Participants: Pr. John Bradshaw
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW001218
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00:07 It has stood the test of time.
00:12 God's book. 00:14 The Bible. 00:17 Still relevant in today's complex world. 00:22 It Is Written. . . 00:25 sharing hope around the globe. 00:36 Hudson Taylor was a missionary to China in the 19th Century. 00:40 He spent 51 years there, and his medical missionary work 00:44 drew huge numbers of people to make decisions for Christ. 00:47 Hudson Taylor was a real man of faith, and he believed in 00:51 the power of prayer. 00:53 Now the story goes that there was a time when the boat in 00:56 which he was sailing became becalmed - 00:59 drifting because there was no wind to fill its sails. 01:03 As a result, the vessel drifted dangerously close to 01:06 an island inhabited by cannibals, who were apparently 01:10 waiting excitedly to have these sailors over for dinner. 01:14 The captain came to Taylor and asked him to pray for the 01:17 winds to come up. 01:19 Now, Missionary Taylor agreed to pray but only 01:22 if the captain raised the sails first. 01:26 The captain refused because he said he didn't want to make a 01:30 laughingstock of himself. 01:31 When the captain later repeated his request, 01:34 Taylor replied again, I'll not pray unless you 01:36 first put up the sails. 01:39 This time the captain agreed to do so, and Taylor went 01:41 to his room to pray. 01:43 It wasn't long and there was a knock at his door. 01:47 "Have you begun to pray?" 01:48 "Yes, I have", was the reply. 01:51 "Well would you please stop. 01:53 We've got more wind now that we can safely handle!" 01:57 [speaking as if he were yelling outloud). 01:59 Great story. 02:00 True story. 02:01 But let me ask a question: Does it always happen that way? 02:06 What happens when you pray, and it seems as though God 02:09 didn't answer your prayers? 02:12 Today, Prayer in the Real World. 02:16 What happens when you pray and it doesn't work out perfectly. 02:21 Now our story illustrates something very important: God 02:24 is in the business of doing great things in answer 02:26 to our prayers. 02:27 There is power in prayer. 02:30 The Bible encourages us to pray without ceasing. 02:34 Prayer has been described as being "the breath of the 02:37 soul." Through prayer we communicate with God. 02:41 There can't be a real relationship with God without 02:43 communication with God, and a person who communicates with 02:46 God in prayer opens himself or herself up to the blessing 02:51 of God's presence. 02:52 Prayer lifts a person up to God and opens us up to God's 02:57 mind and God's purposes. 03:01 In that famous passage in the Bible where Paul writes about 03:04 the armour of God, he writes that we should be "praying 03:07 always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, 03:11 and watching thereunto with all perseverance and 03:13 supplication for all saints." 03:16 Now, let's analyze this a little bit. 03:18 You will see that the Bible writer Paul urges us to pray 03:21 always; also, to bring our requests, our petitions to 03:27 God, and to persevere in prayer - to pray and pray 03:32 and not give up. 03:35 And Jesus taught us exactly the same thing. 03:38 I'm going to look at a passage in the gospel of Luke 18, 03:42 in Luke chapter 18. 03:43 We start off in verse 1. 03:44 Here's what Jesus did: 03:55 It is very evident that God wants to hear from us, 03:57 and he cares about what we think and feel. 04:00 And that line that says God wants us not only to pray, but 04:03 to persevere in prayer -- God is serious about that. 04:07 He wants us to pray and not to quit. 04:10 Now, that passage goes on to say this: Hang 04:14 in there with me. 04:16 We are going to read several verses together. 04:17 Still in Luke 18: 05:09 This passage suggests several things to us. 05:16 To begin with, it teaches us about the character of God, 05:19 not by example but by contrast. 05:22 Unlike the unjust judge, God is willing to come to 05:25 the aid of His people. 05:26 And He is willing to do so 'speedily', the Bible says. 05:29 God wants to bless us. 05:32 He wants us to thrive. 05:35 Now that's not to say God wants to make us all rich, or 05:38 that He wants to make us all architects or brain surgeons, 05:40 or school teachers or physicists or anything else. 05:43 It is to say that God wants to bless us - that is, to prosper 05:49 us, to encourage us, maybe to challenge us, or whatever us 05:53 in the way that God sees is best for us. 05:59 the Bible says. 06:02 We know that for sure. 06:03 God is willing to give us good gifts more readily than 06:04 earthly parents are willing to give good things to their 06:07 children, according to what it says in the Bible. 