Participants: John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001394A
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00:10 ♪[Theme music]♪
00:19 >>John Bradshaw: Hudson Taylor was a missionary to China 00:22 in the 19th century. 00:23 He spent 51 years there, 00:25 and his medical missionary work drew huge numbers 00:28 of people to make decisions for Christ. 00:30 Hudson Taylor was a real man of faith, 00:33 and he believed in the power of prayer. 00:36 Now, the story goes that there was a time when the boat 00:39 in which he was sailing became becalmed; 00:42 it was just drifting 00:43 because there was no wind to fill its sails. 00:46 As a result, the vessel drifted dangerously close 00:49 to an island inhabited by cannibals, 00:52 who were apparently waiting excitedly 00:54 to have these sailors over for dinner. 00:57 The captain came to Taylor and asked him to pray 01:00 for the winds to come up. 01:02 Now, Missionary Taylor agreed to pray 01:04 but only if the captain raised the sails on the boat first. 01:09 The captain refused because he said he didn't want 01:11 to make a laughingstock of himself. 01:14 When the captain later repeated his request, 01:16 Taylor replied again, 01:17 “I will not pray unless you first put up the sails.” 01:22 This time the captain agreed to do so, 01:24 and Taylor went to his room to pray. 01:26 It wasn't long and there was a knock at his door. 01:29 [raises voice] "Have you begun to pray?" 01:32 "Yes, I have,” was the reply. 01:34 "Well, would you please stop. 01:37 We've got more wind now that we can safely handle!" 01:42 Great story. 01:42 True story. 01:44 But let me ask a question: Does it always happen that way? 01:49 ♪[Music in background begins]♪ What happens when you pray, 01:50 and it seems as though God didn't answer your prayers? 01:55 Today, “Prayer in the Real World.” 01:59 What happens when you pray 02:01 and it doesn't work out perfectly. 02:03 Now our story illustrates something very important: 02:07 God's in the business of doing great things 02:09 in answer to our prayers. 02:10 There is power in prayer. 02:13 The Bible encourages us to pray without ceasing. 02:16 Prayer has been described as being "the breath of the soul." 02:22 Through prayer we communicate with God. 02:24 There can't be a real relationship with God 02:26 without communication with God, 02:27 and a person who communicates with God in prayer, 02:31 opens himself or herself up to the blessing of God's presence. 02:35 Prayer lifts a person up to God 02:38 and opens us up to God's mind and God's purposes. 02:44 In that famous passage in the Bible 02:46 where Paul writes about the armor of God, 02:49 he writes that we should be 02:50 "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, 02:54 and watching thereunto with all perseverance 02:57 and supplication for all saints..." 03:00 Now, let's analyze this a little bit. 03:02 You'll see that the Bible writer Paul urges us to pray always; 03:07 also, to bring our requests, our petitions to God, 03:11 and to persevere in prayer, 03:14 to pray and pray and pray, and not give up. 03:18 And Jesus taught us exactly the same thing. 03:21 I'm going to look at a passage in the gospel of Luke, 03:23 Luke chapter 18. 03:24 We start off in verse 1. 03:26 Here's what Jesus did: 03:29 “And He spoke a parable unto them to this end, 03:32 that men ought always to pray, 03:35 and not to faint...” 03:37 It's very evident that God wants to hear from us, 03:40 and He cares about what we think and we feel. 03:43 And that line that says God wants us not only to pray, 03:46 but to persevere in prayer, God's serious about that. 03:50 He wants us to pray and not to quit. 03:54 Now, that passage goes on to say this: 03:57 Hang in there with me. 03:58 We're going to read several verses together. 04:00 Still in Luke 18: 04:02 “There was in a certain city a judge 04:04 who did not fear God nor regard man. 04:08 Now there was a widow in that city; 04:10 and she came to him, saying, 04:11 ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.' 