Wait, Do not Wilt

 “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!”

(Psa 27:13—14).

The person who penned this Hebrew poem expresses his trust in the Lord. Line by line, he describes how he will overcome every adversity that rises against him through the power of God. He narrates his story so that every believer then and even now may have their confidence in the Lord.

His confidence comes from the fact that the Lord is good and always favours those who approach him for help. He is confident that his prayers will be answered during his lifetime. (“The land of the living” denotes a person's lifetime).

The Lord may not act according to our timetable, but he certainly acts according to this will in his own time. This requires patience. Exhorting the worshippers to “wait for the Lord”, the psalmist encourages them not to give up but to hold on for the Lord’s time.

Waiting could be extended, and it could be tiring. People waiting for the Lord to act should be prepared to remain strong and courageous and never give up.

While growing impatient and at the point of giving up hope, the stories of godly people, ancient and modern, had always motivated me to keep my eyes fixed on the Lord. Wait, do not wilt—that is the punch of the last line that opens and closes with the phrase, “wait for the Lord.”

Praying at the Face of Threats

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright” (Psa 20:7—8). Read Psalm 20:1—9.

Wishing the king success as he set out for military campaigns was a significant part of the life of nations in the ancient world. Only one party wins any battle. Defeat is the last chapter in the life of that nation. The king who leads the battle may lose his life, along with many army officers and soldiers. The survivors will end up in exile in faraway nations, never to see their homeland again. Psalms 20 and 21 are written against this historical background. The first one is the prayer offered while sending out the army led by the king, and the second one celebrates the victory. In this case, the king and the army returned victorious. In the first five verses of Psalm 20, the subjects wish that everything will go well with the king. As they wish the king success, the people do not praise the king or his army for their power or abilities. But they invoke the blessing of the Lord upon the soldiers stepping into a venture that would decide the destiny of their nation, praying, “May he (the Lord).” Every sentence begins with this phrase and seven times in five verses! The Lord determines the outcome of the battle. They reiterate this truth in the following verses. The enemy seems to be stronger and has advanced battle equipment like chariots and horses. Israel was always far behind other nations technologically. In the late bronze age, when the Canaanites had fortified cities, horses and chariots, they had none. Later in the Iron Age, when the Philistines knew iron technology and had swords and spears, Israel had only two swords in the entire nation—one for Saul and another for his son Jonathan. Later in the eighth century, when Assyrians threatened them, Hezekiah had to buy horses and chariots from Egypt to withstand the enemy. Though poor in the armoury, they had great confidence in the Lord. Their history has taught them to say: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright” (Psa 20:7—8). Knowing that no nation is a match for the Lord they serve, they prayed: “O LORD, save the king! May he answer us when we call” (Psa 20:9). Yes he did, that is the story the following Psalm tells. The Lord who collapsed the walls of Jericho without an arrow shot, who helped David to fell the gaint with just one sling shot, did it again. When we stare at formidable challenges, fear of failure, our confidence is in the Lord who repeats history for his faithful.

Praying for the enemy

 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt 5:43—45, ESV).

Sudeesh is honest and sincere with a good amount of curiosity. While passing by a church on Sunday morning he asked someone walking to the church what do they do in the church every Sunday. Tom, one of the church-goers whom he stopped, thought for a while and answered, “we pray for people like you.” Though it is the simplest answer that Tom come up with, it bewildered Sudeesh. "You pray for others?" Sudeesh was shocked. “We only pray for ourselves and for those whom we love and care for.” That is true. Most people limit their prayers to themselves and also for their dear ones, if they can find time for that. Jesus challenges us further demanding to love our enemies and even pray for them.

Enemies fall into two classes. One, the people whom we consider as our enemies—people whom we hate and hurt. However, a disciple of Christ is not allowed to hate or harm others. So enemy in this context are not those whom we consider as enemies. However, there is another possibility. These are people who hate and harm us. We have no control over them like the authorities who persecuted the poor, helpless Christians. They considered the Christians whom they persecuted as enemies. They could justify persecuting them once they view them as enemies because in their opinion enemies had to be done away with.

However, the value-system that Jesus taught his disciple is different. Jesus taught that our enemy is not the one we hate, but they are those who hate us. But it is our duty to love them and not hate them. In other words, though they consider us as enemies, we have to consider them as people who deserve our love.