06:10 When you come to God in prayer, you can afford to 06:12 believe that God is wanting to give to you the very best 06:16 of blessings. 06:18 Now, think about what the Bible says to us about prayer. 06:22 Jesus said, 06:36 That's a bit like being given a blank cheque! 06:40 Now of course there are some conditions that apply to this. 06:42 David wrote that if we regard iniquity in our hearts the 06:45 Lord will not hear us. 06:47 And if we're serious about having our prayers answered, 06:50 we've got to hunger and thirst after righteousness - those 06:53 are the ones who will be filled. 06:55 God said that He would pour water upon dry ground. 06:58 And one of the most remarkable verses in the entire Bible 07:01 says this, 07:18 That is God saying, "If I've given you Jesus, then what 07:21 would I not give you?" 07:23 And all that is good. 07:25 It's great! 07:27 It's incredible. 07:29 It's indispensable. 07:31 But as we go back to our Bible story, we notice something. 07:36 This woman who was appealing to the judge finally wore him 07:41 down by her "continual coming." She's known as the 07:45 'importunate widow' - importunate means 07:48 "troublesomely urgent", or "persistent in request or 07:51 demand." Which indicates that this woman did not get what 07:55 she was seeking on the first go round. 07:58 She had to ask, and ask again. 08:00 And that sometimes raises questions in our minds. 08:04 Let's be honest here. 08:07 If we were doing a reality show about prayer, we'd 08:10 probably have a dozen people living in a big house sharing 08:12 their experiences about prayer and you know for sure there'd 08:16 be at least one person driving a new car and enjoying great 08:19 health, tons of money, just got a promotion at work, and 08:23 this person would be praising the Lord because God is 08:26 answering her or his prayers. 08:28 But then there would be someone else, who prayed 08:32 for their child to get well and their child died. 08:35 Even though they prayed and fasted and prayed and fasted. 08:41 [Music] [Soft crying] 09:02 There would be someone in that house, maybe a wife 09:04 who had been praying for the salvation of her husband, and 09:07 he never becomes a Christian. 09:09 A man prays for safe travel, winds up being cut out of his 09:13 car by the jaws of life and he can never walk normally again. 09:18 [Music] [sound of cane on table] 09:26 Most people can relate to that on some level - 09:28 because many people, maybe most people, have prayed for 09:32 sunshine and got rain instead. 09:34 And you wonder - did God hear my prayer? 09:40 In a moment, in a moment I am going to expose prayer 09:45 for what it REALLY is... 09:48 In Matthew 4:4 the Word of God says 10:00 Every Word is a one minute Bible-based daily devotional 10:02 presented by Pastor John Bradshaw and designed 10:05 especially for busy people like you. 10:07 Look for Every Word on selected networks or watch it 10:11 on-line everyday on our website itiswritten.com. 10:15 Receive a daily spiritual boost. 10:17 Watch Every Word. 10:18 You'll be glad you did. 10:20 here is a sample It isn't always a bad thing 10:32 when God doesn't answer your prayer. 10:34 In his autobiography, "My Dream" It Is Written founder, 10:38 George Vandeman, tells of a time when as a young man under 10:41 heavy conviction he cried out and said, "Holy Spirit, 10:44 leave me! 10:45 And don't ever come back!" 10:47 Thankfully, that prayer was never answered. 10:49 In fact, that prayer actually helped George recognize 10:51 his great need of God's grace, and it led him on the road 10:55 to repentance. 10:56 We make mistakes. 10:57 We say things we shouldn't. 10:59 We sometimes even insult God. 11:01 And you know what? 11:02 We don't need to think that closes the door 11:04 of mercy to us. 11:05 Psalms 103:14 says, 11:11 God knows what you're made of, and He loves you and puts up 11:14 with you and is patient with you anyway. 11:17 You can be glad about that today. 11:18 I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. 11:20 Let's live today by Every Word. 11:24 If you are a regular viewer of It is Written, there's a good 11:27 chance you are curious about who we are and what we do. 11:30 This ministry is dedicated to sharing the gospel 11:33 around the world. 11:35 There are many ways we try to accomplish that. 11:37 To get an inside view through written and visual reports, 11:40 photos and videos, visit our website: itiswritten.com and 11:45 while you are there, you will also discover the many 11:48 inspirational resources that are available to help you 11:50 in your Christian walk. 11:52 I invite you to visit itiswritten.com. 11:55 You'll be glad you did. 11:59 Today, we are looking at prayer in the real world. 