Answers to Prayer

Jesus, God himself, was asked by his closest best friends how he should pray. This is the piece of ancient text that records his answer.

Luke 11:1–8 CSB

1 He was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “Whenever you pray, say, Father, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone in debt to us. And do not bring us into temptation.” 5 He also said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’ 7 Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his friend’s shameless boldness, he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

Seven weeks ago, on the Sunday before Easter day, I challenged everyone to take up what Jesus told you, to pray with

Shameless Boldness

I asked you to go to God, to pray as Jesus told us

Luke 11:9–10 CSB

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

That we can ask anything of God, we can yes, ask for a million dollars but let’s go farther in why are we asking for a million because we are in financial worry? Let’s ask God to take our financial worries. Are we asking because we can’t find happiness with every thing we see and want? Let’s ask God for freedom from having to have everything, or what we call materialism and ask God to open up us up to gratitude. Is it because we are in such need for housing let’s ask God for housing!

Let’s

ask with Shameless Boldness

But we also get to seek. Some of the things we might ask for God has already answered. Do you want to be delivered from evil, to be forgiven before God so that when you die you’re no longer hoping that Jesus will forgive you but you will know he has forgiven you. Then seek out that answer, seek out with Shameless Boldness you’ll find the answer in the Bible

John 3:16–18 CSB

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

Just like us taking the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. The vaccine isn’t condeming us, we are already open to infection because we are human. The vaccine will prevent us from dying from the disease.

We are already sick because of sin. We are already condemned. We screwed this all up. We deserve full punishment. But the Bible tells us what is true, Jesus came into this condemned world and didn’t just give us a vaccine, He is the cure for our eternal death. All those who follow Jesus as God are saved!

Your ask is answered, Jesus did it. You accept it. He knows it, you know it, You are not condemned.

There are many more that have already been answered. You will know this as you seek in the Bible. But the Bible won’t tell you where that job you need is at. You also seek by looking for the answer. For instance our friend David Blewett is looking for an room to rent. He should ask God, and he should seek out room listings. Seek out the answer God has already made.

Seek with Shameless Boldness

Dave and I have been talking and reminding each other as he looks, that no discouragement is necessary because God already is working on the answer. Dave is just seeking out what God is already preparing for him.

Finally I reminded you that Jesus said prayer takes knocking. It’s a metaphor. We don’t have to hit doors, walls or wood. But to knock on a door you have to place yourself in the spot where you act as though someone can open that door. When we knock in prayer we go into our prayer placing ourselves in places where God can answer.

Knock with Shameless Boldness

I asked my Lord Jesus for some helpers, great staff to work with me at my new job, as a special ed teacher in Lodi Unified. When I encouraged everyone to pray I only had one staff member and he was very temporary, Staff in a special ed classroom is vital. Its important that they get along with you, listen and respect you and have abilities of their own. A special ed teacher is only as good as their staff.

Then a day later after I asked us to pray, it got worse. I got two new students and one of them is so challenging that he has to have an adult just for him. But I kept going to work. I knocked. God answered with the answer He was preparing all along as I was blessed with a wonderful lady who just happened to be the aide tied to my most challenging student. By coming to us I asked her to apply for a different job in my same classroom and now she is set up to work alongside me for years to come. Then two more so quickly thereafter helpers joined the team.

God answers prayer. Today is the day we need to hear.

How has God answered your shamelessly bold requests.

When seventy-two people Jesus sent out in prayer and faith and message returned to Jesus they stated:

Luke 10:17–24 CSB

17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” 18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 Look, I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing at all will harm you. 20 However, don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” 21 At that time he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure. 22 All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal him.” 23 Then turning to his disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see the things you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see the things you see but didn’t see them; to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them.”

My friends don’t let our shamelessly bold requests end, let us keep asking of God, keep seeking, keep knocking.