04:15 And he would not for a while; 04:17 but afterward he said within himself, 04:19 ‘Though I do not fear God or regard man, 04:22 yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, 04:26 lest by her continual coming she weary me.' 04:30 Then the Lord said, 04:32 ‘Hear what the unjust judge said. 04:34 And shall God not avenge His own elect 04:37 who cry out day and night to Him, 04:40 though He bears long with them? 04:42 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. 04:46 Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, 04:49 will He really find faith on the earth?'” 04:54 This passage suggests several things to us. 04:57 To begin with, it teaches us about the character of God, 05:01 not by example but by contrast. 05:04 Unlike that unjust judge, 05:06 God is willing to come to the aid of His people. 05:08 And He's willing to do so “speedily,” the Bible says. 05:12 God wants to bless us. 05:16 He wants us to thrive. 05:18 Now, that's not to say God wants to make all of us rich, 05:21 or that He wants to make us all architects or brain surgeons, 05:24 or school teachers or physicists or anything else. 05:27 It is to say that God wants to bless us, 05:30 that is, to, to prosper us, to encourage us, 05:34 maybe to challenge us, 05:35 or whatever us in the way that God sees is best for us. 05:39 “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” the Bible says. 05:42 We know that for sure. 05:43 God is willing to give us good gifts more readily 05:47 than earthly parents are willing to give good things 05:49 to their children, 05:50 according to what it says in the Bible. 05:53 When you come to God in prayer, 05:55 you can afford to believe that God 05:56 is wanting to give to you the very best of blessings. 06:01 Now, think about what the Bible says to us about prayer. 06:05 Jesus said, 06:07 “...whatever you ask in My name, I will do it...” 06:10 He said, “Ask and you shall receive; 06:13 seek, and you shall find; knock, 06:16 and the door shall be opened to you...” 06:18 That's a bit like being given a blank check! 06:23 Now, of course, there are some conditions that apply to this. 06:25 David wrote that if we regard iniquity in our hearts 06:29 the Lord will not hear us. 06:31 And if we're serious about having our prayers answered, 06:33 we've got to, to hunger and thirst after righteousness, 06:36 those are the ones who will be filled. 06:38 God said that He would pour water upon dry ground. 06:42 And one of the most remarkable verses in the entire Bible 06:45 says this: “He that spared not His own Son, 06:50 but delivered Him up freely for us all, 06:52 how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” 06:59 That's Romans 8:32. 07:00 Now that's God saying, 07:02 "If I've given you Jesus, then what would I not give you?" 07:06 And all that is good. 07:09 It's great! 07:11 It's incredible! 07:12 It's indispensable! 07:15 But as we go back to our Bible story, 07:18 we notice something. 07:19 This woman who was appealing to the judge 07:22 finally wore him down by her "continual coming." 07:27 She's known as the “importunate widow,” 07:30 importunate means "troublesomely urgent,” 07:32 or "persistent in request or demand." 07:35 Which indicates that this woman did not get 07:38 what she was seeking on the first go-round. 07:40 She had to ask, and ask again. 07:43 And that sometimes raises questions in our minds. 07:49 Let's be honest here. 07:50 If we were doing a reality show about prayer, 07:53 we'd probably have a dozen people living in a big house 07:55 sharing their experiences about prayer. 07:58 And you know for sure there'd be at least one person 08:00 driving a new car and enjoying great health, 08:04 tons of money, just got a promotion at work, 08:07 and this person would be praising the Lord because God 08:09 is answering her or his prayers. 08:12 But then there'd be someone else, 08:13 who prayed for their child to get well and their child died. 08:19 Even though they prayed and fasted and prayed and fasted. 08:25 ♪[Music]♪ 08:31 [Soft crying] 08:42 ♪[Music and crying fade]♪ 08:45 There'd be someone in that house, 08:47 maybe a wife who'd been praying for the salvation 08:49 of her husband, and he, never becomes a Christian. 08:52 A man prays for safe travel, winds up being cut out of his 08:57 car by the "Jaws of Life" and, 08:59 and he can never walk normally again. 09:01 ♪[Music]♪ 09:05 [Sound of cane on table] 09:10 Most people can relate to that on some level, 09:11 because many people, maybe most people, 09:15 have prayed for sunshine, and got rain instead. 