12:02 You know, it's a wonder that people don't pray 12:05 more than they do. 12:06 I read where someone wrote that the darkness of the evil 12:09 one encloses those who neglect to pray. 12:12 I think that's right. 12:13 And prayer doesn't have to be drudgery: In prayer, you're 12:17 opening up your heart as to a friend, you're talking about 12:21 things that clearly interest you and things that are 12:23 important to you, and you're inviting the presence of God 12:26 more and more into your life. 12:28 And don't think for a moment that your prayers 12:30 have to be flowery, eloquent masterpieces. 12:32 They just don't need to be. 12:34 Prayer is about honest communication with God. 12:37 But if we're being honest .. 12:38 IF we're being honest, we'd have to admit that sometimes 12:42 God doesn't give us what we want when we pray. 12:45 And that's not only when we pray the 'selfish' prayers. 12:48 You pray for a million dollars and you don't get it, it isn't 12:51 always very hard to figure out why that might be. 12:53 You pray for fine weather for your daughter's wedding and it 12:55 rains, well, you know, that's just the way it goes sometimes. 13:00 But if I can go way deeper than that for a moment, 13:02 think about this. 13:04 You pray and pray for a pregnancy, and finally the 13:06 pregnancy test is positive - two red lines! 13:09 - and you look forward to this prayed-for baby, and the big 13:12 day arrives, and the child is born severely disabled. 13:18 That can be not only difficult, it can be 13:21 faith-shaking. 13:23 You pray for God's blessing on your day, and you find out two 13:26 hours later that the company you work for is downsizing, 13:29 and, 'Well, sorry, Joe, we appreciate all you've done for 13:32 us, but....' And now you're facing serious 13:35 financial difficulty. 13:37 So what happened to "Ask and you shall receive?" Now, here 13:40 is where prayer is exposed for what it really is. 13:43 You see kids in the department stores at Christmas time. 13:45 They sit on Santa's knee and they tell him what they 13:48 want for Christmas. 13:48 No, that's not what prayer is. 13:52 A child with his or her grandparent on a hot summers 13:54 day equals ice cream. 13:56 If a kid can't get ice cream out of Grandpa on a hot day, 13:59 Grandpa has to have a heart of granite. 14:03 But that's not what prayer is. 14:05 What prayer really is is this. 14:07 Prayer is an exercise in learning to trust in the 14:10 sovereignty of God. 14:12 Let me explain. 14:13 Question: Who knows best? 14:16 God does. 14:18 That's right. 14:19 Does God want for our lives what is best for us? 14:22 Oh yes He does. 14:24 Is it always easy to understand? 14:26 No, no it isn't. 14:28 A woman set out for work and a maniac driver runs her off the 14:31 road and she totals her car. 14:32 She gets into a squabble with insurance, her broken shoulder 14:36 never heals, it never works the same again . . . 14:39 [Actress: Yes, please! 14:40 Somebody needs to call me back on this claim. 14:42 I have not received any money and I am going to be losing my 14:44 apartment. . . 14:47 [ music] . . . Yes, thank you.] 14:49 She loses time off work and she loses money and 14:51 she finally has to move into another apartment because she 14:53 gets behind on the rent in the one she's in. . . Can you easily 14:55 call that "God's will?" 14:57 Not easily. 15:00 It's possible, but you wouldn't easily entertain the 15:04 idea that God thought it was a good idea for this woman's 15:07 life to become miserable. 15:09 Yet, is it possible that God can bring something beautiful 15:15 out of the brokenness of this woman's situation? 15:18 Sure it is. 15:19 Maybe not right away, but maybe sooner or later. 15:23 I heard about a man who worked in a Christian school, 15:26 but lost his job in shaky circumstances. 15:29 No income, no insurance, no explanation - just discarded 15:33 like he didn't even matter. 15:35 Was it God's will for him to be treated so badly and meet 15:39 with so much misfortune, in a place where he expected 15:42 to always be treated with dignity and respect? 15:46 You'd find it hard to say that God was wanting this man's 15:49 life to take a turn for the worse. 15:52 But is it possible that God could bring something good out 15:56 of this man's situation? 15:58 There's a Bible verse that suggests that this is so. 16:01 It's in Romans 8:28, 16:12 You know what? 16:13 I had a lady tell me one time that she believed the terrible 16:16 illness that claimed her mother's life were the best 16:20 thing that ever happened to her mother. 16:22 No, she wasn't bitter or ugly either. 