Jesus raised the bar further. He said, it is not just loving; love is just a feeling. But love should lead us to pray for them. But Jesus didn’t clarify what should a Christian pray for their persecutors. Are we asked to pray that they should stop persecuting, or that their persecution is more bearable? 

The answer to these questions is in Jesus’ prayer on the cross. He did not pray that they will poke him with their spears a bit more gently, nor their ridicule is milder. His prayer was an intercession for forgivenes for his persecutors. He asked father God to forgive them since they don’t really understand what they are doing. He asked God to forgive their ignorance. 

Prayer for the enemy still focuses on the enemy and not on us. It is not our comfort that we seek when we pray for our enemies but theirs that God may forgive them.

Why prayers are not answered?

When things happen not the way we prayed for, it could mean that what we prayed was not in God's will. This is one of the many possibilities. Other possibilities are that we did not have enough faith in God when we prayed. As James says, we should ask in faith with no doubt. He said further that the person 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' (James 1:7-8, ESV).

Lack of faith, or prayer with doubt that arises out of a double-mind could be one reason why prayers are not answered. However, the possibility remains for prayers in full faith to be unanswered. It could be that what we prayed for is not in the will of God.

I can think of the case of Paul where he says that he prayed three times for the 'thorn in the flesh' to be removed. It could be ailment that he prayed for healing. However, God did not answer his prayer for healing but just assured him of His constant sustaining grace: 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness' (2 Cor 12:9, ESV).

What went wrong with Paul's prayers? It seems that he was praying for something that was not in God's will.

So, what should we do when things happen against our expectations even after earnest prayers? We should surrender to his supreme will and move in the direction he shows hoping that God has chosen us the best. Again we exercise our faith in God. The faith that all gifts that God, 'the father of lights' sends are good (James 1:17).

Reminders of God's great love

"Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!" Psalm 66:20 (ESV).

What does answered prayers demand from us?

Most of us seek God when we are out of our depths in adversities. We feel the need of God when we reach the end of the ropes. However, God is a kind God; he answers us when we cry out to him from the depths of our adversities.

Every answered prayer requires from us to learn something more about the character of God. The psalmist shares with us what he has learned from God when he cried unto God, and he graciously answered his prayer. He learned that God still loves him. Answered prayers reminds us that God hasn't 'removed his steadfast love' from us.

This is the response of a grateful heart; to believe that we are objects of God's ardent love.

Why Revival Tarries?

I had been praying for a revival in the Seminary where I teach and the church I minister for a long time. It hasn’t come yet. I got this burden for revival from my teacher. She was a Canadian missionary who taught English at the Seminary where I did my first degree in theology. She stood up in a social gathering to make an announcement. The college was about to be shifted to a new campus about 600-kilometres away in a few months. She said that she is praying for a revival and praying that we will have it before we move to the new campus. It is almost 33 years since we moved to the new campus. Revival is yet to come!
Is God ignoring prayers for revivals? For that to be true we need to conclude that God is against revivals. Certainly not! God always want his people to be spiritually alive and constantly revive themselves. Holy Spirit, the spirit of newness is always with us.
This is simple logic. I won't' buy my son a car until he gets the driving licence. That is when he is ready to drive though he has been asking for it for a long time. I think that is the reason why revival tarries. Revival is certainly God’s plan for his people. God never denies prayer for revivals, but it gets delayed because the potential recipients are not yet ready. I want to emphasise it again—it is not denial but delay and we are responsible for the delay. Revival will come only when we are ready.
A review of the history of revivals tells us that that is how it always happened. Revivals always happened only through people who were waiting for it. Take, for example, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the 120 gathered in Jerusalem. Jesus had directed them ‘to wait for the promise of the Father’ (Acts 1:4). Waiting, they did! They went to the upper-room, they were in one accord and devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 1:14). Finally, when they were ‘altogether in one place’ in the same upper-room the Spirit was poured out on them on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).
This pattern of waiting and preparation in prayer along with a longing for revival is behind all revivals. Sometimes God prepares them in strange ways. For example, the Ao Naga revivals in India was possible because a tribal chief dead and gone had prophesied that a man with white skin will come and preach about a new god and they have to follow that God. The people were waiting for the man with white skin to come and preach for years. The tribal memory of this prophecy was like a piece of charcoal soaked in fuel, ready to catch fire. It caught fire and covered the entire Ao Naga tribe. Now 90% of Nagas are Christians. There are similar stories of God preparing people from Malaysia and other countries.
In any revival, there is a group of people earnestly waiting and praying for it. Prayer and the longing had prepared them to receive it. Then in the process, the revival encompasses in its embrace everyone even its critics. The first flame always fell upon an individual or group who were ready for it. It is like a forest-fire starting beginning with an ember from the bonfire the careless campers didn’t put out. It started really small with a group of people longing for it.
It never happened when people are not ready for it. All that we need to do is to be ready.

