WEBVTT 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:02.740 Well let's pray, let's ask God for help as we 00:00:02.740 --> 00:00:09.019 look at his word now. Father we thank you that 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:11.839 you're a speaking God, that you speak to us in 00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:14.539 the Bible. We thank you that you're a listening 00:00:14.539 --> 00:00:17.960 God, that you answer our prayers, that you hear 00:00:17.960 --> 00:00:21.640 them and act on them. And we ask Father that 00:00:21.640 --> 00:00:24.660 you would help us to see how wonderful it is 00:00:24.660 --> 00:00:28.000 to be in relationship with you as we look at 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:33.840 your word now. Amen. Well, my wife Laura has 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:37.479 some strange hobbies. She's away in Sydney at 00:00:37.479 --> 00:00:39.340 the moment with one of our sons, Ethan. They're 00:00:39.340 --> 00:00:43.880 playing a Pokemon card tournament and they're 00:00:43.880 --> 00:00:46.600 having a blast from what I can hear. She's got 00:00:46.600 --> 00:00:48.899 some strange hobbies, but probably the strangest 00:00:48.899 --> 00:00:52.659 that I've come across her having was that back 00:00:52.659 --> 00:00:57.439 in Geraldton, she used to write grant applications. 00:00:58.640 --> 00:01:03.179 That was her hobby. I kid you not, she did that 00:01:03.179 --> 00:01:09.200 for fun. She raised over $100 ,000 in grants 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:11.859 for the Geraldton Toy Library when we were back 00:01:11.859 --> 00:01:13.859 in Geraldton, her and another lady. Together 00:01:13.859 --> 00:01:17.379 they worked out this formula for writing grants 00:01:17.379 --> 00:01:19.079 that just seemed to get a pretty good answer 00:01:19.079 --> 00:01:22.299 nine times out of ten. So she just kept getting 00:01:22.299 --> 00:01:24.319 this favourable answer, you know, submit it to 00:01:24.319 --> 00:01:26.659 NAB, submit it to the council, submit it to whoever, 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:28.560 and all of a sudden they just get more money. 00:01:28.680 --> 00:01:32.920 It was amazing. I sometimes wonder if she uses 00:01:32.920 --> 00:01:37.040 that ability on me. I don't think so. Then again, 00:01:37.140 --> 00:01:41.120 she's in Sydney right now. Anyway. But wouldn't 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:45.879 it be great if you could pray like that? Wouldn't 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:48.829 that be great if you could... pray in the same 00:01:48.829 --> 00:01:51.629 way that laura makes a grant application you 00:01:51.629 --> 00:01:54.609 know it's not 10 out of 10 but gee you know you 00:01:54.609 --> 00:01:57.670 get a favorable answer most of the time that'd 00:01:57.670 --> 00:02:00.709 be pretty awesome you want something a promotion 00:02:00.709 --> 00:02:05.709 a spouse a house healing conversion of someone 00:02:05.709 --> 00:02:09.469 you love and you just ask god and it happens 00:02:09.469 --> 00:02:12.969 wouldn't that be awesome if there was just like 00:02:12.969 --> 00:02:15.360 a formula that you could kind of come to god 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:17.659 with and you just knew the right formula the 00:02:17.659 --> 00:02:21.300 right way to ask to get what you want that'd 00:02:21.300 --> 00:02:25.400 be fantastic wouldn't it especially because god 00:02:25.400 --> 00:02:28.819 is all powerful i mean you know it's it's one 00:02:28.819 --> 00:02:31.500 thing to ask you know for laura to ask me and 00:02:31.500 --> 00:02:33.360 i can give her limited things it's one thing 00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:35.979 for her to ask the geralton city council they're 00:02:35.979 --> 00:02:38.919 kind of limited in what they can give but to 00:02:38.919 --> 00:02:42.370 come to god And ask him for things. He's all 00:02:42.370 --> 00:02:45.250 powerful. What a great thing that would be. It'd 00:02:45.250 --> 00:02:49.270 be like having your own genie. Except there's 00:02:49.270 --> 00:02:53.389 no limits on the wishes. The trick would be finding 00:02:53.389 --> 00:02:58.590 out that formula. Wouldn't that be amazing? So 00:02:58.590 --> 00:03:02.409 I want to ask today, is