“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
In this week of our Bible Curriculum, we will be talking about God’s promise of answering prayer. From the beginning of my Christian journey, prayer was to ask God for things, as if He were cosmic. wishing-granting, genie. My faith would increase as I saw my prayer answered in the way I envisioned it. Contrary to this, my faith would decrease and question God’s existence if my prayer request did not pan out my way and my timing. My faith was like a small boat blown away by the sea and the wind on circumstances, while not being anchored by understanding God’s character. Essentially, I made myself god and to have God bend to my will. Over the course of many years, prayer is not a tool for getting my wishes granted, but a time of conversation with God. It’s to bring about thanksgiving, the struggles, dwell in the short time of resting in His presence, to listen to what He has to say, and confessions in an organic manner as if you were conversing with an individual. It has a speaking component and a listening component for both parties. It is a two-way street. I may request something of God, yet realize God may also request something of me, but I digress.
It is indeed a bold statement to say that God promises to answer our prayers because sometimes we might not like what we receive. The basis of handling the news of answered prayer is having a solid understanding of the following: God’s character - who He says He is, God hears our prayers, God sees the entirety of the situation, and God is timely. Whether you are looking into the Bible or people in your life or even your own life in hindsight, examples can be found even if seemingly coincidental. God’s answer to prayer could be to wait, yes, or no. Unfortunately, we openly embrace our ‘yes’ to answered prayer by giving our praises of adoration and feeling loved by God. In contrast, we struggle to accept the response where God says ‘no’ or ‘wait’ which could lead us to feel distanced or unloved. Yet during the ‘no’ or ‘wait’ God still provides what you need the most. Parents know that they will not say ‘yes’ to everything a child requests. ‘Yes’ may seem like a loving answer, but the intention behind saying ‘wait’ and ‘no’ can also be just as loving. To generalize, a ‘no’ can prevent potential danger while a ‘wait’ can build anticipation, patience, character, or realizing the timing was not right. Even our own children and youth at program, some of them come from tough backgrounds. They may want to be rich, dreams of being famous, or become an athlete, but that may not be needed at the moment or what God has in store for them. He will listen. We cannot promise them that God will answer their prayer of winning the lottery or that they can get good grades without studying and that if their prayers are not answered, God must not be real. We have to help them see that God is not a genie, but what is described in Exodus 34. He definitely provides them with what they need in a timely fashion, every day. So we pray that they may continue to ask God for the right things.
[God describing His own character] And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation. -Exodus 34:6-8
For this current season of ministry at Flemingdon Park, we have had answered prayers of receiving space to do programs. Back in the ‘20-’21 school year, we were struggling to find a space and were praying fervently. In October 2020, we were asked to vacate the TCHC space at Vendome. During July 2021 summer day camp, we ran it outside in an empty field with a small group of kids. This year, we were able to connect with the local church during March Break and Summer Break to run a day camp. We knew that God could provide a space for us at any time, but having to wait was disheartening. In these moments, my pride and insecurities were revealed. It revealed that my security in ministry was whether I had access to space or not. It revealed that I did care about the number of participants as it reflected poorly of my stewardship and potentially the “success” of my ministry. However, nowhere in the Bible did it say that God promised that just because we’re doing ministry meant we will have a space. God never promised abundantly successful ministries either. It would be nice to have those things, but He has simply asked us to be good stewards with what He has provided - little or large, space or no space. This school year, we were able to return to the TCHC townhouse in Vendome to run after-school programs. Seeing the results of answered prayer is great, but in the midst of our online endeavours, God was at work in one of our girls named Katiya. She grew up in a Catholic School setting and possibly a religious home, but never knew what her faith was all about. My colleague Nuri was leading the Bible time during our online after-school program and witnessing the authenticity of her faith allowed Katiya in wanting to take her faith and relationship with God more seriously, and with more curiosity.
All of this is to say, in humility I am not God. You are not God. We are not God. God is Sovereign and we are not. Behind the yeses, the noes, and that waits of our own personal prayers, God is at work, but also orchestrating something behind the scenes for someone else. There is a bigger picture that we cannot come to comprehend in full, but it is a blessing to see a snippet and experience just even a little of it. By all means, ask away of God and He will listen because He does care for you and for me. Over time, we learn to ask for the things that align with His will, not for our own benefit but in sharing His Kingdom's work in the midst of wherever we are placed.