Praying is Doing

Our language of prayer has changed dramatically over the years. When people come to us with their problems we used to assure them that we will pray for them. Sometimes, we say ‘I will pray for you’ or sometimes we say, ‘you will be in my prayers.’ In reality, we often fail to keep the promise and forget to pray for them. Still, we keep saying that; it has become part of our formal language, like ‘thank you!’ We say that even when we really don’t mean it. It is like saying ‘good morning’ to our neighbour as we step out of the house in pouring rain on a clouded, bleak morning. So meaningless.

However, many people have polished this language now to be more honest and be real. It is rather popular now to say that ‘you will be in my thoughts’ than ‘in my prayers.’ That helps us to bail ourselves out of the guilt of not praying.

A promise of prayer is sometimes the best way to dismiss responsibility. Many times when we approach authorities and they say that they will pray about it, you can go home pretty sure that you are not going to get it! The language is so corrupt, it is something to hide behind and to dismiss the action.

However, Jesus seems to have given it a new meaning in Matthew 9:38. On his return from preaching the Kingdom of God in the various villages and towns in Galilee, he told his disciples what he saw over there. He had compassion on them since they were helpless like sheep without the shepherd. He also said that the people are ready for the goodnews of the Kingdom. Then he asked them to pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’ (Matt 9:38).

However, they did not have a prayer meeting after that! In the following verses (which is continuous with the previous, though in a new chapter) Jesus called them and sent them out to the fields that are ‘ready for the harvest.’

What do we make out of this? When Jesus said ‘pray’ to send, he really meant be ready to go! For Jesus, praying is preparation for going and nothing less. It is not praying that people other than the one who pray will go. It is a prayer where the one who prays gets ready to go.

This leads us to conclude that when we pray for something we take up the responsibility for that. For example, when we pray for the poor, we also take up the responsibility to do something about their poverty. Then we may pray for what is beyond our capacity having done what we can. Jesus, when he asks us to pray intends that we get involved first.

Shameless Prayers

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And he said to them, ‘Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, “Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything”? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. (Luke 11:5-8 ESV)

The story happens in Palestine of the first century. People set out on their journeys early in the morning before the sun rose and rested at noon till late afternoon. Then they plan their afternoon journey in such a way that they could reach a village where they knew someone before is dark. The traveller in this story might have arrived at midnight because he had to walk past many villages where he knew none to reach this distant village where he had a friend. He must have walked past many villages hoping that at his friend’s place he will find some food and a bed to sleep even at midnight.

Midnight was the awkward time to arrive at anyone’s place in those days. Many of us sleep late, maybe after midnight. The reasons that keep us awake late into midnight are many, besides the lack of discipline. Some of us work when our countrymen sleep because we are taking calls from people on the other side of the globe who are still awake. We have artificial lights which make the night appear as day. Modern amenities keep us awake—we watch TV, we can read late into the night, or engage in activities like having a game of badminton the lighted courts or even go for a swim.
However, the ancient man did not have anything like that. The food is cooked and eaten before sunset. Parents will put your children to bed early; there is no TV that they can watch and no books to read. And even if you have there no light! In the Mediterranean world, people went to work early in the morning to avoid the heat of the sun. So, it is you got to get to bed early at night. If you don’t sleep well after a long day’s work then your life next day is spoiled.
The sleeping friend had valid excuses to deny the request. Not one but four excuses.