there a way to get God 00:03:02.409 --> 00:03:06.050 to give me what I want? Is there a way to get 00:03:06.050 --> 00:03:09.860 God... to give me what i want if there is i bet 00:03:09.860 --> 00:03:14.039 we all want to know it if there's not well then 00:03:14.039 --> 00:03:15.939 what is the point of prayer why do we bother 00:03:15.939 --> 00:03:20.240 with it see the thing is many of us want a god 00:03:20.240 --> 00:03:25.120 who is a genie some christians feel disillusioned 00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:27.479 with god when they don't get what they want i 00:03:27.479 --> 00:03:31.340 i get that it can be really hard sometimes many 00:03:31.340 --> 00:03:34.659 people explore christianity Because they're desperate. 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:36.900 They're going, is there a God out there who can 00:03:36.900 --> 00:03:39.620 give me the sort of things I want? I don't necessarily 00:03:39.620 --> 00:03:41.900 want him, but I want the things he can give me. 00:03:43.740 --> 00:03:46.659 Well, if either one of those are you, sorry, 00:03:46.819 --> 00:03:49.259 today I need to tell you, I don't have a formula 00:03:49.259 --> 00:03:53.539 that I can give you. Sorry to disappoint. God's 00:03:53.539 --> 00:03:57.159 not actually like that. But I want to show you 00:03:57.159 --> 00:04:00.219 today that the Christian God is so much better 00:04:00.219 --> 00:04:05.139 than the genie God. how so how should we think 00:04:05.139 --> 00:04:08.479 of the god that we pray to that's what we're 00:04:08.479 --> 00:04:10.560 going to look at today and the driving focus 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:13.580 of this passage the closest thing that we get 00:04:13.580 --> 00:04:18.139 to a formula for prayer is this here's the big 00:04:18.139 --> 00:04:21.699 thing we see today god is a caring father who 00:04:21.699 --> 00:04:26.100 gives us what we really need that's the way to 00:04:26.100 --> 00:04:28.459 approach god it's the closest thing we get to 00:04:28.459 --> 00:04:31.079 a formula That's the thing we need to be thinking 00:04:31.079 --> 00:04:34.360 about when we pray. God is a caring Father who 00:04:34.360 --> 00:04:38.579 gives us what we really need. And when you see 00:04:38.579 --> 00:04:41.279 that, praying like that is so much better than 00:04:41.279 --> 00:04:44.199 praying to the sort of genie God we wish we had. 00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:48.019 So that's the big thing we see in our passage. 00:04:48.060 --> 00:04:49.980 God is a caring Father who gives us what we really 00:04:49.980 --> 00:04:52.379 need. And there's two things that Jesus tells 00:04:52.379 --> 00:04:55.860 us to do when we pray. Here's what we see. Firstly, 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:59.120 don't try to coerce God. Don't try to coerce 00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:01.639 God. Don't try and twist his arm. And secondly, 00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:06.639 trust God's fatherly care. Trust God's fatherly 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:08.600 care. They're the two things we're going to see 00:05:08.600 --> 00:05:11.800 today. So let's start with the first one. Don't 00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:14.939 try to coerce God. When you pray, don't try to 00:05:14.939 --> 00:05:19.220 coerce God. See, prayer is not us trying to get 00:05:19.220 --> 00:05:23.240 God to do our will. It's not us trying to control 00:05:23.240 --> 00:05:27.420 God. Prayer is about trusting our good Heavenly 00:05:27.420 --> 00:05:30.819 Father, trusting that he's in control of us and 00:05:30.819 --> 00:05:33.939 of everything. If you've got a Bible there in 00:05:33.939 --> 00:05:37.540 front of you, come with me to verse 7. And when 00:05:37.540 --> 00:05:42.339 you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, 00:05:42.339 --> 00:05:46.019 for they think they'll be heard because of their 00:05:46.019 --> 00:05:50.160 many words. Now, in the ancient world, people 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:55.129 would pray by repeating an extensive list, names 00:05:55.129 --> 00:05:59.569 of a particular God they'd speak magic incantations 00:05:59.569 --> 00:06:03.009 they'd repeat themselves louder and louder like 00:06:03.009 --> 00:06:05.709 we saw in our Old Testament reading they'd even 00:06:05.709 --> 00:06:07.949 harm themselves in order to get their God's attention 00:06:07.949 --> 00:06:12.550 and the point of doing that was to try and force 00:06:12.550 --> 00:06:15.569 their God to answer them and answer them favorably 00:06:15.569 --> 00:06:19.970 they kind of saw the gods of their day and age 00:06:19.970 --> 00:06:23.720 as kind of reluctant to give So you kind of had 00:06:23.720 --> 00:06:26.920 to twist their arm or stroke their ego to get 00:06:26.920 --> 00:06:29.740 your prayers answered. You had to come to them 00:06:29.740 --> 00:06:33.600 with the right formula. Now, we actually have 00:06:33.600 --> 00:06:36.839 our own versions of this today, don't we? Think 00:06:36.839 --> 00:06:39.600 of something like The Secret. You know, that 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:42.459 whole book about the law of attraction and you 00:06:42.459 --> 00:06:45.759 just manifest your desires. That's kind of a 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:49.439 secular way of doing it. But even in Christianity, 00:06:49.560 --> 00:06:51.519 there's things like the Word of Faith movement, 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:54.879 isn't there? name it and claim it you just need 00:06:54.879 --> 00:06:59.399 enough faith or you know maybe a bit more subtly 00:06:59.399 --> 00:07:02.199 sometimes we're tempted to do bartering prayer 00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:07.000 you know that one the quid pro quo kind of prayer 00:07:07.000 --> 00:07:11.839 you know lord if i just do this if i give you 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:14.920 some money to the church if i come to god with 00:07:14.920 --> 00:07:18.540 the right words then he will give me what i want 00:07:19.720 --> 00:07:23.079 Now, all of these are attempts to force God, 00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:26.819 to force God or a higher power to give us what 00:07:26.819 --> 00:07:31.579 we want. I think I used this illustration once 00:07:31.579 --> 00:07:36.319 before, but it's wanting God to be like a claw 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:39.420 machine or approaching God like a claw machine. 00:07:40.189 --> 00:07:43.029 I remember we went to Time Zone for Ollie's birthday 00:07:43.029 --> 00:07:46.649 last year and our kids loved the claw machines 00:07:46.649 --> 00:07:50.389 at Time Zone. I hate Time Zone. If anyone wants 00:07:50.389 --> 00:07:53.050 to take my kids to Time Zone so that I don't 00:07:53.050 --> 00:07:56.750 have to go, you're more than welcome. It's just 00:07:56.750 --> 00:07:59.889 so overstimulating for anyone over the age of 00:07:59.889 --> 00:08:04.610 35. You go to Time Zone and there's claw machines 00:08:04.610 --> 00:08:07.730 everywhere. And the claw machines, they offer 00:08:07.730 --> 00:08:10.610 the big prizes, but they're so hard, aren't they? 00:08:11.430 --> 00:08:14.389 And my kids, they dream of being claw machine 00:08:14.389 --> 00:08:18.069 masters. They're sitting there and they're trying 00:08:18.069 --> 00:08:20.350 to get the little joystick just the right amount. 00:08:20.610 --> 00:08:22.490 Oh, not quite, not quite. Okay, push the button, 00:08:22.550 --> 00:08:24.870 push the button. And then the claw comes down. 00:08:24.930 --> 00:08:26.930 It picks it up. You think, yes, I've got what 00:08:26.930 --> 00:08:29.709 I want. And then it goes boop and falls down. 00:08:30.279 --> 00:08:31.819 And you've just got to keep trying and trying 00:08:31.819 --> 00:08:36.460 and trying. Well, for many people, that's what 00:08:36.460 --> 00:08:40.419 prayer can easily become, isn't it? It's like, 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:42.580 if I just come to God the right way, just like 00:08:42.580 --> 00:08:44.960 with the claw machine, if I just get it just 00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:48.159 right, if I do it again and again, persist, until 00:08:48.159 --> 00:08:51.620 finally I get what I want, I'll get what I want. 00:08:51.659 --> 00:08:58.049 I just have to have the right formula. But have 00:08:58.049 --> 00:09:00.490 you ever thought about how blasphemous and insulting 00:09:00.490 --> 00:09:06.649 approaching God like that really is? It's forgetting 00:09:06.649 --> 00:09:11.210 who's God in the relationship. Does God suddenly 00:09:11.210 --> 00:09:14.330 exist to do my bidding? Or, hang on, aren't I 00:09:14.330 --> 00:09:19.049 here to do what he wants? Actually, it's viewing 00:09:19.049 --> 00:09:23.830 God as harsh, that he only is generous to me 00:09:23.830 --> 00:09:26.580 and gives to me when... I somehow earn it or 00:09:26.580 --> 00:09:30.620 merit it. And it's treating God as if he's stingy, 00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:34.220 as if he's reluctant to give, that he's got to 00:09:34.220 --> 00:09:39.679 be forced and coerced to actually bless us. That's 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:43.799 not what God is like. What do we see at the start? 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:47.340 God is a caring father who gives us what we really 00:09:47.340 --> 00:09:51.659 need. He loves to give us what we need. He's 00:09:51.659 --> 00:09:56.269 more willing to give than we are to ask. You 00:09:56.269 --> 00:09:59.950 know, God is not like John Paul Getty. Have you 00:09:59.950 --> 00:10:02.549 heard of John Paul Getty? He was a billionaire 00:10:02.549 --> 00:10:06.570 oil baron, and he's basically the epitome of 00:10:06.570 --> 00:10:11.669 Scrooge. He was around in the 1970s. His grandson 00:10:11.669 --> 00:10:15.730 was kidnapped, and they asked for a ransom, and 00:10:15.730 --> 00:10:19.750 he refused to pay. Only after months of torture 00:10:19.750 --> 00:10:22.350 and an ear getting cut off, which was sent to 00:10:22.350 --> 00:10:26.230 him, did he eventually pay. three million dollars 00:10:26.230 --> 00:10:30.830 three million instead of the original seven million 00:10:30.830 --> 00:10:36.190 uh it he sort of bartered them down this billionaire 00:10:36.190 --> 00:10:40.309 it took so much pressure for him to give anything 00:10:40.309 --> 00:10:46.429 that's john paul getty the god that christians 00:10:46.429 --> 00:10:50.169 pray to is not like that but sadly sometimes 00:10:50.169 --> 00:10:56.059 we approach him as if he is Imagine you've had 00:10:56.059 --> 00:11:01.299 a really bad day. You wake up late, you skip 00:11:01.299 --> 00:11:04.539 breakfast, you jump in the car but the car won't 00:11:04.539 --> 00:11:07.700 start, you've got to walk or catch the bus and 00:11:07.700 --> 00:11:11.700 you get to work and you're grumpy and you put 00:11:11.700 --> 00:11:13.879 your foot in your mouth all day. Do you have 00:11:13.879 --> 00:11:15.580 foot in mouth disease? That's pretty regular 00:11:15.580 --> 00:11:18.950 for me. And then you've got a co -worker who 00:11:18.950 --> 00:11:21.669 asks you at work about Jesus. Great to get an 00:11:21.669 --> 00:11:23.789 opportunity like that, but you're so grumpy that 00:11:23.789 --> 00:11:26.309 you nearly bite their head off. It's going well, 00:11:26.370 --> 00:11:29.850 isn't it? You get home, and then you're cranky 00:11:29.850 --> 00:11:32.009 with your spouse, you're short with the kids, 00:11:32.129 --> 00:11:35.450 and you get into bed and you think, oh, no, I 00:11:35.450 --> 00:11:39.309 should pray. What's the point, though? I doubt 00:11:39.309 --> 00:11:41.549 God would even listen, especially after the way 00:11:41.549 --> 00:11:47.889 I've been today. Now imagine the next day. You 00:11:47.889 --> 00:11:51.649 have a wonderful day. You wake up early and, 00:11:51.690 --> 00:11:53.610 you know, you don't just wake up rubbing the 00:11:53.610 --> 00:11:55.250 sleep out of your eyes. You wake up with that 00:11:55.250 --> 00:11:59.070 added enthusiasm, that vim and vigour. You go 00:11:59.070 --> 00:12:02.850 for a run. You have a hearty and healthy breakfast. 00:12:03.370 --> 00:12:06.190 You get to work early and you work so well that 00:12:06.190 --> 00:12:08.330 the boss notices and says, do you know, I think 00:12:08.330 --> 00:12:10.309 it's about time we talk about that promotion. 00:12:11.669 --> 00:12:14.779 Your co -worker asks you about Jesus and... You 00:12:14.779 --> 00:12:17.639 give an amazing answer with the grace and the 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:22.379 insight of Spurgeon or Billy Graham. You invite 00:12:22.379 --> 00:12:26.539 them to church and they say yes. You get home 00:12:26.539 --> 00:12:28.940 and everyone's relating beautifully. Your spouse 00:12:28.940 --> 00:12:31.360 greets you at the door with a smile and a hug. 