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My First Recorded Answer to Prayer Lost Contact |
 As a
teenager at age 15 I made a thrilling discovery. I listened to Elder Glen
Coon. He shared how when people pray, they can have answers. He told of a
method he used. He called it the ABC's of prayer. The ABC's were: Ask,
Believe, and Claim a Bible promise. He said to put your finger on the
promise and tell God you know He said those words and you ask Him to do it
for you. It was a simple way that all children remind their parents of a
promise. I was willing to try it. I wanted answers. I wanted to see God do
something for me. |
 My
parents were enjoying the stories of answers to prayer too. We were
reading all of Elder Coons books and listening to his cassette tapes. We
looked up each of his references. I noticed he spoke of two special kinds
of prayer where one commits the answers to God and receives the answers
based on a promise. We did not demand, we asked if it was according
to God's will and His best pleasure for us. One day when I was nearly 17
years old, I really needed an answer. I was playing volley ball in
our back yard with many other teenagers. Dad had set up the gathering and
we were really having fun until my hard plastic contact flipped from my
eye into the grass. It was impossible in the night to spot the expensive
little round piece hiding somewhere in the grass. We roped off the area
and expected to find it in daylight. |
  The
game ended. We went inside for refreshments. The kids all wanted to help
but it was too dark. One by one finally the young people left. Each one of
my family of one older brother and 3 younger siblings and my parents
claimed a promise and went to bed. We thought of Mathew 7:7 where it says,
"Seek and ye shall find". Others claimed Phil. 4:19 where it
says, "My God shall supply every need of yours". A sister
claimed the promise in James 1:5 where it says, "If any lack wisdom,
ask and it will be given". And finally the promise in John 14:14 was
claimed. "Ask and I will do it". |
| The next
morning we took combs out and searched through sections of grass. My sis
Julie was resting her eyes and turned to play with kitty. She suddenly
squealed as the sun glittered off a bright object. The contact had been
found. We gathered around that tiny thing and were so pleased God had
answered. We thanked him right there in the grass. The contact had not
been crushed by the many teenage feet in the game. It was God's first
direct response to my prayer and prayers of my family. It made a great big
impression on me. My God was alive!
|
 At
school, a friend lost her contact during break time. I was very
timid about sharing. Perhaps she might laugh if I told her my experience
with answered prayer. I wanted to help her but none of us could find it in
the dirt. Finally I told her the story of what God did to find mine.
Immediately I lowered my head expecting all would laugh. No one laughed.
The next thing I heard her say was, "Then lets all pray". We all
did and as our eyes opened, the contact was seen in the dirt. It was fun
to share how God works and not be laughed at. I decided to be quicker to
share the next time. I read my Bible every day and prayed at my bedside
morning and evening. I now had a realization that God was my friend too. I
meant something to HIM. Something wonderful had happened to me. I loved
getting answers to prayer. I began keeping a book of my answers to prayer.
I have kept these answers in journals ever since. Suddenly I realized what
my parents had tried to tell me. Prayer is like talking to a friend. He
hears and responds.
He will answer your prayer too, my friend. Simply tell Him what you need. Many do not have just because they do not ask. |
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Why some do not get answers to prayer: |
 Many
have asked me why I get answers and they do not. Maybe they just forget to
write it down and remember what God has done for them. On the other hand,
there are some things people do to block God's answers. The Bible tells us
some reasons people do not get answers.
1. Prayerless. Some just do not ask for anything. James 4:2 says some do not have because they do not ask. Some are afraid to ask for big things. If you bring Him a thimble, He will fill it. If you bring a 5 gallon bucket, He can fill that. He says He can open the windows of heaven and pour out so much, you won't have room for it, if your return your tithes and offerings. (Malachi 3:9-10) He can do abundantly more than you ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20) "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, ..." 2. Unconfessed Sin . The Bible says if I regard or hide sin in my heart God will not hear me. Isaiah 59:2. The wrong doings need to be confessed and made right. 3. Unresolved Personal Conflict. If there are things you have done to hurt others, these need to be made right and forgiven before you ask God for things. (Mathew 5:23 & 24) Husbands will have their prayers hindered if
they fail to live with and honor their wife.
(I Peter 3:7) "3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with [them] according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life;
that your prayers be not hindered. 4. Selfishness. You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts. James 4:3 Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts...Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up. (James 4:7,8) You draw near to God by prayer, thinking about God, and reading His Word. We also draw near by secret examination of our own hearts. Tell God where you see you are weak and ask for help.
6. Inadequate faith. James 1:6 says we are to ask in faith. If we do not have faith, we are like tossing waves of the sea that are driven by any wind that blows. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the WORD of God. We gain faith by remembering what God has done for us, and by reading in the Bible what He has done for others. As we share our experiences, it strengthens the faith of others. Romans 10:17 So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 7. Some people rob God by not
returning tithes and offerings and expect Him to give to them. Why
should He answer prayer while we are robbing Him? If a robber broke into
your home and took your things, would you feel like helping him if he
asked you to give him a ride to the bank with the money he stole from you?
People do this to God. Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 8. If you have gone through this list and none of these problems seem to fit and you still are not getting answers, ask God to help you search your heart. Maybe you missed the problem. Maybe you can't see what the problem is. God will gently help you see the block and remove it. You can pray like David did in Psalm 139: Search me! Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 9. When you remember to say thank you, it is more fun for God to give you more. "The Lord desires us to make mention of His goodness and tell of His power. He is honored by the expression of praise and thanksgiving." Christian Service p. 214 by Ellen White. "David declares, "I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live" (Ps. 116:1, 2). God's goodness in hearing and answering prayer places us under heavy obligation to express our thanksgiving for the favors bestowed upon us. We should praise God much more than we do. The blessings received in answer to prayer should be promptly acknowledged." {AG 325.4} Amazing Grace by Ellen White. One last special quotation on thanking God. My sharing of what God had done was extremely important for my growth in my friendship with God. I was a timid teenager but God wanted me to share. It had to be or I was not thankful.
To see another lost and found contact story click
here. |
To read the next story of answered prayer click here: Laryngitis
I
wrote and told Elder Glen Coon and he put the story in one of his
books so it was a blessing to others too. He is dead now, but He made a
difference in my life.
5.
Uncaring Attitude. Some people have
unanswered prayers because they do not care for others.