1. Do not bother me. The night is a time of rest after a day of hard work. ‘Let me sleep, man!’
   
2. The door is now shut. The doors were heavy and opening them takes effort. The wooden latches that keep the doors closed are also heavy and is not easy to move them. They make a screeching sound.
   

Children are with him in bed. In ancient Palestine ordinary people lived in one-room houses. Individual bedrooms were a luxury. If he wakes up and open the door then his movements and the screech of the door will wake the children up. He might have taken a lot of effort to put them to sleep if they wake up they may not go back to sleep easily.
People would cook in the morning and go work to their workshops attached to their houses, fields to markets. They would cook for the day since there were no refrigerators to keep the leftovers and no microwaves for to warm up as we do till eternity. However, it is always possible to have leftovers and bread that may last for one or two days after cooking. That fateful night this host had none when the traveller just called in unexpectedly. To bother someone in such a situation is a really bad thing to do. It is immodesty of the highest order.

Hospitality was one of the highest virtues in the ancient world. First of all, if you find a traveller who arrived in the city and has nowhere to go then the person who found him should take him to his house, offer him food and shelter for the night. In bigger and busy towns a traveller may find an inn where they can get these for payment. Travellers who have friends will straight walk to the homes of their friends.

Making some food for the night for the traveller-guest is not the option. Cooking usually took a lot of time in those days. If he began cooking at midnight, it will be almost dawn when he finished. The host and guest cannot sleep and the guest has to set on his journey before the first rays of sunlight to avoid the terror of the heat. The only option then is to go to their neighbours and borrow some food.

Now, let me try to narrate a contemporary parable. You were in a hurry and did not pack your lunch when you sped off to the office. In your hurry, you also left your wallet with all the money and credit cards. On arrival at the office, you realized that the canteen is closed so that you cannot buy food on credit. You had skipped breakfast as well. You are hungry and is at the point of passing out.
In your desperate situation, you see colleagues in the other cabins opening their lunchboxes. Some have gone out to the fast-food shop across the road and got their sandwiches. There is the smell of food all over the place. Your tummy grumbles. What will you do? Will you walk to the person in the next cabin and ask her to share a bit of her sandwich? If you do so will you get a piece of it? Why do you expect that person to give you that? I am pretty sure that if you asked your friend will certainly give you some food out of her lunchbox. The reason is simple—you are so shameless to ask!
Jesus made the same point when he said, ‘I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence’ (Luke 11:8 ESV). The reason for granting is not friendship, that is clear. It was not his persistence since he did not repeat his request. The word translated as ‘impudence’ in ESV is a unique word found here only in the Bible. It means ‘shamelessness’ variously translated as ‘impudence’, ‘importunity’ etc. The word occurs only here in the NT which according to Gringich Lexicon the literal meaning is ‘shamelessness.’ Arland J. Hultgren defines shamelessness as ‘being or acting without sensibility to shame or disgrace.’

It is the shamelessness of the man who approaches a sleeping friend is in focus. This man has no regard for his shame or disgrace. He is not ashamed of bothering a friend. He is not worried about hearing excuses to deny his request. He just approaches him with absolute disregard to all these concerns. What would have happened if the friend did not get up and give him the bread? He will have to return home to face another friend who is hungry and tired. He will lose his face before him. The friend will have to go to bed hungry. That will be the most shameful experience in his life. So, what is better. Tell the visitor there is no bread, have some water and go to bed. Or go and knock at the door of a friend who is likely to have some leftovers? His choices were limited: surrender his dignity before one of them—either the traveller or his friend in the village. He chose the latter, that is the sleeping friend.

Who is the sleeping friend in the parable? The larger context of the parable sheds light on its interpretation. Jesus used the principle of lighter to heavier or simple to complex principle. If earthly friends will budge at the request of a shameless person then how much more will God? God will certainly grant what we ask. The same principle is applied in the saying that follows in 11:13 which reads,

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!