16:24 She was meaning that in a kind, Christian way. 16:26 A young wife told me that her husband's VERY serious, 16:31 life-threatening illness was the best thing that ever 16:35 happened to their family. 16:36 The husband agreed. 16:39 Sometimes life doesn't make a whole lot of sense. 16:41 [Music . . .] An illness. 16:43 An injury. 16:43 A job loss. 16:44 A death. 16:46 And we pray that God will change things, and so very 16:48 often He doesn't. 16:52 You know what we're called upon to do in times like that? 16:54 We're called upon to trust God, to say, "I might not 17:00 understand this, but I'm willing to trust God anyway." 17:05 A dear friend, an elderly man, told me several times that his 17:08 grief was at times so overwhelming having lost his 17:12 wife and his only child, that he'd pull up a chair, he'd ask 17:16 Jesus to sit down in it, and then talk to Jesus and say 17:21 this, he'd say, "Do you not like me very much, to allow 17:26 these things to happen to me?" 17:28 That's honest, isn't it? 17:30 See, there's a struggle sometimes. 17:32 Think about Joseph. 17:34 Joseph was horribly treated. 17:36 He was sold by his brothers to be a slave in another country. 17:40 What else happened? 17:41 Falsely accused when he got there, thrown into prison, 17:43 forgotten in a prison cell. . . 17:46 but in all of that, what did Joseph do? 17:50 He trusted God and then . ..then it worked out okay for him. 17:55 [Music . . .] Now, what about the 17:58 martyrs of yesterday. 17:59 They trusted God . . .they still lost their lives. 18:04 Let me suggest something to you: Before we pray, it would 18:07 be good for us to understand something about who God is. 18:12 God is the Majesty of the universe. 18:16 He is the Sovereign of the heavens. 18:19 And even though we might sometimes have a hard time 18:21 understanding the vagaries of life, we can afford to trust 18:25 God no matter what our experiences bring us. 18:30 God has never given you a reason to doubt him 18:32 or mistrust Him. 18:34 What he asks is this: Trust me. 18:40 Remember, way back in the book of Genesis, the Word of God 18:42 says this: "Shall not the God of all the earth do right?" 18:46 And we ought to be able to say: "Yes, he will." Now, did 18:51 you ever hear the story of Job? 18:55 A good man - described by God as 'perfect' - a man who . . 19:00 yes, prayed. 19:03 Yet Job was a man who experienced real hardship. 19:07 Hardship didn't understand that for a long time, couldn't 19:10 make sense of it. 19:12 We'll make sense of Job's experience straight ahead. 19:16 [Music] Planning for your 19:19 financial future is a vital aspect of Christian 19:21 stewardship. 19:22 For this reason, It Is Written offers free planned giving and 19:25 estate services to our viewers. 19:27 For more information on how we can help you, please call 19:30 1.800.922.2219. 19:33 To receive additional material on the advantages of 19:36 life-income plans such as a Charitable Gift Annuity which 19:40 can provide you with tax benefits and income for life. 19:43 Call today or visit our planned giving website 19:47 www.hislegacy.com. 19:50 You may also write to It Is Written 19:53 Planned Giving and Trust Services, Box O, 19:56 Thousand Oaks, California 91359. 19:59 Our toll-free number again 1.800.922.2219 and the web 20:05 address hislegacy.com The book of Job 20:12 tells the story of a man who struggled to come to 20:15 grips with the Sovereignty of God. 20:18 Now Job was a man of prayer! 20:20 Yet, in spite of his prayers, he suffered and he struggled, 20:24 and cried out to God and complained in anguish. 20:28 It was as though Job was trying to get God's attention. 20:32 But ultimately God got Job's attention. 20:37 In Job 38 we read what I believe is one of the most 20:41 potent passages of Scripture in the Bible. 20:44 God speaks to Job and says in Job 38, starting in verse 4, 21:29 That's all from Job 38. 21:31 God was saying, "Job, just how big are you anyway?" 21:41 What Job had to realize was this: he was just 21:45 a little man, and God is transcendent, God is a great, 21:51 God is a perfect, God is a mighty God. 21:56 Earlier in the book of Job, Job had said, 22:01 You know something? 22:04 God wants us to pray like we mean it. 22:07 One thing I know that every person needs is the presence 22:10 of God, and God's presence is manifest most powerfully in 22:15 answer to our prayers. 22:16 God said this, 22:32 God promises to do great things in answer to our prayers. 22:36 But he doesn't promise to always do things that make 22:40 a lot of sense to us, at least at the time. 22:43 And in those moments we're called to trust. 