Joining God’s Story through the Prophets: “Zephaniah, Nahum & Habakkuk”
Zephaniah Nahum Habakkuk
How many times have we stood before a silent God
and wondered why our prayers were not answered?
Habakkuk 1:2, “How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save?”
1:13, “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?”
How do we Deal with Unanswered Prayer?
James 4:3, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Prayer is not an end but a means to a greater end which is to glorify God.
James 6:1, “he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
Isaiah 59:2 indicates yet another reason for unanswered prayer. Our sins cut us off from God. God’s arm is not shortened, nor has he gone deaf. Instead, our sins have formed barriers which block us off from God’s purpose and plan.
The people tell Jeremiah, “Please hear our petition and pray to the LORD your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. Pray that the LORD your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.” Jeremiah 42
We never stop to think that God might have something better in mind,
or that we have misunderstood prayer.
“In all things God works for the good of those who love him.” (Romans 8:28)
Zephaniah Nahum Habakkuk
How many times have we stood before a silent God
and wondered why our prayers were not answered?
Habakkuk 1:2, “How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save?”
1:13, “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?”
How do we Deal with Unanswered Prayer?
- WE MISUNDERSTAND PRAYER
James 4:3, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Prayer is not an end but a means to a greater end which is to glorify God.
- UNBELIEF BLOCKS PRAYER
James 6:1, “he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
- SINFULNESS BLOCKS PRAYER
Isaiah 59:2 indicates yet another reason for unanswered prayer. Our sins cut us off from God. God’s arm is not shortened, nor has he gone deaf. Instead, our sins have formed barriers which block us off from God’s purpose and plan.
- UNANSWERED PRAYER IS SOMETIMES SIMPLY ANSWERED PRAYER THAT IS DELAYED
The people tell Jeremiah, “Please hear our petition and pray to the LORD your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. Pray that the LORD your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.” Jeremiah 42
We never stop to think that God might have something better in mind,
or that we have misunderstood prayer.
“In all things God works for the good of those who love him.” (Romans 8:28)
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