Prayers and God's Answers

Introduction

The great theologian Garth Brooks recorded a song in 1990 that became a #1 hit for him in 1991. The song is entitled “Unanswered Prayers.” It’s a song about a married man who meets his high school sweetheart who he thought was just the right person for him. He had prayed for God to make sure that he and his high school flame would always be together. Now seeing her years later, he realizes that God knew what was best for him and that his wife was surely God’s gift to him. It is in the chorus that the theology comes out although it is lacking in grammatical correctness: “That just because he doesn’t answer doesn’t mean he don’t care some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”

Of course a country music song isn’t scripture. There will be flaws but the simplicity of the song is in the reminder to trust God rather than your own desires. Put that message in a country song and millions of people buy it and sing it. Thirty years later we still struggle with that reality. How do we deal with prayers that are answered differently than we want? While the song is entitled “Unanswered Prayers” the reality is that God answers every prayer. We may think that God leaves some prayers unanswered but all prayers are heard and answered. The reality is that we don’t like the answers sometimes, especially when we want something so badly that our emotions are completely engaged. How do we deal with the emotions that come when God says “no” or “not now” or “yes, but you will not see it”?

We came today to meet with God. He has invited us to draw near to him and to share with him. He is holy and great. He is welcoming and knows you by name. How is it that one can be overwhelmed by his glory and yet welcomed at the same time? This is our time with God. It is our time to express our joy, our love, our praise, and our resolve to be faithful even as he is faithful to us. Let’s worship together.

Boasting

Paul writes this letter to the Corinthians to defend himself. There were great divisions in the church at Corinth. Paul’s attempt to heal those divisions had been met by opposition. Some even went so far as to claim that Paul had no apostolic authority and he should be ignored. Part of this letter is Paul’s defense against the opposition. Those who deny Paul’s authority boast that their authority is greater because of their superior spirituality. Paul deals with this by boasting about his suffering (11:16ff). He admits that this approach is a very worldly one, but he wants to meet his opposition on their level. By doing so he will not only reveal the foolishness of their argument but reveal that the only boasting one may do is boasting that reveals the greatness of God.

In 11:16-29, Paul boasts about his suffering. Paul writes about his physical suffering and his spiritual anguish. If you want to gauge spirituality through suffering, Paul says I win. In far greater ways he has suffered for the sake of his message than his opposition even considered. This is a fool’s argument. To boast about suffering is to suggest that you have lost a lot. For Paul suffering demonstrates his spiritual fervor and his opponents cannot match it.

Paul writes in 11:30, that he is going to boast in his weaknesses so that God can be exalted. He uses two ways to illustrate how weak he is. The first illustration comes from Acts 9 in which Paul left Damascus in less than a manly way.

A quick Bible study here. Turn over to Acts 9. After his conversion, Paul spends some time in Damascus. This is verses 19-22. Notice verse 23 begins with “after many days had gone by.” This is Luke’s way of letting the reader know that there has been a significant passage of time. From his escape in Damascus, Luke tells us that Paul goes to Jerusalem. Turn to Galatians 1:17. Paul says that after his conversion, he doesn’t go to Jerusalem but instead goes to Arabia for an extended period of time and then returns to Damascus. This is the interlude between Acts 9:22 and verse 23. So there is roughly a three year span between these two verses.

Discovering that there was a plot to kill him, Paul’s companions persuaded him to leave the city in a basket being lowered through a window against the wall of the city. Ingenious plan. Not exactly a Jason Bourne approach. No bravado. Like a scared person he escaped. You remember how about three years earlier Paul had gone to Damascus full of fire and intent to deal with these Christians. They would know who was boss. From persecutor to persecuted. Things have changed for Paul. His actions show that he is in a place of weakness as human beings think about power and strength.

Paul’s second illustration is found in 12:1-10. While it appears to be boasting in strength, it isn’t. Paul talks about himself in the third person. 14 years earlier, Paul had direct revelations from God. What he saw and heard could not be expressed in words nor was he permitted to express them. That’s quite the boast. Paul writes in verse 6 that he has avoided this subject for the very reason that he didn’t want people to think of him when hearing his message. And to prevent conceit (the word is self-exalted), Paul says God gave him a thorn (a splinter) that Satan uses to torment him.

The word for messenger is the word “angel.” Same word that is used throughout scripture to talk about one who is sent from God. The thorn is from God carried out through Satan’s work. Does this make you uncomfortable? Lots of questions right? But Paul isn’t angry. He understands what this “splinter” is for. Three times Paul begged God to relieve him of this thorn. Three times he was told “no” and given this reminder: My grace is sufficient.

What Is God Doing?

Lots of questions. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could ask all of our questions and get answers that satisfied? Don’t you think Paul asked questions of God? Begging for relief and all he got was a platitude. There is one main lesson from this text and it applies to prayer. It isn’t possible for you to boast about yourself and God look good. Or to put it another way, there is only one God and we are not him. Or to say it differently, God and I cannot occupy his throne at the same time.

To admit one’s weaknesses is to allow God to be exalted. We pray for relief. We cry out in laments or praise. God answers every prayer, but his answer may not be what we want. Paul begged God to relieve him. God didn’t. Paul didn’t grow angry or bitter. He recognized this truth: my weakness allows God’s strength to be seen. The question turns from “why didn’t God relieve me?” to “Look at how God has sustained me.” With this weakness, God has provided strength. Paul, how did you keep going when this “thorn” is your constant companion? God’s strength. God is so good. Didn’t God fail you for giving you the thorn and then not taking it away? How could he fail me? He knows that I could easily boast about my abilities. Now there is no doubt that the only thing I can boast about is his strength.

Isn’t this where we wrestle in our faith? As people who love God and who have faith, do we not wrestle with this tension between trusting God to do what is best for us and our deep desire to have things work in a certain way? To ask three times reveals that Paul didn’t want this thorn. He begged God for relief. God’s answer—is it not enough for you that if my son bore a cross for your spiritual relief that you can bear this splinter to reveal my power? Can you be weak for now so that you can boast about my strength that was provided for you to carry on?

This isn’t about heaping guilt on us for our thoughts and begging God to change things. It is about perspective. One more thought. Didn’t Jesus beg God in Gethsemane to take away the cross? What was God’s answer? So what happened at the cross? The power of God was revealed as humans saw Jesus as weak and disgusting. And the resurrection? God exploded his power into reality by bringing Jesus back to life. In that death, our sins were forgiven. In that resurrection, we will never die. The splinter we carry now will pale when we see God face to face and when that day comes, we will praise him. Be weak now. You can’t boast about yourself and God at the same time. When you pray, beg God for relief but if the answer is “no” then look for the strength that he will surely give you to carry on.

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