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We are a small church plant in Denton, TX. Jesus gave a command: to love one another as he loves us. He goes on to say that "everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." We work to make care for each other, for our city, and for our world the utmost priority in our lives. Love is more than simply a feeling or even a philosophy for us, it is a lifestyle commitment that guides where we live, what we do, how we treat people, and ultimately who we are. This is our church. These are some of our recorded sermons if you'd like to listen.
This week is about sort of answers to prayers or or prayers that aren't aren't answered, aren't yet answered, questions you guys had all in that realm, in their space of answering or trying to discern answers to prayers, that sort of thing. These are tough questions, as you guys have already seen in the other sermons too. So one thing we wanted to do with this one is, like, these kinds of questions vary a lot based on just, like, experience with God, having followed him for any amount of time and different, you know, highs and lows we've had with him. So, you know, we don't we didn't wanna kind of try to convey that there's one answer to these some of these things, and they're all straightforward and easy and simple. I think something that can be really cool is hearing from multiple people who have thoughts on this, who've had experiences with this, And that through that through that kind of, collective experience following Jesus, we can gain some wisdom from our fellow believers here.
Joshua:So we have some brothers and sisters who've been willing to respond to these questions, and they're tough. So I would just say have grace for them. Like, you know, you guys wrote these questions. Some of you know exactly what you did to these people by asking some, but they're really good ones. They're really good questions.
Joshua:And so, we just we wanted to hear multiple perspectives on them. So here's some ground rules for you guys is, you know, you guys already planned some of your responses or whatever. If something that somebody else says sparks a thought for you, totally hop in and join in on that. We've got a little time with a room for that, and we don't wanna miss out on something that the spirit might be putting on your heart to say. And so feel free to do that.
Joshua:Other than that, the ones you guys have already planned on responding to, as long as time allows, we'll try to do all of those that you have, yeah, planned. And if we start running out of time, I'll move us on to the next question. And these are the kinds of things that are great to ask for more information and have a discussion about with any of these folks afterward if you have further questions. Of course, the nature of these things is we have just limited time. We can't get into everything, but we wanna do whatever we can.
Joshua:We wanna be as helpful as can to the questions you guys are asking about prayer. So without further ado, I'm just gonna I'm gonna pray real quick over this conversation, and then we'll get into it. Lord, thank you so much for just the chance to seek your heart and seek understanding about, getting answers, discerning answers, understanding when, you have you have already answered a prayer in a way, all these kinds of questions that really, really affect us in our just daily lives, our weekly lives through many different seasons as we, grow in prayer to you. And I just pray that you, would speak through our our our friends here, and help us to learn, just as much as we possibly can with the things that you really want us to learn today. I just pray that you'd open our hearts, and that's where you'd speak through our brothers and sisters here.
Joshua:And, yeah, just, give them the words that you want us to hear today and help our community grow in the in the ways you want us to in prayer. And help us to get closer and closer to you in, better and better understanding of Just this relationship you want with us in prayer. We ask all these things in the name of your son. Amen. Amen.
Joshua:1st, can you guys just introduce yourselves and let us know who You are. And I've we've set it up where we kind of are sharing mics between the 2. I'm gonna hold on to this one in case I need to, like, referee a little bit and be like, woah. Woah. Kurt, back up.
Joshua:You know? But you if you guys can kind of share my screen you 2, that'd be great.
Hannah:Hello? Oh, perfect. Hi, everyone. I'm Hannah. I graduated from UNT, almost a year ago, Last December, yes, call.
Hannah:And yeah. So I just kinda recently made the transition from college ministry to, you know, adult ministry. Yeah. And so just seeing the difference between Those 2 ministries and just how God has been consistent through that, but also seeing how he's kinda supported me, and that change has been really cool. And it's been really cool being at DNC and being supported through that transition.
Hannah:And so, yeah, I'm excited to be here talking about prayer.
