FOREWORD
“CONDITIONS TO ANSWERED PRAYER” is a series of in-detail teachings on prayers that have been lifted up before God for years, but are still unanswered. This series also has to do with our everyday prayers.
It is true that prayer is a conversation between man and God, between the child and the Father; however, we must have discernment to know what to do in each situation.
In Luke 8:22-25, we read a story about Jesus and His disciples sailing across a lake on boat. When the waves were tossed and the storm did not subside, Jesus was asleep at the back of the boat. “…And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!’” (Lk. 8:23-25).
In Jonah chapter 1, we see another situation. “But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. Then the mariners were afraid… But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep. So the captain came to him, and said to him, ‘What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.’ And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah… So he said to them, ‘I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’ Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, ‘Why have you done this?’ For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then they said to him, ‘What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?’, for the sea was growing more tempestuous. And he said to them, ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.’ Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.’ So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows. Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (Jnh. 1:4-17).
In the first instance, they needed faith and trust to restrain the storm right away; in the second instance, when the problem was not solved after a prayer of faith, they needed to get rid of what caused the problem.
There is hardly a person on earth who will be able to answer all the whys about unanswered prayers. Only God can give the answers to all the questions, if a person assigns proper time to seek and meet Him in their “secret place”.
This series of in-detail teachings serves as a guidebook for those who are confused in the labyrinth of the whys. This series reminds, based on the Word of God and personal testimonies, that the Almighty and Holy God, the Alpha and Omega, has given His Holy Spirit and the Bible to answer people’s questions, to direct their steps and to show the way to a life that pleases God. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Everything is connected; people simply need to live a life that pleases God, but always remind themselves that without the mercy of God the Father, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the leading of the Holy Spirit, everyone is lost forever, no matter how much they strive to have a godly life.
PART 1.
THE ADMONITION OF ELIHU TO JOB
As the head of the Social Ministry Center, I often receive letters and phone calls from both men and women of different ages. People describe their mental, financial, social, relationship and health problems in detail. They relate how they suffer, unable to find any work, especially one suitable for them. People want to know why their needs are not met and why they see no changes in their lives after much prayer or fasting for seven or even forty days.
Many people have these questions, not just the ones that write to us. Since questions about prayer and fasting relate to spiritual realities, we will look for the answers in the Bible.
Let us open the book of Job. This book not only gives answers to many questions, but also presents the majesty, power, perfection, mercy and limitless love of the Lord in a unique way.
Who was Job? “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East” (Job 1:1-3).
He loses everything in one day. Messengers come one after another to Job’s house telling him about the loss of all his property, and finally, the death of all his children. “Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: ’Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there.’ …In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.” (Job 1:20-22).
Then Job’s body is struck with painful boils, and he “took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes” (Job 2:8).
As if his personal grief and the excruciating pain in his body are not enough, the accusations of his “friends” make his situation even worse. They not only accuse him, but also compel to repent. In defense of himself against their accusations, Job starts to list all the good things he did and reminds them of who he was only months ago. He justifies himself before them, lists everything he did for God and people, and is shocked to be in such a situation.
Job comes to senses only after the words of Elihu. “Then the wrath of Elihu… was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God… So Elihu… answered and said: ‘…I also will answer my part, I too will declare my opinion. For I am full of words; the spirit within me compels me.’” (Job 32:2,6,17,18).
Unlike Job’s “friends”, Elihu speaks by the Spirit of God. “Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard the sound of your words, saying, ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me. Yet He finds occasions against me, He counts me as His enemy; He puts my feet in the stocks, He watches all my paths.’” (Job 33:8-11). Elihu reminds Job that God is greater than man, and He will not give account for all His doings, but “…God may speak in one way, or in another, yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds, then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man, He keeps back his soul from the Pit, and his life from perishing by the sword… If there is a messenger for him, a mediator, one among a thousand, to show man His uprightness, then He is gracious to him, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom’. His flesh shall be young like a child’s, he shall return to the days of his youth. He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, he shall see His face with joy…” (Job 33:14-26).