09:20 And you wonder, did God hear my prayer? 09:24 In a moment, I'm going to expose prayer, for what it really is. 09:30 Fasting. 09:31 It's a very biblical concept, 09:34 but it's also very misunderstood. 09:37 Jesus fasted, we know that, 09:38 but does He want people to fast today? 09:42 I'd like to send you a book from our 09:43 “Healing Insights” series called, 09:45 “Fasting and Prayer.” 09:47 This book is absolutely free. 09:49 Just call 800-253-3000, 09:52 and ask for “Fasting and Prayer.” 09:55 Or you can find us online at: iiwoffer.com. 10:01 [Crickets chirping] 10:05 ♪[Music]♪ 10:13 [Camera rattling] 10:17 [People talking] 10:21 [Wind] 10:30 ♪[Music]♪ 10:45 [Cheering] 10:54 ♪[Music]♪ 11:09 Today, we are looking at prayer in the real world. 11:13 You know, it's a wonder that people 11:14 don't pray more than they do. 11:16 I read where someone wrote that the darkness 11:19 of the evil one encloses those who neglect to pray. 11:22 Now, I think that's right. 11:24 And prayer doesn't have to be drudgery. 11:25 In prayer, you're opening up your heart to God 11:29 as to a friend, 11:30 you're talking about things that clearly interest you 11:33 and things that are important to you, 11:34 and you're inviting the presence of God 11:36 more and more into your life. 11:37 And don't think for a moment that your prayers 11:40 have to be flowery, eloquent masterpieces. 11:43 They just don't need to be. 11:44 Prayer is about honest communication with God. 11:47 But if we're being honest, if we're being honest, 11:51 we'd have to admit that sometimes God 11:53 doesn't give us what we want when we pray. 11:55 And that's not only when we pray the “selfish” prayers. 11:58 You know, you pray for a million dollars and you don't get it; 12:01 it isn't always hard to figure out why that might be so. 12:03 You pray for fine weather for your daughter's wedding 12:05 and it rains; well, you know, 12:07 that's just the way it goes sometimes. 12:09 But if I can go way deeper than that for a moment, 12:12 think about this. 12:14 You pray and pray for a pregnancy, 12:16 and finally the pregnancy test is positive, 12:18 two red lines! 12:19 And you look forward to this prayed-for baby, 12:21 and the big day arrives, 12:26 and the child is born severely disabled. 12:29 That can be not only difficult, it can be faith-shaking. 12:33 You pray for God's blessing on your day, 12:35 and you find out two hours later that the company you work for 12:39 is downsizing, and it's “well, sorry, 12:40 Joe, we appreciate all you've done for us, but...” 12:42 And now you're facing serious financial difficulty. 12:47 So what happened to "Ask and you shall receive?" 12:50 Now, here is where prayer is exposed for what it really is. 12:54 You see kids in the department stores at Christmas time. 12:56 They sit on Santa's knee 12:57 and they tell him what they want for Christmas. 12:59 No, that's not what prayer is. 13:02 A child with his or her grandparents 13:04 on a hot summer's day equals ice cream. 13:07 If a kid can't get ice cream out of Grandpa on a hot day, 13:10 Grandpa has to have a heart of granite. 13:13 But that's not what prayer is. 13:16 What prayer really is is this: Prayer is an exercise in 13:19 learning to trust the sovereignty of God. 13:23 Let me explain. 13:23 Question: Who knows best? 13:26 Answer? 13:27 God does. That's right. 13:29 Does God want what's best for our lives and best for us? 13:32 Oh, yes, He does. 13:34 It, is it always easy to understand? 13:37 No, no it isn't. 13:39 A woman set out for work and a maniac driver runs her off the 13:42 road and she totals her car. 13:43 Now, she gets in a squabble with insurance, 13:45 her broken shoulder never heals, it never works the same again... 13:48 >>Actress: Yes, please! 13:49 Somebody needs to call me back on this claim. 13:52 I have not received any money 13:54 and I am going to be losing my apartment... 13:57 Yes, thank you. 13:59 >>John: She loses time off work; she loses money; 14:01 finally, she has to move into another apartment because 14:03 she gets behind on the rent in the one she's in. 14:05 Can you easily call that "God's will"? 14:09 Not easily. 