Joshua:And Hannah very recently jumped in and started helping helped lead various parts of the Jesus and Me kids ministry stuff. So shout out to to that. Thanks for doing that, Hannah.
Kurt:My name is Kurt. I also work with the kiddos. I used to be the children's minister in Garland for a number of years. But, anyway, I am a retired school teacher. And but With all that said, did I say I was the shepherd one of the shepherds here?
Kurt:No. I am one of the shepherds here. Some of you don't see me a lot just because, like I said, I'm in jam 1 month, and I'm in here 1 month. So that's why if you've had who is that old guy up there that I've never seen before? That's who I am.
Kurt:Oh, thank you, brother.
Emiliee:My name's Emily. Josh's wife. I'm also a pediatric nurse practitioner. And just to give a little caveat, I will likely cry today. So if there's something I just can't I have no control over my emotions.
Emiliee:And so if you can't hear me or you can't understand me because of my crying, just to, like, be like, I need you to repeat that. But when I gave my sermon over the summer, I was only, like, 7 weeks pregnant, and I cried through that whole thing. And that was why. So just so now that you know, you know. I'm not normally a crier, But I am right now, so sorry about that.
Kurt:We'll cry with you. Okay. So go ahead.
Steven:I'm Steven. I work with the Denton focus Team as a campus minister right now, I will probably not cry up here. And I I I've prayed a few times in my life, so I I would say I'm qualified to be up here.
Kurt:You could count them out. I am happy that I will say I'm happy that Somebody else has paper notes up here besides me. I feel a little better. Thank you, Steven. I appreciate that.
Joshua:Before we jump in, I am a little bit shape challenged, and I wasn't really paying attention. Could you 2 kinda scoot your chairs back just a little bit so these guys over here don't see the sides of your heads? I was like, there we go. Is that better? Okay.
Joshua:Anything else from y'all's point of view that's annoying that you're gonna be bugged by the whole time and not be able to listen? Is that good? Okay. Sweet. Maybe.
Joshua:Okay. So this first question I thought there was something else I was gonna say, but I've lost it now, so we'll just move on. The first question is oh, I remember what I was gonna say. So some of these questions, actually, if you're not paying really close attention, they can sound sort of repetitive, But we wanted to actually keep all these in because if you pay attention, you'll notice they are asking slightly different things, different aspects about discerning answers about prayer and stuff like that. So please, yeah, notice that, you know, if you if they sound a little bit the same, just I think we're gonna have these up on the screen too so you can read them, and that they are asking about slightly different things from each other.
Joshua:Okay. This first one is, how do you trust that God is listening to your prayer especially when he doesn't answer right away?
Kurt:I'll take that one, I think. Yeah. How do you trust that God is listening to your prayers, especially when it doesn't answer right away? If you're a believer and, you believe In our great God, and you believe in scripture, I think you look at God's record Throughout history, he people start calling on him in Genesis 4 and all throughout history. He is just 1 right after another, he has, answered prayers, and some prayers have been yes, and some prayers have been no, and some prayers have been wait.
Kurt:And the the the second part of this question, especially when he doesn't answer right away, that's a hard one. That's a hard one from all of us. But you look also through the history once again, and you see where people waited on god for years sometimes, you know, a lot of their lifetime Waiting on for him to answer things and you know? But eventually, he did a lot of times, throughout history. So I think God's track record is impeccable, or his track record is impeccable.
Kurt:And so I think we can we can if we trust, trust God. If we believe God, who he is, if we believe in the scripture and what it says, I think you can look at that, and That helps us with, answering part of that. One of my favorite scriptures in the bible is Isaiah 4031. But those who wait for the lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles.
Kurt:They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. I've got a a little story. Some of you've heard the story, and and Leslie and I, if if you've heard it twice, you can just put up To you know, that's kind of how we help each other sometimes. We're like, okay.
Kurt:You've already told me. So if I if you've already heard this story, you can put up a tune, and that's cool. So, you know, when we first moved to Denton, I applied at the Denton Schools because I was teaching in Richardson, and, I applied to Denton, and nothing happened. And so I commuted to Richardson the 1st year. I applied again over the summer.
