure of your manifold temptations, then let me suggest you pray this simple prayer of the disciples of Christ:

Luke 17:5  And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

I can see now that this meditation is expanding. So I’ll have more to say about this in another installment. In the meantime, suffice it to say that if you are “in heaviness through manifold temptations,” God is working something in your life that will turn out wonderful in the end. Stay tuned for more.

Possibility Thinking, Part 3

In our last meditation we pointed out that if we really believe the Lord is able to do something to improve a difficult situation we are in, we will demonstrate that faith by asking, seeking, and knocking with importunity, that is, with persistence. We considered the teaching of our Lord on this subject as He taught His disciples to pray in Luke 11:1-13. Today let’s consider this thought further by noting the parable of the unjust judge as given us by our Lord.

Luke 18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

2  Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

3  And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

4  And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

5  Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

6  And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.

7  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Now the widow in this parable obviously believed the judge was able to do something to give her relief from her adversary. And she believed that enough to cause her to come to the judge continually. She was persistent. Finally, she received what she asked for and sought. And our Lord used this story to teach “that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” So if you desire something that is not forbidden in God’s word, and you desire it so that you might serve and honour the Lord with it, then don’t give up. Ask, seek, and knock persistently! At some point, you will get an answer. It may not be exactly what you want, but it will be an answer that will help you and bring you peace.

But never forget what Jesus said when the blind men confessed that they believed He was able to heal them: “According to your faith be it unto you.” If you do not believe the Lord is able to do something to improve your situation, it will likely not happen. Hear what our Lord said:

Mark 9:23  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

When you come to God in prayer, you must come with the faith that “all things are possible” with God. If you don’t have this faith, then you cannot pray a prayer that will please God.

Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

God does not receive prayers that are not mixed with faith. This is evident from the following passage:

James 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

If you are asking God for something and yet doubting His power to grant it, then you are wavering. You are acting like you believe God is able to grant what you pray for; after all, that is the reason you are praying. But at the same time you are doubting. Hence, you are wavering. In that case, you can put it down that you will not “receive any thing of the Lord.” When you doubt God’s ability to do what you ask, you are in effect limiting “the Holy One of Israel,” something which both provokes and grieves the Lord.

Psalms 78:40  How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

41  Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

42  They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.

So it comes back to this: “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” “According to your faith be it unto you.” And this is where your personal battles will be fought. Do I believe or do I not? Do I trust the Lord or do I not? This is why our Christian warfare is called “the good fight of faith” (1Timothy 6:12). If you doubt that all things are possible with God, you are losing the battle and Satan has gained the advantage over you. Because, you see, Satan is resisted when we are “stedfast in the faith.”

1 Peter 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

It is with “the shield of faith” that we are “able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Ephesians 6:16).

And if you are struggling with nagging unbelief, then there is this prayer that a man prayed when the Lord told him that “all things are possible to him that believeth.”

Mark 9:24  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

You see, God can help your unbelief. That is one of the endless number of things that is possible with God. I suggest you pray this prayer and do so with importunity until you begin to see your faith increasing and your unbelief diminishing. And if you are asking the Lord to increase your faith, you are obviously asking for something that pleases Him. In this case, you will receive what you ask for.

1 John 5:14  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

15  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

It is my prayer that this series of meditations will spur my readers to more possibility thinking as it pertains to what the Lord is able to do. Nothing but nothing that you need is impossible for God to provide. God can do anything you ask and much more. When you dare to believe and act on that faith, you may be surprised at what the Lord will do, even beyond what you imagined He might do. To be sure, He may not do just exactly what you asked. He may do something that in the outcome will be far and away better for you and others. In conclusion, let me challenge you to answer the call of this passage:

Jeremiah 33:1  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying,

2  Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name;

3  Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Possibility Thinking, Part 2

In our last meditation we considered that the Lord is able to do far and away beyond anything we can verbalize or even imagine. And we saw examples of people in Scripture who believed God could do something about their adverse circumstances, yea, they believed enough to ask God to do something about them. These people practiced what I call possibility thinking. Then we closed challenging you with this question: do you believe the Lord is able to do anything to improve your situation?

