When God answer
your prayer with a
promise
Ps Don Turvey
7 May 2017
God says no – better yes coming
A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his
sisters, Mary and Martha. This is the Mary who later poured
the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with
her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters
sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is
very sick.” But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s
sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of
God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” So
although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed
where he was for the next two days. Finally, he said to his
disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”
John 11:1-7 NLT
Prayers like promises are
conditional
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who
remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.
For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who
does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless
branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into
a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my
words remain in you, you may ask for anything you
want, and it will be granted! When you produce much
fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory
to my Father.
John 15:5-8 NLT
Our hope is anchored in God’s
goodness
Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and
we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his
pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts
with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues
forever, and his faithfulness continues to each
generation.
Psalm 100:3-5 NLT
Sometimes God fights for us
You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm,
hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord
on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be
afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out
against them, and the Lord will be with you.”
2 Chronicles 20:17 ESV
You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights
for you.’
Deuteronomy 3:22 ESV
Other times God work through us
So neither the one who plants nor the one who
waters is anything, but only God, who makes things
grow. The one who plants and the one who waters
have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded
according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in
God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as
a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But
each one should build with care.
1 Corinthians 3:7-10 NIV
Faith without striving
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the
word of Christ.
Romans 10:17 ESV
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most
holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
Jude 20 ESV
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of
Christ you should not only believe in him but also
suffer for his sake,
Philippians 1:29 ESV
We are always on Fathers mind
For it was not to angels that God subjected the world
to come, of which we are speaking. It has been
testified somewhere,
“What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son
of man, that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting
everything in subjection under his feet.”
Hebrews 2:5-8 ESV
God’s desire for us is to mature
until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to
the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
Ephesians 4:13 ESV
But solid food is for the mature, for those who have
their powers of discernment trained by constant
practice to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 5:14 ESV
Prayer
Father I acknowledge that You are good and have my
best interest at heart. Father help me to realize when
you want to use circumstances to show your glory to
the world. I need wisdom to know when you answer my
prayer directly or through me. Help me when I tend to
panic when things don’t go my way. Forgive me for the
times when I thought you did not care, knowing that is
not possible. Father I need your wisdom to recognize
the seasons in my life. To know when to watch You
working and to know when I should take responsibility
to do Your will on earth and let Your kingdom come. In
Jesus name. Amen
Abundant life…….
is a life lived by faith in God
with a sure hope in His goodness
where love is central to all our
actions