What happens to all those fervent prayers God doesn't answer? Some church folks wink, insisting that God answers every prayer, but sometimes, the answer is No. However, platitudes like that are weak sauce because they ignore some of Scripture's clear teachings. In Mark 11:24, Jesus asserts, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." The Apostle John clarifies that to pray believing means to pray according to God's will. Then he adds, "And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him." (1 John 5:16)
Let's think more deeply about this. Some outcomes we know for certain are God's will. We know God desires to be glorified in the affairs of the world. We are confident God wants to send spiritual revival and vindicate the suffering. He promises to balance the scales of justice and make all things right. So what does it mean when you and I pray for big, visionary outcomes like those but nothing seems to happen?
Does that mean the promise wasn't true? Should you infer the answer was No because of sin in your life? How do we square God's promise with the reality each of us has occasionally experienced? You don't have to reach for another platitude or glib comeback. What if I told you that question is answered in Revelation?
The Incense of Heaven
In Revelation 16, John describes seven angels pouring out seven golden bowls of wrath upon the Earth. Terrible things begin to happen to people who bear the mark of the beast, persecute the saints, and dishonor the name of Jesus Christ. Spiritual rebellion is revealed to be a disaster and the Word of God is upheld. This all unfolds in the run-up to the return of Christ.
What's the secret of those sacred bowls? Revelation 15:7 shows how the angels receive them from the four living creatures. Those four living creatures are explained earlier in Revelation 5. They signify the glory of God emanating from the throne room of Jesus Christ whenever the saints in Heaven are caught up in worship there. That's where we see those mysterious bowls for the first time! John says, "They are filled with incense which is the prayers of the saints." (15:8) Like incense, prayers are a fragrance Christ enjoys having in his presence. God has held some of them in reserve for decades, even generations. One day at just the right moment, the Lord will hurl all those prayers for justice and glory back onto a world that has defied him and hated his people.
Treasures Stored Up in the Kingdom
This should encourage you and me to call upon the Lord tirelessly. That's because prayers are not empty words easily forgotten or carried away by the wind. Prayer is an act of worship, an offering to God. Like currency, it can either be spent or saved for later. Sometimes your prayers and mine are applied so quickly that we see the results in days or weeks. On other occasions, God holds onto them longer- not because we were wrong, but because the time is not right.
I'm always heartened when I recall an incident from the life of George Mueller. One day the famous British evangelist and philanthropist began praying for five unsaved men he'd known most of his life. His journals record that one came to faith after only a few months, and three others became believers over the coming decades, but the fifth remained an unbeliever for some fifty years. A few days after Mueller's death, that last stubborn friend finally confessed Christ at the great man's funeral! Without a doubt, Mueller had been praying and believing, and God answered Yes!
Our heavenly father doesn't say No to visionary prayers offered according to his will. But sometimes he does smile and say, "Great idea! Give me a minute..."
...............
Read Revelation before Jesus comes back. Many of the last recorded words of Christ are found there and nowhere else. You'll also gain insights and answers for your daily walk of faith. If reading Revelation sounds like a mountain you've never climbed, get Timothy Floyd's new book, The Epic Life: Revelation, Resistance, and Revival. It's available at all major booksellers, and can also be ordered at TimothyFloydAuthor.com.
Related Posts
