~ For over 20 years, we prayed for funds to construct a chapel for our campus. The Lord has been kind to provide, and now we are eager to complete the construction. This teaching is an excellent reminder of God’s perfect timing and that His ways are bigger and better than ours. Enjoy! ~

Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.John 11:21

As I was reading a wonderful book by the gifted author Philip Yancey, I was surprised to read, “Jesus healed in spontaneous response to human need. He saw a suffering person before him, felt compassion, and healed the person. Not once did he turn down a direct request for help.”

I thought, “This is good. I like this.” “Not once did [Jesus] turn down a direct request for help.”

I haven’t found any exceptions to this in the gospels, but if we go beyond to the accounts of Jesus’ ministry after the resurrection and ascension, we find someone who made a very direct request of the Lord who is the same yesterday, today and forever.

In 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul says, ” . . . a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself. Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.”

Paul doesn’t say “an angel of mercy.” He says “a messenger of Satan.” He doesn’t specify the exact nature of the problem, except to say that it was a thorn in his flesh and that it tormented him. Torment is a very strong word. Torment involves on-going agony and misery.

Imagine Paul’s prayer. Do you suppose he was reserved? Do you suppose he went to the Lord and said, “Lord, I would like for you to consider the possibility that I might be able to serve you more fruitfully and more freely if I were not distracted by this unpleasantness?”

Paul writes, “I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me.”  Paul pleaded with God.

All of us have been in situations where the urgency of the moment is all we can see. Physical and emotional pain can be so intense that we can’t think of anything else. This is what Paul describes here. Three times, not just once but repeatedly, he pleaded with the Lord, “Please, take this from me.” But God said, “No.”

Through the letter to the church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7 we learn an important truth: “… These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.”

When God opens a door, no one can shut it. But, when He shuts a door, no one can open it. In the sovereignty of God, there are times when God’s answer to our prayer is no. When this happens, it’s really hard. Sometimes the pain stays with us for a long time. Sometimes we plead with the Lord to do something about our situation, and we don’t understand God’s response. I am continually amazed at how different God’s decisions are from mine.

There are other times when we believe God has said no, but He may not be saying no to the request. The request may be in line with God’s will, but the timing is off. God is asking us to wait.

God doesn’t always make us wait, but sometimes He does. God wants to reveal His glory. He makes us wait when He wants to do something special, when He wants to make it clear that life isn’t just flesh, blood and bone. It isn’t just ordinary stuff; what we see now isn’t all there is. Sometimes a delay is needed, but a delay is not always a denial.

Zechariah and Elizabeth are a prime example of delay. As an old man, Zechariah is serving God in the Temple. While he’s going about his routine, an angel appears and Zechariah is gripped with fear: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son…”

I can imagine Zechariah’s thoughts, as he struggled to process this revelation: “What? I prayed that prayer a long time ago. What do you mean God has heard my prayer? I haven’t prayed for a child in years. I’m not still praying for God to give us a baby. We wanted a baby when we were young.”

God wasn’t just waiting for Zechariah and Elizabeth to be ready; God was waiting for history to be ready. God had a plan that was bigger than Zechariah and Elizabeth. At the right moment in history, God gave Zechariah and Elizabeth a child, John the Baptist, and he was no ordinary man.

Remember, when it seems that God has said no, it’s not always a denial. Sometimes it’s simply a delay. God’s plan is the only plan that is “good, acceptable and perfect.”

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