Are the Promises of God really Yes and Amen?

 For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. 2 Cor 1:20 NASB

I was asked in Bible study does God ever answer prayers “NO” and though this may seem contrary to what you’ve been told, the answer is no. To the question. But God’s answer is always yes.  To proper prayer.

So what is proper prayer?  Simply it is praying according to His promises and His will. There are two ways we identify God’s promises, first through reading the Bible, and second when God speaks to us individually concerning some event or desire. But on many occasions we confuse that desire that we have with God’s promise for our Life. So there are two passages that helps us to discern the difference between His promises with my desires as it concern my prayers 

1. Isaiah 42:8 “I am Yahweh; that is my name; my glory I give to no other,    nor my praise idols.” 
   
   
2. James 4:3 “You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your evil desires.”

So many people see God as their servant that they may ask of Him all they desire; or they set ultimatums on God to fulfill their desire; or they put timestamps on when God should get this done. Pastor James MacDonald says “I have found God very unresponsive to my ultimatums. God doesn’t respond to blustering, bluffing, or threats.”

All of these are about our desires, and it is clear that God is not answering “no” to our prayers, He is saying “We’ve got your motives all wrong.” To get our motives right we must ask ourselves “Does what I am asking bring Glory to God? Or does what I’m asking fulfill my lust or bring glory to me?”  When we get that right we can move to the next reason we think God answers no to our prayers.

The final reason that we think God answers no is doubt. More than any other I suffer with this! I know that what I’m asking will bring God Glory, I know that what I’m asking is in line with His will, I know that what I’m asking is altruistic as I can possibly get, yet doubt take the fervency of my prayer. The Bible clearly speaks of asking in confidence, read what James says about doubt.

James 1:6-8 says “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.  For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Anytime we allow what we can perceive as impossible to overshadow our faith in God, we fall into doubt. The Bible tells us that doubt destroys our life, it gets us out of line with God. So staying in doubt is not an option for our prayers. And because we need to get rid of doubt as soon as possible God has given us a cure for doubt, it called faith, and the Bible teaches us to get more faith we must become more engulfed in the word of God.

Romans 10:17 says “ So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
 

So if we want to kill that doubt we need to know God’s word;  

-and we need to speak God’s word; 

-so that we can hear God’s word;

-and when we hear God’s word; 

-we develop a doubt destroying faith.

Now don't get me wrong that does not mean that someone that prays and receive has more faith than someone that prays and does not. Our prayers can't twist the arm of God. If there is glory to healing you, but my healing does not glorify God then you will receive and I wont.  This is hard for us to comprihend but remember Even Jesus prayed that the cup of God's wrath would be taken away. But if the Father had not bruised the Son, then there would have been no salvation for us. Isaiah 53:10 says "It pleased the Father to crush Him! To make Him a sin offering for our guilt" 

And we have Biblical assurance for
the Bible says
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent:”   The Bible says
“ though we are faithless, God remains faithful,  He cannot deny Who He is".

So when our prayers are not being answered we need to get inline with God, we need to ask ourselves how will this bring God glory. ? Then fall down on our knees and pray according to His will and purposes confidently assured that He is able and willing. 

 
Now, it is not our faith, which bring about answered prayers, it is not our desires which bring answered prayers; but it is when our desire and faith are inline with God's glory then prayers are answered! The Bible even hinges the promises of answered prayer on the glory of God. The Bible tells us that all God's promises are Yes in Christ, so that through Him ( Christ) we shout Amen to the Glory of God!  (2 Cor 1:20)

Let us pray;

Heavenly Father, I want to thank you for reminding me that You are faithful, that your timing is perfect, Your ways are right, and Your plans are always the best plans. Forgive me if I have set ultimatums, and timestamps, on my prayers because of my impatience. Forgive me Father, if I have come to you in doubt, but thought I would receive what I ask even in my unstable ways. Help my unbelief, and doubt, give me patience that I may learn to wait on you. But more importantly Father strengthen me so that when I come before You in prayer I will know, I will believe, I will live the truth that all Your promises are Yes and Amen in Christ to Your Glory

In Jesus’ mighty name Amen.

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