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:34.740 And the kids, they just follow your every command 00:12:34.740 --> 00:12:37.379 and every word. You have a great family devotion 00:12:37.379 --> 00:12:40.419 at dinner time. It's fantastic. And you go to 00:12:40.419 --> 00:12:46.399 bed and what happens? You're eager to pray. You 00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:49.940 did so well today. Lord, I'm going to pray for 00:12:49.940 --> 00:12:52.740 everybody and every missionary I can think of 00:12:52.740 --> 00:12:57.980 and my half -cousin twice removed. Now, what's 00:12:57.980 --> 00:13:03.580 wrong with both those scenarios? You think that 00:13:03.580 --> 00:13:08.100 God hears and answers your prayers based on your 00:13:08.100 --> 00:13:13.850 performance. It's treating God as if he answers 00:13:13.850 --> 00:13:16.149 prayers based on a formula. You know, if I put 00:13:16.149 --> 00:13:23.629 in X, good living, God will answer with Y. But 00:13:23.629 --> 00:13:26.610 why does God hear us and answer our prayers? 00:13:29.409 --> 00:13:33.730 It's because of grace, isn't it? It's the blood 00:13:33.730 --> 00:13:36.549 of Jesus. His death on the cross that's given 00:13:36.549 --> 00:13:39.470 us access to God. It's the curtain being torn 00:13:39.470 --> 00:13:43.330 in two because of the death of Jesus. God is 00:13:43.330 --> 00:13:46.389 not more or less likely to hear you if you did 00:13:46.389 --> 00:13:50.690 well or poorly today. God's children shouldn't 00:13:50.690 --> 00:13:54.350 approach him that way, should they? We come to 00:13:54.350 --> 00:13:58.889 a loving, gracious, generous Father who is more 00:13:58.889 --> 00:14:03.590 willing to give than we are to ask. So when you 00:14:03.590 --> 00:14:08.759 pray, Don't try to coerce God. So how should 00:14:08.759 --> 00:14:15.259 you pray? Trust God's fatherly care. Trust God's 00:14:15.259 --> 00:14:20.559 fatherly care. Look with me at verse 8. Do not 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:23.500 be like them. Do not be like the non -Christians, 00:14:23.500 --> 00:14:27.940 the pagans, the non -Christian world who try 00:14:27.940 --> 00:14:32.259 and force God to give them stuff. Why? Well, 00:14:32.340 --> 00:14:41.220 your father knows. Did you see what Jesus assumes 00:14:41.220 --> 00:14:45.360 here about the God that we have? He assumes that 00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:49.500 God is almighty, that he has the power to give 00:14:49.500 --> 00:14:53.740 us what we need. He assumes that God is a father 00:14:53.740 --> 00:14:56.360 who loves us and cares for us and wants what's 00:14:56.360 --> 00:15:00.620 best for us. He says that God is wise, that he 00:15:00.620 --> 00:15:04.840 knows our needs before we do. And better than 00:15:04.840 --> 00:15:09.480 we do. A God like this is so much better than 00:15:09.480 --> 00:15:13.779 a genie God, isn't it? I mean, human parents, 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:17.039 they're a little pale shadow of this, aren't 00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:20.720 they? They help us see what a good father... 00:15:21.070 --> 00:15:24.710 We have in heaven. I think of a couple I know 00:15:24.710 --> 00:15:27.009 back in Broken Hill. When we were there, they 00:15:27.009 --> 00:15:30.549 had twins. And before the twins were born, this 00:15:30.549 --> 00:15:33.190 couple, they went around and they were buying 00:15:33.190 --> 00:15:36.110 car seats and clothes and bottles. They were 00:15:36.110 --> 00:15:38.870 thinking about what these twins needed before 00:15:38.870 --> 00:15:42.029 they could even coo, before they even came out. 00:15:43.009 --> 00:15:47.649 They were such wonderful parents. Or I think 00:15:47.649 --> 00:15:50.789 one time we used to have a dart board at home 00:15:50.789 --> 00:15:54.850 and when Geneva was two, she would see me with 00:15:54.850 --> 00:15:58.750 the older boys playing darts. It's a great way 00:15:58.750 --> 00:16:00.769 to practice maths, by the way, if you've got 00:16:00.769 --> 00:16:03.809 young kids. Great way to lose an eye as well. 00:16:05.009 --> 00:16:07.610 But she'd look at the darts and she'd say, I 00:16:07.610 --> 00:16:11.389 need it! And she'd ask me for it. And I'd say, 00:16:11.509 --> 00:16:14.649 sorry baby girl, when you're older, I'd love 00:16:14.649 --> 00:16:18.639 to play with you. Now, I did that because as 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:21.340 her dad, I love her and I care for her, and I 00:16:21.340 --> 00:16:24.419 don't want her to get hurt. She thinks she needs 00:16:24.419 --> 00:16:29.779 it, but as her dad, I know better. Or it's a 00:16:29.779 --> 00:16:32.960 bit like this. Think of that movie, Bruce Almighty. 