The friend in the story is God the father. This story is part of a larger unit which begins in 11:2 and ends 11:13. The Jesus taught them to pray to the Father. Then having told this story he assures them that the heavenly father is much better than all earthly fathers. Luke thus suggests to us that this story (which is unique to him) must be read in the light of father-children relationship that we have with God.
The saying in 11:9-10 also provides an interpretation of the parable. It talks about the certainty of the answer. Those who ask will be given, those who knock will find doors opening, those who seek will find what they are seeking. However, it is not a general principle but works only in the framework of the father-child relationship that we have with God. That is what the context of the parable suggests.
So, the point of the parable is clear. In the context of assurance of being heard (11:9-10) and the confidence that heavenly father is always better than earthly father we don’t have to be ashamed. There is no room for shame because there is no room for fear of consequences. Our dignity is also intact since we are asking our father and not a stranger.
The context of the parable also suggests one more thing. Our requests have to fair and reasonable. In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus taught them to pray for ‘daily bread.’ The man who approached his friend at midnight limited his request to ‘three loaves.’ Scholars point out that three loaves (each loaf the size of a man's palm) are just one serving of food. He was asking just for one meal for one person. Nothing more. It is a fair and reasonable request just as ‘daily bread’ is.
The context of the parable also sheds some light on the nature of the shameless behaviour. Shame is a result of sin, doubt, fear, and lack of intimacy. For example, Adam and Eve never felt shame before their sin, they walked even with God without clothes. They were not hiding they were naked. Shame sets in when we lose confidence in each other. For example, littler children run around the house without any clothes but when the doorbell rings they hide behind the doors. Their shame is relative—not ashamed in the presence of their parents. This means that shamelessness stems from a relationship of intimacy. That is why this parable is sandwiched between two mentions of the father in heaven. The prayer is to the father in heaven—our father and later our heavenly father.
So, our prayer must result from our intimacy with the father, an intimacy that leads to confident shamelessness. Our prayers should be confident—whatever is knocked at will be open and asked for will be given and sought after will be found. Our prayers should be fair and reasonable.

"Take Time to be Holy"

“Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;

Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.

By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;

Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.” (William D. Longstaff)

One of the great hymns that exhort each other in worship is indeed ‘Take Time to be Holy’ by William D. Longstaff. Written around 1882.

It emphasizes an essential aspect of biblical spirituality--spiritual life is lived intentionally, it requires effort. Billy Graham said years ago that to go to hell we don’t have to do anything, the road leads there anyway. But to make it to heaven, one has to really steer away.

Holiness is not just having good thoughts, deeds or attitudes. It is not defined in reference to us or to our world around. It is living a life that pleases God. God alone is holy and he demands that ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’ (1 Pet 1:16 ESV). Actions, words, thoughts, attitudes and all that do matter but only if it meets God’s standards. His holiness is the standard for our holiness. This holiness requires determination from our side, it doesn’t come automatically.

The reason for making conscious effort to lead lives that meet God’s standard is that the ‘world rushes on.’ The world is in a mad rush and it can carry us with us unless we are careful. The world keeps us busy so that we have no time think about anything at all and that includes God. So, we get caught in this mad rush that forces us to even ignore to eat, sleep having time with our families. This combined with a lifestyle that ignores God is the recipe for disaster. So, it is important to pull aside from the maddening crowd and its din to find quality time with God.

This requires us to focus on Jesus, spending time in secret prayer and meditate his Word. To grow into his likeness is a wonderful goal in life.

Little James' Big Faith

I noticed James (not the real name) waiting to meet me. He was of a very frail small frame, shy and seldom spoke in public or in a group. He is an overseas student who is very much part of the little congregation that I pastor in university town in India.
When the last person was gone, James came forward and muttered: ‘Pastor, can I have a word with you, outside?’ So, I followed him to the balcony of the church. Leaning on the rails of the balcony, I stared at him to hear another big problem my little sheep is facing. It can be about a sickness that he suffers silently, a relationship problem—he might have spotted his girl friend in the company of another person, or a problem at his far away home—mom is sick or father might have lost job.
But James’ problem appeared small to me. He hasn’t paid house-rent for the last two months. Parents haven’t sent the money, but they have promised they will sent it soon! But the landlord has issued the ultimatum of 48 hours. If he is not able to pay it within two days he will have to leave the house, leaving his precious possessions behind until he pay it in full.
My mind made some quick calculations as I found out how much he owe his landlord. I suggested that I will lend him the money right now so that he can avoid the evacuation. He can pay me when the parents send the money. So, I encouraged him, patted on his shoulder as I began to walk away to the other person waiting for the pastor. But James stopped me. He said, ‘Pastor! I don’t want to borrow.’ ‘I only need your prayer. Could you pray for me right now that the money will come tomorrow.’
‘Of course!’ I said. We bowed our heads and prayed—James bowed his head in faith but I rather in shame and embarassment.
Just before the the deadline set by his landlord was over I called James to find out if he received the money. My rescue plan was still in place, ready for any eventuality.  James’ ‘hello’ had a rim of joy as he picked up my call. ‘Yes pastor!’ he said in a very jubilant tone. ‘Mom transferred the money online and I paid the rent,’ he continued. ‘Praise God,’ I said in a rather subdued voice. I, an experienced, senior pastor felt guilty and shrank in size before a young man who was full of faith. I depended on my mind and my capacity to help the poor and needy. But this young man, a new believer had faith full to the rim. He knew that something that I also knew but often ignored—God hears prayers.