14:10 It's possible that its God's will, sure, 14:13 but you wouldn't easily entertain the idea that God 14:16 thought it was a good idea for this woman's life 14:18 to become miserable. 14:20 Yet, is it possible that God can bring something beautiful out of 14:26 the brokenness of this woman's situation? 14:28 Sure it is. 14:29 Maybe not right away, but maybe sooner or later. 14:32 I heard about a man who worked in a Christian school, 14:36 lost his job in shaky circumstances. 14:39 No income, no insurance, no explanation, 14:42 just discarded like he didn't even matter. 14:46 Was it God's will for him to be treated so badly and to meet 14:50 with so much misfortune, 14:51 in a place where he expected to always 14:53 be treated with dignity and respect? 14:56 You'd find it hard to say that God was wanting this man's life 15:00 to take a turn for the worse. 15:03 But is it possible that God could bring something good 15:06 out of this man's situation? 15:08 There's a Bible verse that suggests that this is so. 15:11 It's in Romans chapter 8 and verse 28: 15:14 “And we know that all things work together for good 15:19 to them that love God.” 15:22 You know what? 15:23 I had a lady tell me one time that she believed 15:26 the terrible illness that claimed her mother's life 15:30 was the best thing that ever happened to her mother. 15:32 Now, she wasn't bitter or ugly either. 15:34 She was, she was meaning that in a kind, 15:35 Christian way. 15:37 A young wife told me that her husband's very serious, 15:41 life-threatening illness was the best thing 15:45 that ever happened to their family. 15:47 The husband agreed. 15:49 Sometimes life doesn't make a whole lot of sense. 15:52 An illness. 15:53 An injury. 15:54 A job loss. 15:55 A death. 15:57 And we pray that God will change things, 15:58 and so very often He doesn't. 16:02 You know what we're called upon to do in times like that? 16:06 We're called upon to trust God, to say, 16:10 "I might not understand this, 16:13 but I'm willing to trust God anyway." 16:15 A dear friend of mine, an elderly man, 16:17 told me several times that his grief at times 16:20 was so overwhelming, 16:22 having lost his wife and his only child, 16:26 that he'd pull up a chair, 16:27 he'd ask Jesus to sit down in that chair, 16:30 and then he'd talk to Jesus and he'd say this, 16:32 he'd say, "Do you not like me very much, 16:36 to allow these things to happen to me?" 16:39 That's honest, isn't it? 16:41 See, there's a struggle sometimes. 16:43 Think about Joseph. 16:44 Joseph was horribly treated. 16:46 He was sold by his brothers to be a slave in another country. 16:51 What else happened? 16:52 Falsely accused when he got there, 16:54 thrown into prison, forgotten in his prison cell, 16:58 but in all of that, what did Joseph do? 17:00 He trusted God and then, 17:04 then it worked out okay for him. 17:05 ♪[Music]♪ 17:06 Now, what about the martyrs of yesteryear. 17:09 They trusted God; they still lost their lives. 17:15 I'm going to suggest something to you: 17:17 Before we pray, 17:18 it would be good for us to understand 17:19 something about who God is. 17:22 God is the Majesty of the universe. 17:27 He's the Sovereign of the heavens. 17:29 And even though we might sometimes 17:30 have a hard time understanding the vagaries of life, 17:34 we can afford to trust God 17:36 no matter what our experiences bring us. 17:40 God has never given you a reason to doubt Him or mistrust Him. 17:44 What He asks is this: Trust me. 17:49 Remember, way back in the book of Genesis, 17:51 the Word of God says this: 17:52 "Shall not the God of all the earth do right?" 17:57 And we ought to be able to say: 17:58 "Yes, He will." 18:00 Now, did you ever hear the story of Job? 18:05 A good man, described by God as “perfect,” 18:10 a man who, yes, prayed. 18:14 Yet Job was a man who experienced real hardship. 18:18 He didn't understand that for a long time, 18:20 couldn't make sense of it. 18:21 We'll make sense of Job's experience straight ahead. 18:27 Every Word is a one minute, Bible-based daily devotional 18:31 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw 18:33 and designed especially for busy people like you. 18:36 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it online 18:40 everyday on our website: 18:41 itiswritten.com. 18:44 ♪[Music]♪ 18:51 If you were to call the White House 18:53 and ask to speak to the President, 18:54 the simple truth is you're not going to be put through 18:57 to his office for a chat. 18:58 Not going to happen. 