Kurt:Nothing still happened. I Commuted to Richardson a 2nd year and then a 3rd year. And eventually, I wound up retiring because I was I thought, well, it's I guess it's not God's plan for me to, teach up here, and eventually, I retired from teaching. Well, 6 years later, an opportunity. I worked for Brad part time, and I'm very thankful for that.
Kurt:That's one of my favorite jobs. And, but I also get to work in the schools now, and I work part time in the schools. And I look back, and now as hard as it was, and it wasn't very easy To do that commuting and all that, I realized that God said no for a reason and no for a season, and so that's what I had to Account that too. And so sometimes no may not mean now, and sometimes no is no. We can trust God even when it's the So we wanted or when he or when he doesn't answer right away, we just have to be patient with all that.
Joshua:That's good.
Emiliee:I think this question comes down to a quote by AW Tozer that I think I can't remember if Josh or if Grant mentioned this recently in their sermons, but, what comes into our minds when I think about God is the most important thing about us. And, I think that That in that case, what we think about God will also inform the way that we relate and understand how it responds and interacts with us. Do I believe that god is good? Do I believe that god cares about me and wants what's best for me? And if I believe those things, then I also must believe that god is listening And working on my behalf even in the midst of perceived silence.
Emiliee:And if you don't believe those things, maybe that's where you start, With grappling with what it is that you do believe about god, and then you can go to god's word with that and or grab a friend who can study it with you and help you see the truth or on truths about what you're believing about god. I think just getting to a place where you feel confident in god's character, which is kinda what Kurt was saying, and his goodness can help you feel more at peace about, waiting on the answers to your prayers or still trusting his goodness despite feeling like the prayer went unanswered or that something went the opposite of what you prayed for.
Hannah:As far as, like, You know, how do we trust that God is, like, listening to our prayer? I mean, I think we can just look through scripture and, you know, we see countless examples of people throughout the bible that are praying. And, I mean, we even see Jesus Teaching us how to pray in the bible. And, you know, in Matthew 6, he's preaching a sermon on the mount, and that's where he introduces the lord's prayer. And he explains, you know, how to pray, when to Pray, where to pray.
Hannah:And so you can just look at that example of Jesus praying. And so then if we look at our faith and say, Okay. We're following Jesus. You know? We're giving to the needy.
Hannah:We're taking care of our friends and family. You know? We're doing this, this, and that. It's like, okay. Why would you trust that Jesus is saying, like, we're doing this and that, but then, oh, with prayer, I don't know.
Hannah:Like, I just I don't know if I can trust Jesus on on this thing, but it with everything else, I do trust. And so it's like, well, that kinda seems like that's just the most simple thing. Like, that's kind of step 1 in that relationship with God and with Jesus. And so that's kinda just what I think about, like, the lord's prayer. That's really foundational, I think.
Hannah:And, like, for me, that was one thing that was really comforting when I, like, was first Just learning about just, yeah, church and my relationship with God and with Jesus. Like, it was funny. I was, like, telling my small group about this. I was like, yeah. When I Just learned to pray, like, my prayers.
Hannah:I didn't know how to pray, and so they were very structured. And I was just repeating, like, things that I had before, so I was like, okay. I'm just, like, praying the Lord's prayer, like, at home. I don't know. And so, yeah, like, I definitely think God heard that, but he hears just, Like my little prayers too.
Hannah:And so I think yeah. I definitely know that he comes alongside me in that. And yeah. So I think that's just comforting to know that that's what Jesus taught us From the beginning, for sure.
Joshua:That's really good. I think you can hear a little bit in both in all of through their answers. Just knowing God, knowing God's character, familiarizing ourself with What he says in scripture can be a really good help here in terms of practicals if you're looking for those. I also think just, like, some of the stuff that someone like Kurt kinda glosses over, that's actually a really big deal. Let's think about at the time.