00:16:33.299 --> 00:16:36.299 Did you ever see that? There's that scene in 00:16:36.299 --> 00:16:40.320 Bruce Almighty. Bruce is this TV reporter. He's 00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:44.159 given some godlike powers and all the prayers 00:16:44.159 --> 00:16:47.799 start coming to him. And he answers yes to all 00:16:47.799 --> 00:16:49.799 the prayers. He can't be bothered sorting through 00:16:49.799 --> 00:16:52.460 them. So he just does a blanket reply all yes. 00:16:53.700 --> 00:16:55.759 Well, you know what happens? The world descends 00:16:55.759 --> 00:16:59.580 into utter chaos. Everyone who prayed that they'd 00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:03.759 win the lottery, they all win. And so they only 00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:07.470 win a few bucks. And it leads to anger, violence, 00:17:07.750 --> 00:17:12.589 chaos, riots in the streets. And it's a kind 00:17:12.589 --> 00:17:15.930 of powerful picture, that, because it shows us 00:17:15.930 --> 00:17:20.769 that getting what we want isn't always good, 00:17:20.869 --> 00:17:24.910 is it? I think some of the prayers that I've 00:17:24.910 --> 00:17:28.990 said in my life, in hindsight, I'm very glad 00:17:28.990 --> 00:17:38.289 God didn't say yes. The third time, I think I've 00:17:38.289 --> 00:17:40.970 said this in three months, but I want to keep 00:17:40.970 --> 00:17:43.509 beating this drum because it's so important in 00:17:43.509 --> 00:17:47.250 our prayer lives. As a youth, I was taught God 00:17:47.250 --> 00:17:49.670 answers prayers in one of three ways, yes, no, 00:17:49.710 --> 00:17:52.829 or not yet. But what's he answer? He answers 00:17:52.829 --> 00:17:57.029 with only two answers, yes or better, because 00:17:57.029 --> 00:18:00.859 he's a good heavenly father. If we were omniscient, 00:18:00.900 --> 00:18:03.960 if we could see and know everything, we'd answer 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:07.579 prayers the way God answers prayers. We'd see 00:18:07.579 --> 00:18:12.720 that he's right to do it the way he does. But 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:14.940 maybe you're still sceptical that God is a good 00:18:14.940 --> 00:18:17.539 father who answers with either yes or better. 00:18:18.859 --> 00:18:21.619 If that's you, I'd want to suggest you look at 00:18:21.619 --> 00:18:28.500 the cross. Before I was born... God knew I needed 00:18:28.500 --> 00:18:33.059 a saviour. He planned to send his son, the Lord 00:18:33.059 --> 00:18:38.160 Jesus. Before I even realised I was a sinner 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:41.880 facing God's righteous eternal judgement, before 00:18:41.880 --> 00:18:44.700 I even asked Jesus to come into my life and save 00:18:44.700 --> 00:18:47.660 me from my sins, God had sent Jesus to die in 00:18:47.660 --> 00:18:51.140 my place. He'd already arranged things to work 00:18:51.140 --> 00:18:55.819 in my life, to open my eyes. God knew my needs 00:18:55.819 --> 00:18:58.700 before I did. He knew them better than I did. 00:18:59.539 --> 00:19:06.319 He is such a good, wise and caring Father. But 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:10.019 that opens another can of worms. If God knows 00:19:10.019 --> 00:19:14.460 our needs, then why pray at all? He's got this, 00:19:14.539 --> 00:19:18.900 right? Why bother praying? I love what J .I. 00:19:18.920 --> 00:19:21.839 Packer says in his book, Evangelism and the Sovereignty 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:24.910 of God. it's a bit small but let me read it to 00:19:24.910 --> 00:19:28.369 you it says this ask and you shall receive seek 00:19:28.369 --> 00:19:30.589 and you will find knock and the door will be 00:19:30.589 --> 00:19:33.890 opened if you and i are too proud or lazy to 00:19:33.890 --> 00:19:37.829 ask we need not expect to receive this is