How God answers prayer

How God answers prayer

FGB Jaya One/Brother Chung Siew Ling/1/6/12

It is such a privilege to share the goodness of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.God is always good.

In a best selling book in the US, the 1^st sentence of the 1^st chapter had only 3 words – Life is difficult. Indeed, life is full of challenges. Every human being experiences this.Working people worry about their bank accounts. As people get older, they worry about health and sickness. Many worry about relationship problems. That's reality!

When we face challenges, majority of us try to find solutions immediately, how best to overcome a problem. However,the Word of God says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God,which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7. God's Word gives us the assurance that God hears us and He loves us. We still tend to try human solutions first but the Bible says,go to God in prayer first. He is a God of miracles,of the impossible! When we encounter conflicts, hardships and difficulties, we should always go to Him first. The battle is the Lord's! We will have the assurance when we submit to Him!

In Isaiah 49:15-16, the Lord says “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” Imagine how infinite is the loveof God who loves us.He gave His only begotten son so that we would have everlasting life.

Sometimes, we get impatient when we go to God in prayer and answers are not forthcoming. However, we need to pray in simple faith believing God is our Heavenly Father. We are co-heirs with Jesus Christ! Just as God loves Him, He too loves us. The Lord says “My ways and thoughts are higher than yours. I am the Creator.

When we pray, God always gives us an example,immediately or after a short time. I thank God that all my life I have been largely free from pain. My pain tolerance is very low. A coupleof years back, I went to Pantai hospital to have an operation on my piles. I had heard horror stories about the post-operation pain. After the operation, my doctor put a packet of painkillers by my bedside. The next morning, the doctor came and asked if I had any pain. I told him there was no pain at all. He said “the painkillers must have worked”, and I told him I did not take any painkillers. The doctor was surprised but I knew God in His grace had spared me from pain. God had answered my prayer miraculously and immediately.

Anoter time, God answered my prayers only after a coupleof months. When I first started the FGB Chapter in Jalan Bukit Bintang, there were only 4 persons. We were discouraged but continue to kneel down and prayed to God, believing in Him. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Those who come to Him must believe that He is and He rewards those who earnestly seek Him, as stated in Hebrews. Several months later, people started coming and there was a period when there were 43 people, majority of which were men. We were filled with awe and wonder at what God had done. We had done nothing at all.

Sometimes, God says “no” to our prayers. In James, he says that some don't have anything because they don't ask and some ask for selfish purposes. 2 ladies came to me, telling me that they wanted to give to the church. They asked me to pray for them to win the lottery so that they could give to the church. I told them that their prayers would not be answered as they were not according to the will of God! Most of us are average working people. Some men pray for a Mercedes Sportscar or a supermodel girlfriend. One should not expect those prayers to be answered. However, if a man earnestly prays to God “send me a partner who loves you”, he would likely have his prayer answered.

A third answer to prayer is “Wait!” God sometimes tell us “I will answer according to what is best for you, but wait!” Many may have to wait for years before God's answer comes. Quite often a delayed response is a test of our faith. We need to wait, trusting God patiently.

Before I joined YTL,I told God that I did not want to be a pastor. I knew I didn't have that desire. Instead,I wanted to share the goodness of God to people in the marketplace. Out of the 43 people in FGB Bukit Bintang, one of them was Tan Sri Francis Yeoh. He came one day and I got to know him through the Chapter. It was all God's timing! Francis Yeoh kept on coming, even bringing an engineer and a CFO, and he now goes to FGAKL. There was no looking back for me, and I joined him in his company, and served in the marketplace.

I am so excited to share the goodness of God with people everywhere through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our real and living God! At my time at YTL, I was privileged to baptize 3 of his brothers, 1 sister, and share Christ with a top Company Secretary. In the meantime, I continued to serve in FGB.

What if after a long time, there is still no answer to our prayers? Then, we must re-examine our request, to see if it brings glory to God. If it is, and the answer is still not forthcoming, rest assured that God will open a better door in the long run. God has a perfect plan for us, but we must keep on trusting in Him and looking to Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith!

Remember that without faith it is impossible to please God and that those who come to Him must believe that He is and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him! When you become a Christian, you become a child of God! Romans 8:15 says “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Even earthly fathers will give and do everything for their children. How much more our Heavenly Father. God says “ I have the best plan for you, not to harm you, but to give you a future” as He said in Jeremiah! Though we face loneliness, financial troubles or any problems, don't take your eyes of Him.He will meet your needs, whether discouragement or hurt or disappointment. We just need to wait with simple faith in Him and don't let go. Even when one door closes, another will open. Someone once said that when God takes something from your grasp, it is to open your hands to receive something better. Let God the Holy Spirit be president and Lord of your life, and not just a resident!