22:46 That's prayer in the real world and we can trust the 22:49 heart of God. 22:50 You know, it's my conviction that we're living on the 22:53 edge of eternity. 22:54 No, I'm not setting a date, I simply believe that on God's 22:57 time clock there's not a lot of time left for Planet Earth. 23:01 And if you read the Bible, it indicates that there are some 23:05 times ahead for people of faith that will really try 23:08 their faith. 23:10 What then? 23:12 God would have you and me possess a faith so real, that 23:16 regardless of our experiences, no matter what we are called 23:20 to go through, we can still trust Him. 23:23 The reality is this: The Bible says we have a High Priest in 23:28 heaven - his name is Jesus - interceding for us. 23:31 You know, Satan knows that, and he wants to keep us from 23:35 being connected to Jesus. 23:37 Jesus said that we are to come boldly to the throne of grace 23:40 so that we could obtain mercy, and grace to help 23:43 in time of need. 23:44 If we get mercy, and if we get grace to help us in our time 23:46 of need, via the practice of prayer, you can be sure Satan 23:52 will do all he can to KEEP you from praying. 23:58 Now keep in mind: Prayer doesn't work any change in 24:03 God; prayer it is to bring us into harmony with Him. 24:10 The greatest example of what I'm talking about was given 24:15 to us by Jesus Himself. 24:17 The spotless Lamb of God, guilty of nothing except 24:20 faithfulness and love and mercy and kindness, well now 24:23 he finds Himself being propelled towards the cross on 24:27 which He would die. 24:29 As Jesus looked ahead to the cross He did not deserve to 24:32 die on, He actually shrank back from that experience 24:35 in His humanity. 24:37 He prayed to His Father saying, "Lord, if it is 24:40 possible, let this cup pass from me. 24:42 If we can avoid this, I'd be happy to do so. 24:45 I don't really want to die on a cross." But Jesus prayed, 24:50 "Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. 24:56 I don't want this, but if it is your will, I'm all for it. 25:01 If you think this is the way to go, I'll go trusting 25:04 You..." That's real trust. 25:06 And you can trust God in just the same way. 25:11 That's prayer in the real world. 25:14 It doesn't always work out the way we wish but it does work 25:17 out if we trust God and let God be God. 25:22 Let's pray together. 25:23 ÷Music . . .] Our Father in 25:26 heaven, we have had many experiences where we have 25:28 prayed for something great, maybe for somebody to be 25:31 healed and it didn't work out our way. 25:34 We prayed for experiences in our own lives and we have 25:37 ended up going through difficult experiences. 25:41 I pray that you will help us to trust you. 25:44 Remind us that prayer in the real world isn't all about us 25:47 taking a shopping list to you and having you fill that out. 25:51 It's about communication and wrestling and trusting, 25:54 and having faith. 25:57 Let us be people of prayer and people of faith as we 26:02 experience prayer in the real world, I pray, in Jesus' 26:06 name...Amen. 26:30 Perhaps our program today has touched your heart and 26:32 impressed you with a personal need for deeper Bible study. 26:35 If you desire to listen to God and follow where He leads, 26:39 we've got a wonderful resource that can help you do that 26:41 in a systemic way... 26:42 the Discover Bible Guides. 26:44 These study guides will take you through the essential 26:47 truths taught in Scripture. 26:49 They give you the big picture showing how it 26:51 all fits together. 26:52 The Discover Bible Guides are a wonderful way for you to 26:55 become grounded in the Word of God and to see how Jesus 26:58 Christ relates to all the areas of our lives. 27:01 Please call or write us and the Discover Bible Guides will 27:05 be on their way to you. 27:06 If you live in North America, we'll mail these Bible guides 27:09 free of charge. 27:11 Or for even easier and immediate access from anywhere 27:14 around the world, you can get these wonderful Bible lessons 27:16 on our website itiswritten.com. 27:19 [Music ..] Request the Discover Bible 27:23 Guides by calling our toll free number 27:24 1 800 253 3000. 27:28 Call right now and tell us the name of today's free offer, 27:31 the Discover Bible Guides. 27:33 You can also request today's offer by writing to 27:36 It Is Written, Box O, Thousand Oaks, 27:39 CA 91359. 27:42 Thank you for your letters and for your continued support. 27:44 Thanks for joining me today. 27:48 I look forward to seeing you next time. 27:50 Until then, remember... 27:51 It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone but by 27:57 every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. 28:00 [Music . . .] |
Revised 2015-02-06