the 00:19:37.829 --> 00:19:41.910 universal rule in evangelism as elsewhere god 00:19:41.910 --> 00:19:45.369 will make us pray before he blesses our labors 00:19:45.369 --> 00:19:48.349 in order that we may constantly learn afresh 00:19:48.349 --> 00:19:52.890 that we depend on god for everything And then 00:19:52.890 --> 00:19:55.650 when God permits us to see conversions, we shall 00:19:55.650 --> 00:19:57.970 not be tempted to ascribe them to our own gifts 00:19:57.970 --> 00:20:01.210 or skill or wisdom or persuasiveness, but to 00:20:01.210 --> 00:20:04.309 his work alone, and so we shall know whom we 00:20:04.309 --> 00:20:06.789 ought to thank for them. So he's saying there 00:20:06.789 --> 00:20:09.869 that actually when it comes to prayer, whether 00:20:09.869 --> 00:20:13.130 it's for evangelism or anything else, God wants 00:20:13.130 --> 00:20:15.490 to teach us that we depend on him for everything. 00:20:17.309 --> 00:20:21.150 And he's going to often hold back until we... 00:20:21.339 --> 00:20:24.680 Pray to him so that we learn afresh that we do 00:20:24.680 --> 00:20:28.500 depend on him for everything. See, the asking 00:20:28.500 --> 00:20:33.000 is actually good for us, isn't it? It strengthens 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:36.619 our relationship with our Father. It humbles 00:20:36.619 --> 00:20:40.279 our hearts so that we see how much we need him. 00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:45.099 It fills us with gratitude and a heart to worship 00:20:45.099 --> 00:20:49.819 him for all that he's done for us. Even though 00:20:49.819 --> 00:20:52.160 God knows what we need, even though he's going 00:20:52.160 --> 00:20:56.640 to act before we know what to ask for, we still 00:20:56.640 --> 00:21:00.019 must ask. We still must depend on him because 00:21:00.019 --> 00:21:04.779 it's good for us. You know, I think the perfect 00:21:04.779 --> 00:21:08.640 model is to copy the Lord Jesus, isn't it? Pray 00:21:08.640 --> 00:21:12.880 like Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. Do 00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:15.640 you remember? He prays, Father, all things are 00:21:15.640 --> 00:21:19.900 possible for you. Take this cup from me. Now 00:21:19.900 --> 00:21:22.059 Jesus is going, God can do anything. He's able 00:21:22.059 --> 00:21:25.299 to change things. I'm going to pray for anything 00:21:25.299 --> 00:21:28.420 and I'm going to pray boldly because I know he 00:21:28.420 --> 00:21:30.680 hears me and answers me and can do anything. 00:21:32.859 --> 00:21:37.900 But Jesus also said, yet not what I will, but 00:21:37.900 --> 00:21:43.299 what you will. His prayer was that his will, 00:21:43.400 --> 00:21:46.559 his heart, would be aligned with his Father's. 00:21:48.200 --> 00:21:50.539 And that's what gives us great peace when we 00:21:50.539 --> 00:21:53.160 pour our hearts out to God, asking for something, 00:21:53.319 --> 00:21:57.440 and it doesn't happen. We can go, our Father 00:21:57.440 --> 00:22:02.039 knows best. We trust that he is doing what is 00:22:02.039 --> 00:22:07.539 better for me. All right, let's draw some threads 00:22:07.539 --> 00:22:11.220 together. We started by asking, how can I get 00:22:11.220 --> 00:22:15.519 God to give me what I want? And I hope you've 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:18.319 seen as we've gone through today that that's 00:22:18.319 --> 00:22:21.500 actually the wrong question. A better question 00:22:21.500 --> 00:22:26.099 to ask is, what is God like? How does he answer 00:22:26.099 --> 00:22:30.819 my prayers? And here's what we saw. We saw that 00:22:30.819 --> 00:22:35.099 God is a caring father who gives us what we really 00:22:35.099 --> 00:22:38.900 need. God's a caring father who gives us what 00:22:38.900 --> 00:22:40.900 we really need. And if we're one of his children, 00:22:41.099 --> 00:22:45.250 here's how we should pray. Don't try to coerce 00:22:45.250 --> 00:22:52.170 God. Trust God's fatherly care. So what's all 00:22:52.170 --> 00:22:56.170 this mean for us? Well, some of you might be 00:22:56.170 --> 00:22:58.269 here today and you're not yet one of God's children. 00:22:59.410 --> 00:23:02.230 You haven't had your sins forgiven. You haven't 00:23:02.230 --> 00:23:04.869 trusted in Jesus' death. You haven't been welcomed 00:23:04.869 --> 00:23:07.130 into God's family. God is not yet your father. 