Then Elihu starts to teach Job how to pray in his situation. ““For has anyone said to God, ‘I have borne chastening; I will offend no more; teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do no more’?” (Job 34:31-32). To tell the truth, I always use these words in my prayer when I am sick or in severe trials. I prefer to humble myself before Him right away, to hear from Him the reason of what befell me, than to make assumptions myself and come to wrong conclusions. I was assured repeatedly that only the Lord can tell the truth, and only He can show the way out of the situation.
The fact someone is going through an adversity does not necessarily mean they have sinned. However, for me it is imperative that the Lord tells me the reason and leads me from darkness to light, and teaches me to be wise and not to appear in the same situation again. “And if they are bound in fetters, held in the cords of affliction, then He tells them their work and their transgressions— that they have acted defiantly. He also opens their ear to instruction, and commands that they turn from iniquity. If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. But if they do not obey, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge” (Job 36:8-12).
Only after the words of Elihu, Job realizes that by justifying himself, he actually blames God. Instead of endless self-defense, he should have asked the Lord, “Teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.” The words of Elihu help Job to see the majesty of the Lord. “By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen. Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds; He scatters His bright clouds. And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance, that they may do whatever He commands them on the face of the whole earth… Therefore men fear Him; He shows no partiality to any who are wise of heart (or “He will not look at anyone who is wise in his own eyes”)” (Job 37:10-12,24).
If only people understood WHO IS GOD, they would be left speechless because of awe and admiration. “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: ‘Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth and issued from the womb; when I made the clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band; when I fixed My limit for it, and set bars and doors; when I said,
‘This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!’ Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place…?” (Job 38:1-12).
“Then Job answered the Lord and said: “I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself,
And repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:1-6).
Repentance always has fruit. Job not only repents, but also forgives his friends and obeys the Lord by praying for those who slandered him, who did not speak about God what was right, as he did. “And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before… He also had seven sons and three daughters… After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of days” (Job 42:10,13,16-17).
Who then can stand before the Lord and try to justify themselves, while accusing Him in their hearts, “I pray day and night, I fast repeatedly, but there is no change in my situation…”?
To have a change, first of all, one needs to humble themselves and ask, “Lord, what have I done? Please speak! Only You can tell why I am in such a situation, because only you search the heart and the mind.”
First, prayer and fasting are necessary to learn the reason of having troubles, not to come out of them. A sin or a number of sins might have led a person there. Only the Lord can tell that. If sin is the reason, one has to repent, and not to harden their heart or justify themselves. If the Lord reveals another reason of a hopeless situation, He will certainly teach how to overcome it and will lead out by His Spirit. In all cases, no one is as good or just as the Lord.
Whatever befalls a man, – lack of finances, constant poverty, diseases, strife in the family, unemployment, drug addiction, alcoholism, gambling, – in each case, first they are to humble themselves before the Lord and ask what character trait has caused their misery.
Character plays an important part in a person’s life. For instance, sometimes children of educated, diligent and godly parents become drug addicts, gamblers or alcoholics. Unfortunately, a few parents admit that they are the ones who put their children on the verge of ruin because of wrong upbringing, parental inconsistence or showing their affections toward their child in a wrong way. Before rending their hearts and crying out, “Lord, do not cut off Your mercy from my child!”, they need to repent that in their time, they were not led by the Holy Spirit in bringing up their child. I say this, as there are parents who were led by a religious spirit while bringing up their child, and now the child is repulsive and rebellious toward anything that has to do with God.
Repentance always has fruit. When a person fully realizes their mistakes and wholeheartedly repents, the Lord QUICKLY hears and answers them.