This brings me now to the passage that I consider the crux of this meditation. It is the story of Jesus’ healing of two blind men. Pay close attention as you read this passage.

Matthew 9:27  And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.

28  And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.

29  Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

30  And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

31  But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

Notice that Jesus did not ask these blind men if they believed He would heal them. He simply asked them if they believed He was able to heal them. After affirming their faith in His ability to heal, he said to them: “According to your faith be it unto you.” So if you are involved in some kind of situation that you long to see improved, do you believe the Lord is able to improve it? Do you believe He can heal you? Do you believe He can overpower the person with whom you are having a problem and bring peace in some way or another? Do you believe that your job situation can improve or that God can give you a better job? Do you believe the Lord can make a way for you to move closer to a church? Do you believe God can still open doors and hearts to the gospel of Jesus Christ? Again, I am not asking if you believe God will do these things. I am asking you the same thing the Lord asked those blind men: “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” And do you believe it enough to ask for it? After all, if you don’t ask, you will not receive the desired blessing.

James 4:2  Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

As our Lord Jesus said: “Ask, and it shall be given you” (Luke 11:9). Now I am not encouraging you to ask for things simply to satisfy the lusts of your flesh. I am not teaching the modern “name it, claim it” doctrine which affirms you can have pretty much anything you want if you believe God will give it to you for the asking. When our Lord taught us to pray He taught us to put God’s honour and His will in the forefront of our requests.

Luke 11:1  And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

2  And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

3  Give us day by day our daily bread.

4  And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

In teaching us to pray Christ taught us to put the hallowing of God's name, the coming of His kingdom, and the doing of His will ahead of asking for our personal needs.  When you ask for something so that you might better serve and honour the Lord, you are seeking to please the Lord rather than yourself. In this case, you are much more likely to receive what you ask for. I once counseled a cancer patient in my congregation on how to bargain with God for his life. I instructed him to tell the Lord that if He would let him live, he would go up to His house to offer the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving the remainder of his days.

Psalms 116:17  I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.

18  I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people,

19  In the courts of the LORD'S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD.

This bargaining chip carries a lot more weight with the Lord than asking Him to let you to live to pay off the house, or to see more of the world, or to see your grandchildren grow up.

But if we truly believe the Lord is able to do something to improve our situation, then we need to go beyond just asking. Let’s read further what the Lord had to say in teaching His disciples to pray.

Luke 11:5  And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

6  For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

7  And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

8  I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

9  And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

10  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

11  If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

12  Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

13  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Notice in the example our Lord gave of a friend asking his friend for three loaves of bread at midnight, that the petitioner would not be put off. He persisted until he his friend gave him the needed bread. Jesus said his friend gave him what he asked for “because of his importunity,” that is, because he was persistent and pressing in his solicitation. So you asked the Lord to do something about your troubling situation. Did you only ask once and then give up when you didn’t get what you asked for? Does that sound like importunity? Does that sound like persistence? Do you believe God is able to help you to the extent that you will keep asking Him?

Notice that our Lord not only taught us to ask of our Father, but He also taught us to seek: “seek, and ye shall find.” To seek for something is to go in search of it; to try to find it; to look for it. You see, prayer demands actions that are in harmony with its desires. Therefore, if you are asking for health with which to serve the Lord, seek those things that promote health. If you are sick, seek the appropriate remedies. If you are having a relationship problem, do what you can to rectify whatever you may have done to hurt the relationship. If you are seeking a better job situation, then look for other employment opportunities if there is nothing more to be done where you are working. If you want to move closer to the church, look for jobs in the area where the church is located. And don’t just look once and give up. That is not importunity! Keep looking. Be persistent.

But you say, “I have asked and searched but I have only met with a closed door.” Then knock on the door if you want it to be opened to you: “knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” The Lord may just be testing you to see how persistent you will be. You see, it all comes down to this: do you believe the Lord is able to improve your situation? And do you believe it enough to ask, seek, and knock with persistence? Remember what Jesus said: “According to your faith be it unto you.” More on this next time.