00:23:08.829 --> 00:23:10.910 But I want to tell you today, he would be happy 00:23:10.910 --> 00:23:18.049 to adopt you. He's happy to adopt anyone. Jesus 00:23:18.049 --> 00:23:22.890 died for all the times we didn't trust God as 00:23:22.890 --> 00:23:25.289 Father, all the times we sold God short in our 00:23:25.289 --> 00:23:29.809 mind, all the times we ignored him and rejected 00:23:29.809 --> 00:23:34.130 him. Christians believe that God is a Father, 00:23:34.289 --> 00:23:37.109 an all -knowing, all -powerful, and all -loving 00:23:37.109 --> 00:23:41.630 Father, and that anyone... can become his child 00:23:41.630 --> 00:23:46.789 if they trust in the Lord Jesus. If you're here 00:23:46.789 --> 00:23:48.509 today and you're not yet one of God's children, 00:23:48.630 --> 00:23:52.789 can I ask, are you better off continuing to ignore 00:23:52.789 --> 00:23:58.950 him? The comfort and the peace it gives you when 00:23:58.950 --> 00:24:04.269 you pray to a God who is your father. It's unparalleled. 00:24:06.069 --> 00:24:09.049 What's stopping you from praying to him now? 00:24:11.450 --> 00:24:15.170 Maybe while we're singing our next song, maybe 00:24:15.170 --> 00:24:18.930 you need to say to God, God, I want you to be 00:24:18.930 --> 00:24:23.390 my father. I want to be your child. Please forgive 00:24:23.390 --> 00:24:28.150 me my sins and make me your child. While everyone's 00:24:28.150 --> 00:24:30.269 singing, just pray that quietly in your own heart. 00:24:34.089 --> 00:24:36.329 But if you're here today and you are one of God's 00:24:36.329 --> 00:24:39.759 children, I know that there will be times where 00:24:39.759 --> 00:24:44.000 it can feel like God is shortchanging you. It's 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:48.559 hard. You pray and you pray and you pray for 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:51.200 something good, for a job, for a spouse, for 00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:53.799 healing, for conversion, for some sort of change. 00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:57.559 And God doesn't give it to you and you wonder, 00:24:57.640 --> 00:25:00.339 why hasn't God given me what I want? What am 00:25:00.339 --> 00:25:02.240 I doing wrong? What is he doing? What's going 00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:05.619 on? Does he even love me? Is he just cruel or 00:25:05.619 --> 00:25:11.660 sadistic? Why? And if that's you, I want to encourage 00:25:11.660 --> 00:25:17.500 you, don't buckle under your doubts. Actually, 00:25:17.500 --> 00:25:20.779 doubt your doubts. Maybe they're not serving 00:25:20.779 --> 00:25:25.900 you very well. Better yet, go back to the cross 00:25:25.900 --> 00:25:31.200 and see what sort of God you have. You have a 00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:35.000 good Father who loves you. And even though at 00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:38.359 times it's hard to see, He knows what's best. 00:25:40.039 --> 00:25:46.420 I get it. A genie God sounds appealing. A God 00:25:46.420 --> 00:25:49.519 who with the right formula just caves in sounds 00:25:49.519 --> 00:25:53.720 really good. But scratch beneath the surface 00:25:53.720 --> 00:25:57.539 and you see it's not as good as it actually sounds. 00:25:59.680 --> 00:26:03.099 Thankfully the God who is there is so much better. 00:26:04.269 --> 00:26:09.390 He's a Father who loves us, who is wise, and 00:26:09.390 --> 00:26:12.250 he is answering your prayers better than you 00:26:12.250 --> 00:26:16.869 can imagine. Keep praying and don't lose heart. 00:26:18.130 --> 00:26:22.910 Let me pray. Father, we thank you that you are 00:26:22.910 --> 00:26:28.089 a good Father, a wise Father, a powerful Father. 00:26:29.049 --> 00:26:32.569 We thank you that you know what's best for us. 00:26:33.640 --> 00:26:38.539 And when we pray, help us to trust your fatherly 00:26:38.539 --> 00:26:43.400 care, that you are giving us what we need. There 00:26:43.400 --> 00:26:48.200 are times where it is hard, where it hurts, but 00:26:48.200 --> 00:26:51.720 help us to see that you truly want what's better 00:26:51.720 --> 00:26:54.940 for us, that you want what's best for us, better 00:26:54.940 --> 00:27:00.400 than we do. Help us to trust you, we pray. Amen.