Dangerous People

The psalmist has a strange complaint in Psalm 14:4 (also in Psalm 53:4). It is about those people who don’t pray to God.’ Why should another person’s prayer life bother her? The psalmist’s worry doesn’t seem to be the fact that they don’t pray but the reason why they don’t pray.

The ungodly people don’t pray to God because they don’t take God seriously. These are people who like to pretend that God doesn’t exist at all. That is why the Psalmist says, ‘The fool says in his heart, “There is no God."’ This is not a philosophical theory for them, but they have found it convenient to think that God does’nt exist or is not interested in human affairs. This can be called practical atheism. That means, for all practical purposes they tend to believe that God doesn’t exist.

Practical atheism allows its adherents to do all that is evil and wicked. Acknowledging God’s existence and involvement in human affairs by punishing the guilty and rewarding the righteous is an inconvenient theory for those who want to do evil at their will. Put in another way, this means that by getting God out of your way and from your mind you can do all that you want to do.

The reason why the ungodly doesn’t trust in God in prayer is that they trust other means to get their way. They resort to lying, flattery, bribery and threat. Throughout the Psalms, godly people describe how these have made their lives miserable and pray to God to intervene.

The person who composed Psalm 5 complains about those who have ‘... no truth in their mouth; their inmost self is destruction; their throat is an open grave; they flatter with their tongue.’ They are dangerous because they lie, and flatter and their lies and flattery has grave consequences to the life of the Psalmist.

If lies and threat won’t get them what they want, they may resort to threat. The enemies of the Psalmist in 73:8 faces threat from ungodly people: ‘They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.’

The enemies in Psalm 26 are ‘... bloody men; In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes’ (Psa 26:9-10). These people can buy whatever they want by the power of their money. They can pervert justice and oppress people by greasing the hands of those take and overturn decisions.

Since lying, flattery, threat and bribes work for them, they don’t have to depend on the power nor the wisdom of God. So, they don’t pray. People who don’t pray are thus very dangerous because they resort to other means which harm godly people and their societies.

This can be a trap that the godly people can also walk into unaware. False confidence in one’s ability to convince, win the favour of others and sometimes taking threatening postures are ways they may also be tempted to get their way. These result in less and less dependence upon God in prayer. These may take them far away from God and they may end up with all that God hasn’t willled them to have or do. When we don’t have confidence in prayer and have no patience with God we tend resort to these means as well. Dependence on our wisdom and strength is always disproportionate to our dependence on God in prayer!

Prayers that God will not Answer!

The title of this article may startle the readers! Yes, there are prayers that God may not answer. It is hard to believe this in a world where there is so much of talk about miracles, deliverance and so on. We are made to believe that God answers prayers unconditionally. We are also made to believe that certain places and certain people have so much charisma that anything they pray for will be answered. So we tend to flock to these places and around this people to get our prayers answered. We are encouraged to subscribe to some prayer plans (quite similar to some saving plans) that for a small subscription our children will be prayed for from birth to their adulthood. Childhood ailments, successful education (a main worry for Indian parents), job security and marriage are all covered in these plans. All that we need to do is to subscribe, sit back and relax for the rest of your life!

However, God doesn't answer prayers unconditionally. He is not a slot machine, where the machine delivers what one want by simply inserting a coin or token without any questions.

