The Prayers God Answers.
Acts 4:23-31
Todays text is the same as the sermon on Prayer of the Holy Spirit that the pastor gave two years ago. Sometimes, God answers the prayers we prayed with earnestness and urgency in ways we could never have imagined. Today, lets take a look at what prayer God answerslooks like.
First, God answers the prayers that we pray with one heart with our fellow believers. Immediately after Peter and John were released, they went to their colleagues, the members of the early church, and told them everything that had happened. The word fellow appears in the Old Testament book of Malachi as those who fear the Lord. When difficult time has come, thinking and looking for a community of faith is like seeking God. Peter and John did not become prisoners of fear because they had a church community and colleagues to share the situation with and pray together. In a crisis situation, we often look for powerful people or authorities who are likely to help and solve problems for us, or find helpful information on the Internet. However, we must know that whatever we depend on more than God becomes our idol, and that idol would eventually betray us one day. If you dont have a colleague to visit or to share prayers with, its because you are too proud. Only in relationships with fellow believers who share the blood of Jesus can we pray with one heart. We are all 100% sinners, and since we are fragile beings that can fall down again and again, we need to have a companion, a faith community, who will lift us up and walk the path of faith together. After hearing the story of the two apostles, the communitys response was to raise their voices and pray to the Lord with one heart, who created and governs the universe. If you know your relationship with God, who is your creator and ruler, you will never turn away from God and will disclose all your circumstances to him.
Second, God answers the prayers that we pray with the Word of God. They prayed by quoting the words of Psalm 2, a prophetic poem about the Messiah, so they knew that this event was already recorded in the Bible and knew what God would want. When we pray with the words we hear, we get to know Gods heart and will in this way. So, the true answer to the prayers is not a change in circumstances, but an understanding of Gods intention behind the circumstances. When you gain spiritual insights, you will gradually stop praying with lust because you know that the Lord provides for you as much as you need with your physical needs. The powerful people joined hands and got involved in the killing of Jesus, and those who did not have good relations with them also helped as they had the same interests. In our work and in our daily lives, we often plot vain things and disobey the holy servant Jesus. The reason we keep doing this is because we like to sit in the seat of God, who is the judge, and acts as a ruler ourselves. Without acknowledging that the sovereignty of our lives belong to God, we only argue what is right and wrong, so we get angry over small things and manage in vain. Even as a pastor, I come to realize that there have been times when I act according to humanism, not according to Jesus.
Third, Gods power and will are fulfilled in the prayers that he answers. This world opposes the holy servant Jesus and his followers. However, the power of God accomplishes the work of saving those who believe in Christ through the cross, death, and resurrection of Christ, which he predestined for his will. The suffering and the cross that you are experiencing right now is also a part of Gods grand plan to accomplish his power and will. Gods power lets you understand the reason for your present life, and through the suffering you will come to understand Gods will. Whether its someone who persecutes you like Herod, disease, work, business, or economic hardship, anything that happens to you is a process in Gods history of redemption. We can be grateful knowing that the reason for our suffering is already written in the Bible, and that Gods power will make us realize the reason for any suffering we experience at any time. Thank you Lord, as I believe that he will accomplish the salvation of myself and my family according to his plan. If we do not realize this, in a time of difficulty we only care about an immediate satisfaction and put to a test, not trying to understand Gods power and will behind this. The suffering of the present cannot be compared with the glory that is to come. And by participating in the Lords death and resurrection, we can be saved and enjoy eternal life. The joy of owning heaven brings a natural radiance to our faces.
Fourth, with the answered prayers, we should boldly preach the Word of God. Instead of praying for taking away the threat, the apostles asked the Lord to watch over and protect them. God protects us by watching over us no matter the circumstances. The apostles prayed that they will boldly preach the gospel despite the threat because they trusted in God who is bigger than the problem. They prayed that the miraculous works of healing people and showing signs and wonders will continue in the name of Jesus. Our pastor had explained that the signs are the words given to us in a difficult time, and the miracle is our ability tointerpret the events in Gods eyes. If you keep the name of Jesus in any circumstance, all your circumstances will become an environment to bring you out of your sins. When you pray in the name of Jesus, the Holy Spirit would help you choose the way of the cross, the way of truth. So, praying in the name of Jesus itself is a prayer that has already been answered. When the apostles prayed in this way, they became filled with the Holy Spirit and could boldly preach the Word of God. The answer to your prayer is becoming filled with the Holy Spirit, not with fear, greed, self-love, doubt, or unbelief. In other words, the best answer to the prayer isbecoming filled with the Word, whichis the only way to deny the self and letJesus live in us. When you are filled with the Word, the first thing that happens to you is that your family starts to notice. The history of salvation in your family begins from that very moment, and we must pray that this changecontinues every day. I pray that all of us will live captivated by the power of the Word.