19:00 If you were to call the United Nations 19:01 and ask to speak to the Secretary General, 19:03 you're going to be disappointed again. 19:05 These are busy people. 19:06 Important people. 19:07 And unless there's a spectacular reason to do so, 19:10 they're not going to take a call from the likes of you and me. 19:13 But listen to this. 19:14 This is God speaking, in 2 Chronicles 7:14: 19:17 "If My people, which are called by My name, 19:21 shall humble themselves, 19:22 and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; 19:26 then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, 19:29 and will heal their land." 19:31 Incredible! 19:33 The architect of the universe is willing to take your call. 19:38 Anytime. 19:39 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 19:41 Let's live today by Every Word. 19:45 ♪[Music]♪ 19:47 >>Announcer: Planning for your financial future 19:49 is a vital aspect of Christian stewardship. 19:52 For this reason, It Is Written is pleased to offer 19:55 free planned giving and estate services. 19:58 For information on how we can help you, 20:00 please call 800-992-2219. 20:05 Call today or visit our website, 20:07 hislegacy.com. 20:10 Call 800-992-2219. 20:15 >>John: The book of Job tells the story of a man who struggled 20:19 to come to grips with the, with the Sovereignty of God. 20:22 Now, Job was a man of prayer. 20:24 Yet, in spite of his prayers, he suffered and he struggled, 20:29 and he cried out to God and complained in his anguish. 20:33 It was as though Job was trying to get God's attention. 20:36 But ultimately God was wanting to get Job's attention. 20:42 In Job chapter 38, we read what I believe is one of the most, 20:45 one of the most potent passages of Scripture in the Bible. 20:48 God speaks to Job and He says in Job 38, 20:51 starting in verse 4, 20:53 Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? 20:57 Tell Me, if you have understanding. 21:00 Who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth..? 21:04 When I said, ‘This far you may come, 21:06 but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!'” 21:11 Have you entered the springs of the sea? 21:14 Or have you walked in search of the depths? 21:17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? 21:19 Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?" 21:23 God asks Job, “Have you entered the treasury of snow, 21:26 or have you seen the treasury of hail? 21:30 Who provides food for the raven...?” 21:33 That's all from Job chapter 38. 21:35 God was saying, 21:36 "Job, just how big are you anyway? 21:40 Can you send out lightnings, 21:42 that they may go, and say to you, 21:44 'Here we are?'" 21:47 What Job had to realize was this: 21:50 he was just a little man, and God is a transcendent, 21:55 God is a great, God is a perfect, 21:58 God is a mighty God. 22:01 Earlier in the book of Job, Job had said, 22:03 “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him...” 22:08 You know something? 22:09 God wants us to pray like we mean it. 22:12 One thing I know that every person needs 22:14 is the presence of God, 22:16 and God's presence is manifested most powerfully 22:19 in answer to our prayers. 22:20 God said this: 22:23 “If My people who are called by My name 22:25 shall humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, 22:27 and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, 22:32 and forgive their sin, 22:34 and I will heal their land.” 22:37 God promises to do great things in answer to our prayers. 22:41 But He doesn't promise to always do things 22:44 that make a lot of sense to us, at least at the time. 22:47 And in those moments we're called to trust. 22:50 That's prayer in the real world. 22:53 And we can trust the heart of God. 22:56 You know, it's my conviction that we're living 22:57 on the edge of eternity. 22:59 No, I'm not trying to set a date; 23:01 I simply believe that on God's time clock 23:04 there's not a lot of time left for Planet Earth. 