God does not answer prayers when there is sin in our lives. God want us to receive his forgiveness and correct our lives before coming to him. God has moral demands and he insists that our lives be according to his will before he grants us our requests. King Saul prayed to God for help against the Amalekites, but he was terribly defeated. God did not answer his prayer because of sin in his life (1 Samuel 14:37, 1 Samuel 28:6, 7). David prayed for the healing of the child that was born in his illegitimate and sinful relationship. God did not answer, the child died. Though David had repented, it was God's will that he feel some pain of his sinful action (2 Samuel 12:13-23). However, God allowed the second child (Solomon) in the same wife to ascend to David's throne later.

God also doesn't answer prayers that are not in line with his will. His will is supreme above all our wills and his will is perfect and flawless. He knows what is best for us. So he answers prayers only according to his will. Elijah was a great man of prayer. Bible says that he could stop rain (James 5:17), he had brought down fire from heaven that burnt the sacrifice, dried up the water and even melted stones of the altar (1 Kings 18:32-38). However, God did not answer one of his prayers: He wanted to die but God did not allow him (1 Kings 19:4; 2 Kings 2:11). Because that was not in God's will that he die at the time he wanted. So was also Jonah who wanted to die but God did not allow him to die when he wanted to die (Jonah 4:3). Saint Paul was not a sinner and but though he prayed for healing of his physical ailment (we don't know what exactly it was) God simply refused instead gave him the grace to live with it (2 Cor 12:7-9).

Thirdly, there are things in our control that God will leave us to address than bringing it to him, especially matters that have to do with our character and our moral life. For example, God is not going to answer the prayers of those who pray that they will be more humble because being humble is in their control. If they want to be humble all that they need to do is to go ahead and be humble! If people pray that God make them more liberal, I don't think God is going to make them liberal in their giving because they just need to go ahead and start giving. Many times such prayers are used to shun human responsibility and put the blame on God! However, we need God's grace to live lives pleasing God. So, God is certainly going to grant the grace to be humble, more liberal in giving etc. Nevertheless, doing it with the grace that God provides is our job.

Now let us turn the question on its tail. Instead of asking what are the type of prayers God will not answer let us see how to pray in a way that God will answer. God answers prayers from hearts that are right with God. Secondly, God answers prayers that are according to his will and thirdly, God want us to do what we can do depending on his grace instead of using prayer as an excuse.

Personal Worship and Corporate Worship

Worshipping together is one of the salient features Christianity which it shares with its predecessor Judaism and is followed by its successor Islam. Most of the religions have individualized worship experience. Worshippers visit shrines on their own to pray to their deity and does not necessarily need the company of others. However, gathering together for worship in the church, synagogue or the mosque is important for the above religions besides the private time of worship. So the two terms: "Personal worship" which signifies the individual's act of worship and "corporate worship" which is the worship which individuals offer in the company of other believers.

Some people are very keen on corporate worship but at the expense of the personal worship. They are regular at church services, praise and worship meetings etc but may not pour out their devotion and adoration to God when they are alone. These people find it difficult to meet God alone; they need the company of others. There are people on the other extreme who have a dislike to worship God in public, in the presence of others and they tend to be very private in their devotion and adoration of God. They are in the habit of shunning the gathering together of the saints in worship (Hebrews 10:25). They are very private persons and have a dislike for people.

However, both these extremes are certainly wrong. Personal time of worship and prayer is essential component of Christian spirituality. Jesus spent nights in praying alone. He taught that we should pray in secret (Mathew 6:6). He also went to the synagogues for corporate worship and the bible says it was his usual practice (Mark 10:1). This was the practice of the early church as well (Acts 2:42). They gathered together for fellowship, to receive apostles' teaching, prayer and breaking bread together besides their personal times of worship of God.

Personal worship and corporate worship are the two wings on which Christians soar to the presence of God in adoration and praise. They are two aspects of one act called worship: the creatures adoring the majesty of the creator, the sinners pouring out his their profound love for their saviour. Personal worship leads the worshipper to corporate worship because the worshippers have reached a level of adoration which they cannot hold within themselves any longer and need to get it out of their chest! So they look to corporate worship as a place where they can share it with others and to receive from people who have something to share. In a similar manner, the corporate worship should be so rich an experience that the worshipper leaves the place of worship to continue the worship at a personal level until another time for worship arrives. Personal worship propels people from their prayer closet to the chapel and the chapel is so compelling that they return to their closet to continue the worship. They are mutually enriching experiences.