Joshua:He commuted for 2 years, and then he was retired living here and doing other jobs for, like, what was it, 6 years after that. So that's 8 years waiting for a prayer to be answered, and it's answered. And God's good. Like, he did that. You know?
Joshua:And so I think a lot of times that is that seems like a long, long time, but it's cool that God made that work. And, you know, that's a kind of patience that a lot of us don't really have. We can ask God for that too. But don't gloss over that, like, You know? Kurt waited a long time for that, and he waited really patiently for that and really kept asking God for that.
Joshua:And God did did did answer that prayer. So, we're gonna move on to this next one. Does God answer every prayer, or do some prayers go unanswered? Does god answer every prayer, or do some prayers go unanswered?
Steven:Yeah. I'll start with this one. I Initially, I was a little bit confused at, like, yeah, what does unanswered mean? I I was wondering if the person was wondering, yeah, does god, Like, answer no to some prayers or is he or is a person wondering, does God sometimes not give any answer, like, forever and just, like, leave it, like, unanswered completely? I mean, if it's the first one, like, does God, you know, always answer every prayer with, like, yes or something?
Steven:I I think, you know, we definitely see a lot of examples of God answering no to many prayers and what like, what Kurt and, you know, a lot a lot of the rest were saying, like, it's sometimes The answer is not clear to us right away, and sometimes maybe the answer is just wait, and so there's no, like, definitive answer yet. But I I think Definitely, we see I mean, I think it was Josh who talked about Jesus in Gethsemane, and several other examples where People, like, prayed for things and God didn't seem to respond yes. Like, the example I was thinking about was Paul's thorn in the flesh in 2nd Corinthians 12. He says, you know, basically, he asks that, Sorry. I must have written down the wrong verse because I can't find it.
Steven:Yeah. He says, like, I was given a thorn in the flesh, A messenger of Satan to torment me, and 3 times I pleaded with the lord to take it away from me. But he said, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. And, basically, yeah, like, I mean, if There's anyone who we've seen consistently in scripture, like, connected with the Lord, having, you know, been able to do powerful things, having is answered. Like, Paul is, like, one of the greats, and he asks god 3 times to redo this thing for him, and god apparently says no every time.
Steven:And, I mean, I feel like that's definitely been true for me throughout my life that sometimes the things I pray for, God just decides not to give me, whether it's like, You know, physical healing from something, or even just like defeating sin struggles or, you know, asking God to show up in a friend's life or something like that. Those are all good things, but sometimes the answer is just no. But, I mean, we've talked about that already, and I think some of the other questions talk about that too. I was wondering, like, yeah. What about, like, no answer?
Steven:Does God ever, like, just declined to respond to a question? And, if that's if that's what the question was, I think, I don't I don't it was kinda hard to find scripture that, like, you know, clearly, like, talked about this specifically, but I do feel like, overall, I've noticed a a big pattern in my life is that I want god to, like, just tell me what to do in a lot. And, I feel it'd be easier if god just told me every day, like, how I could best follow him, and I feel like that it'd be so easy being a disciple at that point. But, I mean, obviously, that's probably not But, but I do think what god gives us a lot of freedom and choice to serve him how we choose to and how we want to, and, he's like, you know, basically, like, you know, the harvest is plentiful. There's, like, a whole field here, and I'm not gonna tell you exactly where, exactly how to To harvest and how to, serve me, and you have the freedom to do it in this way or that way, how you see fit.
Steven:As long as it is, like, in line with god's will. And, I think, yeah, for a long time, I've just, like, prayed that God would tell me, okay. If I am gonna work in ministry, like, what is that gonna look like? Where is that gonna be? Am I gonna go on mission somewhere?
Steven:Is that gonna be soon? Where like and I just, like, wanted a lot of answers for these things, and I just don't think God told me because I don't like, I think he wanted me to be able to choose for myself and just not, like, take the cop out route of, like, oh, like, I'll just wait for God to, you know, tell me exactly how to Do every step in my life. But, yeah, that's kind of my response for that.