There can be another problem. A person does not realize or does not want to realize that their thoughts and actions are far from God’s holiness and are sinful. They justify their actions, saying, for example, that what they do is not lying or fornication at all. Why is it wrong if they are not married yet? Eventually, they will. People steal, are unforgiving, bear grudge, and are proud or envious… Moreover, they wrap these sins, which are abominable in the eyes of the Lord, into “innocent” humanistic slogans, and continue to moan in anguish and cry out to God with no answer from THE MOST HIGH AND RIGHTEOUS GOD. So they try to justify themselves by saying, ”I pray much; I give much; I feed orphans; I clothe the naked; I don’t miss a church service…” Beloved, LET THE SIN GO! You cannot deceive God, so do not deceive yourself!
Allow me to share a testimony from my life. This happened some years ago. I was back home from work and was going to have a dinner, when I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Turn on the TV”. When I did, I saw a newscast. To tell the truth, I almost do not watch TV, especially news programs. However, at that time, an announcement took my attention; it was about renewing outdated driving licenses. They even put a sample of the outdated driving license on the screen. When I saw it, I said, “Lord, thank You for the opportunity to hear this announcement.”
The next day I asked about it one of my colleagues, who used to help me with everything that had to do with my car. He said, “It’s not about you; your driving license is not outdated yet.” I insisted that the announcement was about me, as the sample I saw on TV was similar to my driving license. He laughed and said, “You drive for so many years; have you ever had any issues with your car?” Indeed, I never had any issues; he used to manage everything in time, so I had no reason to distrust him.
Several months passed. One day, a police officer stopped my car on a busy road and asked for my driving license. I calmly gave it to him, and soon an argument started. The police officer, first gently and later with much effort, tried to persuade me that my driving license was outdated. I was sure I was right, so I phoned my colleague and asked him to speak to the police officer. To my amazement, he replied, “Gayane, he is right. Stop arguing…” What I felt toward both the police officer and my friend is needless to describe. The fine was a considerable amount for me, and after paying it, I drove on.
The next day, I changed my driving license. When I was back home, I knelt before the Lord. I told everything to my Lord, and started from the very beginning. It is wonderful to have someone Who listens to you with patience and without reproach, Who listens without interrupting until you are over. I told my Father, my Savior and my God about my unpleasant situation, about what I experienced while arguing with the police officer, realizing the carelessness of my friend who had given me a wrong advice, and eventually, paying the fine. When I finished, I calmed down and started to analyze the whole situation in detail. Praise be to our God, Who always shares our experiences, feelings, pains and joys!
While presenting the whole situation to the Lord, I viewed myself as a victim. I became a victim as my colleague gave me a wrong advice because of his ignorance in the latest changes in the law, and even laughed at my naivety. I was a victim while arguing with the police officer, and even more, while paying the fine.
However, when my lamentation toward God was over, my mind was enlightened. Praise be to our God, as His Spirit enlightens our mind and course! I understood that I was not the victim, but the one who was wrong. This time I turned to God with repentance. I asked Him to forgive me, since months ago, He led me to turn on the TV and see the important announcement about renewing of driving licenses, when the time was due, but I ignored His guidance and acted according to my friend’s advice, whom I considered an expert. I prayed and asked the Lord to give me strength to forgive him both for placing me into an awkward situation and for his careless attitude when he learned that because of him, I was fined by a police officer. Praise the Lord, I forgave that person right during the prayer, and restored the love and respect I had toward him. While praying, I felt how the Holy Spirit was establishing His divine peace and joy.
I know My King, and I know that repentance before Him always has fruit. When the divine harmony was established in me by the Holy Spirit, I boldly applied to my Lord asking for the return of the money I paid for the fine in multiplied measure. I already repented that I had not used the opportunity God had given me and had not changed my driving license in time; I repented for violating the law of the Police of the Republic of Armenia, and for the hatred toward my colleague who gave me a wrong advice. So it was the time to reap the fruit of repentance. I prayed, “Lord, I want that money multiplied, and I want You to decide how much it will be multiplied, according to Your love and mercy.” The Lord always amazes me with His generosity and benevolence. At the same day, less than an hour after I finished my prayer, I received an amount of money that was 30 times more than the fine I had paid. Praise be to our God, Who disciplines those whom He loves!
To be continued…