Waiting for God's Mercy

"For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you," says the LORD your Redeemer" (Isa 54:7-8)

God is a holy God. The earlier chapters of the Book of Isaiah present the awesome holiness of God (chapter 6). Since God is a God of wrath and justice he punishes sin and wickedness. God sometimes may use ungodly people to punish his own people who are disobedient. That was the role of Assyria, Israel's political enemy who brought the Northern Kingdom of Israel to destruction. God described Assyria as the rod of His anger (Isa 10:5).

That's only one side of God. The other side is that of a merciful God. Years later, after he inflicted punishment upon his people at the hands of the pagans, he raised up another pagan emperor to show kindness to them. That is Cyrus the Persian Emperor whom God describes as His anointed (Isa 45:1). Hitherto only specially chosen leaders of Israel were called "anointed". But now here is a pagan king who does not know God is called his anointed, because he is going to be instrumental in showing God's mercy to his people.

Isaiah 54:7-8 portrays this picture of God's punishment and kindness in a graphic way. His mercy has overtaken his wrath. He has abandoned them but only for a while.

Though this verses are the story of a nation's abandonment and their reinstating, it has a personal dimension as well as the story of this young man tells. Probably many of us may be able to relate to this story as well.

He had come to the seminary from a not so well-to-do family. In the seminary he goes through a nervous breakdown. All his plans to complete studies, get married and then get ordained into ministry are foiled. To add to the misery the seminary advises him to take a break. An year goes by and then he joins the seminary again to find that he had to get regular help of a psychiatrist and go on his studies on a slower pace. He had to see his class graduate without him. His juniors also passed before him. Finally, his day came and he graduated. However, he was told that, knowing that he has a history of psychological illness, his church is not really willing to trust him with a church. Long internship begins; finding a marriage partner for a person who carries the stigma of mental illness was difficult in his culture.

However, he gets married much later in life than his friends. It was a long wait. The church finally is convinced that he is fully healed. Now, in a few weeks time he will be ordained into the ministry of his denomination. He decided to print Isaiah 54:7-8 on the top of the invitation card: " For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back." He has crossed the lines over to the compassion field. What God has done in his life is certainly an encouragement for all those who are waiting on the other side of our existence under God's wrath or negligence (whatever you would like to call it) to cross over. The waiting may be long, but it will certainly not be futile.

What Happened to My Unanswered Prayers?

Some time back, I sent an email to my friend’s Gmail account. However, for many weeks there was no response from my friend. Then I wrote another email to him to the other email ID of his that I had. He promptly replied. Later we discovered that the mail I sent was sitting in the Spam folder of his Gmail account. My mail was automatically filtered to the spam folder!
This made me contemplate on the prayers. I have been praying ever since my childhood. From short bed-time prayers to long intercessory prayers, pastoral prayers, prayers for the sick, in desperate need, etc. God answered some prayers but many are yet to be answered. What is happening to those prayers of mine that are not answered? God did not get it, or are they sitting in his spam folder?
I wish I could just visit heaven and see what is happening to those prayers of mine that are not ever attended to. For that, I will have to wait. However, God has specially favored John the Apostle with some special privileges. One such privilege is that he had an opportunity to peep into heaven and the throne room of God.
In Revelation chapter 8, John reports from heaven what is happening to our prayers. I draw a lot of encouragement from those words. In verse 4, we see that the angel who stands in the throne room of God offers the prayers of the saints to God along with incense. Verse 3 clarifies that the prayers are held in a golden censer. A similar picture is found in the fifth chapter also. Here the twenty-four elders are offering the prayers in golden censers before the Lamb who is our risen Savior. In this picture the incense are the prayers of the saints held in golden censers. They have harps in one hand (symbolizing praise) and censers in the other (symbolizing our prayers).
With this assurance, I still pray though all my prayers are not answered. I pray because I am assured that my prayers are not going to the trash bin, nor are they deleted my mistake. They are offered to God. They are valuable to God: the cries of anguish and questions that I presented in my prayers are so valuable to God so that they are offered in a golden bowl before him.