Kurt:I do wanna say I'd just add with what Steven was saying there. But just because God says yes Doesn't always mean it's going to be easy either. I know that when we moved up here, we well, we helped start in Garland 25 years ago, And starting that new church, they were just birthing a new church is not easy. And then to do it again later in life, You know, it's like, okay. You know, we prayed about coming up here and all that, and feel like God gave us the answer to to move up here.
Kurt:But I just wanna say just because because God says yes doesn't mean it's gonna be easy, that everything's gonna be great and all that. He just may say he may say yes to what you're what you're praying for, but there still may be some things that you're gonna have to go through to to get get there. So just wanted to add to that.
Joshua:That's good. Yeah. I think, what's interesting about this idea too is just talking thinking about patience and waiting. These are, like, some of the most classic, most dear sort of Christian traditions. Patience and waiting all the way even through just to the the early Israel in, we've already heard some examples of that too.
Joshua:But just like waiting for God to move, waiting for God to act, to bring them out of slavery, to bring them to the promised land, to, bring a kingdom, to bring a messiah, these things that that God promises and delivers on. But, You know, a big part of our tradition through the line of people that we are descended from that follow God is this, this idea of trust, this idea of waiting, this idea of being patient. And, it is, like, sort of one of the core kind of parts of being a Christian, and, we get to join in with that. We get to join in with people who who waited for longer than we have for things in the Bible, and who have longed for Jesus' return before we were ever born. We get to join in with that and have this camaraderie with believers all over the world and who've come way before us in waiting.
Joshua:I just wanted to add that into there before we move on to the next question. But, this third one is, how can you tell when a prayer is answered, especially those that don't yield fast results? How can you tell when a prayer is answered, especially those that don't yield fast results?
Hannah:Yeah. I this is on. Okay. Yeah. I have a few thoughts, mainly on the quicker side of things because, yeah, like that patience in waiting.
Hannah:I mean, yeah, that's a hard complex topic that Christians have been faced with for, you know, an eternity really. But, yeah, as far as things that are more immediate, I mean, Really, that immediate reaction that you may feel sometimes and that I have felt, yeah, is that just that sense of peace or, like, tangible I mean, you will feel that sometimes and you understand, okay. That was an answered prayer. And a lot of the time that is like, yeah, kind of that, physical healing or yeah. Like, where am I gonna be sent on mission or where you know, who do I need to talk to?
Hannah:A lot of the times you might receive an answer to that. But a lot of the time too, I think this is where community comes into play. And so, yeah, I think it's just important to be in touch with, You know, the people at church or your partner, your roommates, people in your small group, you know, whoever it may be that's kind of in your circle To be involving them in your prayers and say, hey. Like, I think I heard this from God. Like, are you seeing this in my life too?
Hannah:Like, do you think this is kinda Making sense. You know? Do you think this was coming from God? And they might tell you no. They might be like, oh, actually, I kinda think you made that up, or I kinda think, You know, maybe that wasn't super aligned with how I know god to be.
Hannah:And, you know, you can get multiple opinions and you can bring those back to god, but I definitely think it's helpful to involve the community for sure and as well just paying close attention to, like, sermons and teachings and things that You're hearing, in the church community as well. I think that can be super helpful, to just compare those to what you think the answers you're hearing from God Are, as well. And then, yeah, just to bring us back to like, in the first question we were talking about, getting to know God's character. I mean, yeah, I think that's important Just in the whole process of getting to know God, but for sure, I mean, like, any, answers that you feel like you're receiving to prayer, I just think you need to compare those and think, You know, is this something that God's done in the past? Is this similar to his character?
Hannah:Like, would he do something similar, to this again? Or You know? And I'm not saying that God can't change things because he, you know, radically changes things all the time. But generally, his character Stays pretty much the same throughout eternity. And so, yeah, I think definitely it's important to, yeah, involve your community and keep Keep some different sources, you know, because a lot of the time we can kind of get in our head and just think, oh, god is very much like one way.
