Does God ever answer prayer any other way than, yes, no, or not yet? Why are there times it's no?

sermonindex Aug 17, 2007

James 4:2-4
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
[color=CC0000]3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, [/color]
that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
KJV

Ps 66:18
18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
KJV

Matt 6:14-15

14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Mark 11:24-25
25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Luke 17:3-4
"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."

John 20:21-23

To the first 12 disciples
21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

1 John 1:9-10
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

H

HopePurifies Aug 17, 2007

I hope I don't hurt anyones feelings but I've always thought this 'yes, no, or not yet' is just an incredibly hokey phrase that makes lukewarm housewives feel better about their unanswered requests. You are completely right pointing out all those scriptures.
An atheist pointed out that milk jugs answer prayer in 'yes, no, or not yet'. You ask the milk jug for something, then the future comes. You either have gotten what you asked for, you haven't gotten what you asked for, or you'll get what you asked for later.
Our Lord is purposeful and wise. He is not a wooden idol. He hears all our requests and we can firmly understand the reasons behind everything He does if we are right with Him and seek to know- unlike with the milk jug of chance.
He said He calls us friend... uh oh my laptop battery is going to go dead! Somebody else can add the scriptures for me!

sermonindex Aug 17, 2007

HopePurifies
uh oh my laptop battery is going to go dead! Somebody else can add the scriptures for me!

moe_mac wrote:
You think the dead battery was a no or a not yet.

S

sojourner7 Aug 17, 2007

God is all-knowing and all wise. When
we pray according to His truth and
His will; He answers. If it is not
according to His purpose and expressed
will for us; then the answer is NO,
If it it something we are not
equipped and prepared to do, then the
answer is wait upon ME.

J

jlosinski Aug 18, 2007

I have a personal testimony about how God answered on of my prayers. It was last year and my wife was pregnant about three months. We have one little boy that was almost two at the time. My wife and I had been having some marital troubles for a while but we were both excited about the prospects of another baby. You see, my wife has been pregnant five times and out of that we have only our one boy ("Bubba") and hopefully another one being born in October.

I had just gotten off of work from the hospital and was driving the twelve miles from Fairbanks to North Pole so I decided to pray that my wife would have a safe and fruitful pregnancy, and that the baby would be in good health with no complications. I praised God for his wisdom and how He continued His work in me. I arrived home encouraged and happy, wanting to see how my wife was doing and wanting to share my excitement over how God watches over us...:)

I walked into our bedroom with a big smile of anticipation and saw her sitting on the edge of the bed crying and shaking in pain; She was having another miscarriage no more than 20 minutes after I had prayed for her and the baby's safety! I comforted her and we ended up in the ER for the third time in two years for miscarriage. But I had such peace and closure because I knew that God had answered my prayer, not with what I had asked for, but the mere knowlege that He answered so quickly was conforting for me. I know that He doesn't always work so quickly, but when He does it is such a fresh reminder of His soverignty (sp).
Love, Joe