If I were to ask you, "Why does God answer prayer?" What would you say? Several years ago my answer would have been, "Because God loves me, He answers my prayers." While that may be true, I think there is a deeper purpose and a greater delight to God answering prayer.
Notice how Jesus taught us in John 14:13-14, "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." Some people would think the best part of that verse is "Whatever you ask...I will do it." I mean, that's like a spiritual blank check, right?
However, that's not at all the point of this verse! The point is to pray to the Glory of God! Ponder this thought for a moment - can you really say that the things you pray for are to the sole glory of God through His Son? Is there an attitude about your prayers that says, "You must increase, I must decrease?"
The aim of our prayers should be the glory of God! When I am finding myself more in love with God's glory than my own desires, it is then that I fulfill 1 Corinthians 10:31, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." It is then that God fulfills John 16:24, "Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." That's the blessing of answered prayer...God gets the glory, we share in the joy!
In this edition, I would like to introduce you to a hero of our faith, George Mueller. He was born September 27, 1805 adn died March 10, 1898. With that life span, no one would have believed that God would use him to house, feed, clothe, educate and train over 10,000 of England's orphans.
He began his orphanage with a two-fold purpose. First, to provide housing and education for the untold numbers of orphans in England and secondly, to show that God meets the needs of those who trust in Him. He announced to the church he was pastoring that he and his wife, Mary, would be opening an orphanage, they would not support himbecause they knew he lacked the funds...what they underestimated was that George was not lacking in prayer!
Here is a small glimpse of how he rested in the faithfulness of the Lord. One day, a little girl, who was not an orphan but her family was close to the Mueller's, was visiting the orphanage, named Abigail Townsend. On that particular morning, you could feel the anxiety because there was no food left in the orphanage. The large dining room tables were prepared for breakfast, yet the bowls sat empty. There wasn't any food to be found, and neither was there any money to buy food.
When it came time to eat, Mr. Mueller took Abigail by the hand and said, "Come, see what our Father in Heaven will do for us today." As the children gathered for breakfast, they stood behind their empty plates waiting for Mr. Mueller to say the prayer. "Dear Father," he prayed, "we thank you for what you are going to give us to eat today." Just then...his prayer was interrupted by a knock at the door. It was the local baker.
"Mr. Mueller," he said, "I couldn't sleep last night. Somehow I felt you didn't have bread for breakfast, the Lord wanted me to send you some. So I got up at 2:00 am and baked some fresh bread for you."
Overjoyed, George thanked the baker and glorified God! He told the children, "We not only have bread, but God has given us the rare treat of fresh bread!"
Almost immediately, there came a second knock at the door. This time, it was the local milkman! He explained that his cart had broken down right in front of the orphanage. He said, "I must empty my wagon before I can repair it. Could the children use my cans of fresh milk?"
Jesus told us in Matthew 6:26, "Look at the birds of the air...your heavenly Father feeds them." Think about that for a moment. If the richest man tried to feed every bird upon earth, it would bankrupt him in a day! Yet our Heavenly Father does it day in and day out! Then Jesus adds, "...Are you not of more value than they?"
"Therefore, do nto be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'...your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:31-33