Hannah:And I think a lot of the time that's where Satan can creep in and be like, oh, god is that way. Like, he totally is gonna answer this way, like, all the time, and then that's where you kind of isolate yourself. And so definitely, involving the community can be really helpful.
Steven:Yeah. I I was thinking about this. Yeah. Like, how can you tell when a prayer is answered, like, if you don't see right away, like, what God is doing about that prayer. I like what Hannah's saying about like, yeah.
Steven:I feel like the more you get to know God's character, the more you can kinda see, Like yeah. Like, is this something that God is going to promise or has he already promised? Because, yeah, I mean, what we're talking about the first question with trust. Right? Like, we know what The the thing that we do know consistently with scripture is that if God promises that he will deliver, and it may take a long time.
Steven:I mean, We're there's, like, so many examples of that. In the old testament, like, most of the prayers answered are ones that took years, if not, like, a whole life. Like, Abraham didn't have his son until It was like a 100 and most of the other prayers we see or promises God gives, like, didn't even happen in the generation of the people that it was promised to. Right. It was, like, 100 of years later, and, and so yeah.
Steven:When it comes to, like yeah. Like, especially those that don't yield fast results, I feel like part of that is just, like, Learning to listen for god's voice and seem like is he promising this or, yeah, like, Adam, maybe he's staying silent as as of yet or maybe he says no. But, Yeah. I think, like, the more that you talk with God and more to, I've spent time with them that what I've seen is, like, people who are, like, really close to god do get the sense like, okay. I do feel like god is saying yes, but it's just gonna be a while or, or maybe no.
Steven:And yeah. I mean, I feel like I've I've had that a lot where I've prayed prayers that I don't know if they, like, were answered in the time, and I think maybe sometimes, like, it's okay to not know if God Yeah. Like, has given me the answer yet. I remember praying When I was a freshman, like, I heard of pizza theology with focus about, the Sermon on the Mounts, and I was just really convicted about My hearts and how basically, like, ugly and terrible it was and that the speaker was like, yeah, like, you know, pray to God, like, every day on your knees, like, that he will change your heart if if, like and and he will do it. And because, like he says, at the end of all that, it's like, ask and you will receive, seek, And you'll find kind of stuff.
Steven:And, like, I I remember praying that, like, earnestly for a few days, and then just, like, you know, I'm just shrugging off, forgetting about it, and not realizing Until years down the line, like, oh, yeah. Like, all this stuff that's been happening over years, I think that was god answering that prayer. But I didn't know it was being answered, and I didn't even know that God had responded when I prayed that. Similarly, recently, like, I out of a certain time, you know, years ago, I prayed that God would help me, like, see connection the old testament and new testament, because that was something that was, like, really cool. Like, anytime someone would point out, like, oh, yeah.
Steven:Like, if you were a 1st century Jew in this time And Jesus said this, you would immediately think this. And I was like, oh, I didn't think that. I wanna, like, and I didn't really, like, think about that much and do anything with that, but I remember, like, just recently this year, I was, like, noticing a lot more of that happening and, like, remembering that Prayers like, oh, like, I think God was answering his prayer, like, over time, and I like, I don't know. Like, I I think it's okay sometimes that we Don't know that he has answered it or is, you know, in process of answering it. And I think something helpful for us is just to remember that, like, even If he doesn't, yeah.
Steven:Even if he doesn't like that, that doesn't doesn't tell us that he will answer or that he has that. We, you know, just keep Carrying on and just remember that, like, whether he has said yes or no, that's, that is all good. You know? And, Yeah. Like, we can trust that he will deliver on his promises when he in his own timing.
Steven:But, yeah.
Emiliee:Time. Time. I just got kind of just like a little anecdotal story, but I think, one of the most obvious examples for me of answered prayer was how, I ended up in Texas, but I'm originally from Indianapolis and had never been to Texas. And I know other connections with Texas, except for Then my freshman year of college, I went to a random school in Kentucky and met a girl who ended up being one of my best friends. And after that year, I transferred out and went back to school in Indiana.