23:07 And if you read the Bible, 23:09 the Bible indicates that there are some times ahead 23:11 for people of faith that will really try their faith. 23:16 What then? 23:17 God would have you and me possess a faith so real 23:21 that regardless of our experiences, 23:23 no matter what we're called to go through, 23:25 we can still trust Him. 23:28 The reality is this: 23:29 the Bible says we have a High Priest in Heaven, 23:33 His name is Jesus, He's interceding for us. 23:37 You know, Satan knows that, 23:38 and he wants to keep us from being connected to Jesus. 23:41 Jesus said that we are to come boldly to the throne of grace 23:45 so that we could obtain mercy, 23:46 and grace to help in time of need. 23:49 If we get mercy, 23:50 and if we get grace to help us in our time of need, 23:52 via the practice of prayer, 23:56 you can be sure Satan will do all he can 23:59 to keep you from praying. 24:02 Now keep in mind: 24:03 Prayer doesn't work any change in God; 24:08 prayer is to bring us into harmony with Him. 24:15 The greatest example of what I'm talking about 24:17 was given to us by Jesus Himself. 24:20 The spotless Lamb of God, 24:22 guilty of nothing except faithfulness 24:25 and love and mercy and kindness. 24:28 Well, now He finds Himself being propelled towards the cross 24:31 on which He would die. 24:33 As Jesus looked ahead to the cross 24:35 He did not deserve to die on, 24:37 He actually shrank back from that experience in His humanity. 24:42 He prayed to His Father, saying, 24:43 "Lord, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me.” 24:47 If we can avoid this, I'd be happy to do so. 24:50 I don't really want to die on a cross." 24:53 But then Jesus added those famous and wonderful words, 24:56 "Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine be done.” 25:00 I don't want this, but if it is Your will, 25:04 I'm all for it. 25:06 If You think this is the way to go, 25:08 I'll go trusting You" 25:11 That's real trust. 25:13 And you and I can trust God in just the same way. 25:16 That's prayer in the real world. 25:19 It doesn't always work out the way we wish, 25:22 but it does work out if we trust God and let God be God. 25:27 Let's pray together. 25:29 Our Father in Heaven, 25:31 we've had many experiences 25:32 where we have prayed for something great, 25:34 maybe for somebody to be healed, 25:36 and it didn't work out our way. 25:38 We prayed for experiences in our own lives 25:42 and we have ended up going through difficult experiences. 25:46 I pray that You will help us to trust You. 25:49 Remind us that prayer in the real world isn't all about us 25:53 taking a shopping list to You and having You fill that out. 25:57 It's about communication and wrestling and trusting, 26:00 and having faith. 26:02 Let us be people of prayer and people of faith 26:06 as we experience prayer in the real world, I pray, 26:10 in Jesus' name, 26:11 Amen. 26:14 ♪[Music]♪ 26:24 ♪[Music]♪ 26:34 >>John: Fasting. 26:35 It's a very biblical concept, 26:38 but it's also very misunderstood. 26:41 Jesus fasted, we know that, 26:42 but does He want people to fast today? 26:46 And what does God intend that fasting should be? 26:48 And, how can it benefit you? 26:51 I'd like to send you a book from our “Healing Insights” series 26:53 called, “Fasting and Prayer.” 26:56 This book is absolutely free. 26:58 Just call 800-253-3000, 27:02 and ask for “Fasting and Prayer.” 27:04 And we'll mail a free copy to your address in North America. 27:08 Or you can find us online at: iiwoffer.com. 27:14 Thank you for remembering that It Is Written exists 27:17 because of the kindness of people just like you. 27:19 To support this international life-changing ministry, 27:23 please call us now at 800-253-3000. 27:27 You can send your tax deductible gift 27:28 to the address on your screen, 27:30 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 27:34 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. 27:37 Our number again is 800-253-3000. 27:41 Or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 27:45 Thanks for joining me today. 27:46 I look forward to seeing you again next time. 27:49 Until then, remember: 27:50 "It is written, 27:51 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 27:53 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 27:58 ♪[Music]♪ |
Revised 2018-04-18