Emiliee:And, after that, we would kind of joke about being neighbors after we graduated. But she graduated a year before I did because of the transfer, and then she and her husband ended up moving out to Abilene. She came to visit me before, they had this or before they moved, when they had decided on my move And was crying, telling me that our dream of being neighbors was unlikely now that she was moving to Texas. And I kinda jokingly was like, oh, it's no big deal. I I can move to Texas.
Emiliee:No big deal. And, not really ever with any intention that I actually would. But then flash forward a year, and I was coming up on graduation, and I was looking for a job And just really felt like I didn't have anything tying me down, and I just wanted to be open to where God wanted me. And I'm not exactly sure, like, how Theologically sound, this prayer is, but I just prayed that God would just open and close doors where he wanted me and make it really obvious for me. And so I remember talking to her on the phone, and she was kinda like, well, were you being serious when you said you could move to Texas?
Emiliee:And I'm like, well, I'll apply and see what happens. And and I'd already been applying at a bunch of different hospitals in Indian in Indianapolis where I'm from and hadn't heard anything back. I did have an internship where I Probably had a job, but I just didn't really have great peace about staying there. And so, I applied for at this random hospital in never been to Texas. Didn't have any idea about what Abilene was gonna be like or anything.
Emiliee:But that same week, they called me for a phone interview. I got offered a job that same week. They offered me a sign on bonus, a moving stipend. Also, that same week, my friend and her husband lived in a duplex, on the other half were 2 girls that they went to church with, and 1 of them got engaged that week and was gonna be moving out in May and when I right when I would be graduating and needing to move down. So it was just, like, literally this laundry list of things that kept happening and kept falling into place that I was like, how could this not be God telling me, like, yes.
Emiliee:This is where you're supposed to go. And this was my prayer was that just open and close doors where you want me. And so I, decided to move forward with it. And, as I was preparing to move, I was talking with friends about it and telling them kind of Story. Because everyone's like, wait.
Emiliee:What? Is that going to Texas, and where why are you going out there? And I'm like, I don't really know, but we'll see. And, And one of my friend's husbands was like, you know, you should write down this list that of all these things that You feel like God has put into place for you to be there because there'll probably be a time when you get there that you'll think. You'll start to doubt whether this is where you're supposed to be.
Emiliee:And, it was a good thing that I did because, I hated it. I I moved I moved out there, and and and It was a really rough season for me. I I loved living next to my friend and her husband, and I actually did end up liking the that I got, but just living in Alwynn was really hard just moving there right after college and not having, any other friends or community that were there. But, so I would frequently reference that list and be like, okay. I think, like, there's there were so many things that you put in place, god, for be here.
Emiliee:I feel really I'm just gonna trust that this is where you want me to be. And, I was there had been there for 2 years at this point, I think, and still was just It's like, what am I doing here? And really just struggling, but, I had a lot of people that were encouraging Me, actually, especially back home, my friends and my family, like, why don't you just poo back? Like, it doesn't make sense for you to stay here and hate it. And, and I just kept thinking, like, I but I really feel like this is where God's called me, and this is where he's opened this door.
Emiliee:And I I don't know why, but I just feel like I need to be here. And, I was I'll just go back and reference that list of all of those things because I just felt like it was so undeniable that God had opened those doors for me. And so, so let me kind of find my place here. So, Yeah. It's hard to say completely objectively, like, why I'm here, but I honestly do believe that, My faith has grown in a way that it likely wouldn't have had I stayed in my community that I was in.
Emiliee:I know, like, some people are like, well, that's where you know, that's your Connection to Josh and how you guys got married. And I'm like, I don't think that God brought me that way to Texas to marry Josh, but I am thankful that it worked out that way and I am married to Josh, but I think that, you know, I could have moved back to Indian. I could have married someone else, and I could have been living a totally different life. But God could have used that also, but But I really feel like that I'm in a place in my faith that I wouldn't be had I had I not moved. And That obviously to god is more important than, any other relationship.
Emiliee:And so, I'm talking a lot. I had a little bit more I was gonna say, but let me see. So, yeah, kind of going back to what Hannah was mentioning, I think, it's super important to involve community in that. So, if you're praying about something specific and you feel like you got an obvious answer to prayer, I would recommend talking with your friends and fellow believers Our mentors are making sure that it does align with god god's character because I know a lot of people pray about things, and feel like they've heard God's voice, and but don't discuss it with anyone and move forward, and they were just doing what they wanted to do. So It's important to talk it over with people that you trust and are actually trying to follow Jesus.
Emiliee:But if you feel like you got an answer that aligns with who he is, I would recommend writing it down for reference because it's easy to go back And and doubt if you really heard from him. And then if you don't feel like you got an answer, maybe try talking about it with your friends who are believers and see if they can help you see where god Has answered your prayer or pray with you while you're still waiting. And then, going back to what I mentioned earlier in evaluating how you think about God and Trusting that he's still good whether you feel like the prayer is unanswered or maybe answering or maybe it was answered in a way that you weren't wanting or expecting.
Joshua:That's good. There's a lot of practicals mixed in with all of those answers, so don't miss those, please. There's a lot of things that might be kinda hard to take notes about or whatever. There's a lot happening, but don't miss the chance to take notes on those practicals, writing down things that you do feel like god has told you or has done for you to remember later. We see how the Israelites quickly would forget these things.
Joshua:We're the same way. We can forget what God has done for us. So, don't miss those kinds of practical things you can do that really do help in your relationship with God and your prayer life. How are we doing, guys? Good?
Joshua:Anyone need a anyone need anyone need to stretch a little? Judges, who's winning, by the way, so far? Just Oh, so because still tabulating? Okay. Alright.
Joshua:We're gonna move on to question number 4. We're getting close, so keep your attention spans close, ring out the drops that are left. How do I reconcile myself when god says no to something I have prayed for? How do I reconcile myself when god says no to something I've prayed for? How do I reconcile?
Kurt:How do I reconcile myself when God says no to think I'll pray for him? No. I think, Grant shared this couple a few weeks ago just about Jesus in the garden and just Asking God to let this cup pass for me. He knew you know, I don't know how much foreknowledge Jesus knew with everything he was gonna have to do and all That and just how bad that was going to be, but, but he, you know, he was asking, you know, hey, god. If there's another way, let it be.
Kurt:But, apparent apparently, there wasn't another way. So the god basically had to tell him no. You know? Hey. We've gotta do it this way.
Kurt:And so When God tells us no, you know, something I prayed for, when I was in, I just finished undergrad school, and I was wanting to go to OU to be a GA for the Football team there because I'd I was hope that was my goal at the time to coach college football, and there's nothing I mean, everybody Every or a lot of careers in our life, you know, we just have to find balance, As we're serving God, but I just didn't really feel like I could as much as I wanted to do that, and I had a friend that was doing that, and my Cousin was the trainer on the team. I was that's what I wanted to do, but I really felt like God directing me somewhere else. And As much as diss as disappointment in that, I wound up going to grad school somewhere else and being a GA there for their department, and I met my wonderful wife there. Well, not at that school, but at church there in that town I was in, so It all worked out. You know?
Kurt:Could god have done something else? Yes. But I'm glad he did it this way. I I don't know that we would be having this conversation today If if I had taken the path that I really wanted to take at the time, but I just look back and see, god said no there, but he opened another door. And, 40 years later, the the the story has changed for, my betterment, my wife, And, my family, so I am thankful for that.
Kurt:Isaiah 5589. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways declares the lord. See, I get to cry first, MC. You know? For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my way is higher than your ways and my thoughts, your thoughts.
Hannah:Yeah. I might cry too. I don't know. But, yeah, this just kinda reminds me, in the past, Like, year or so, I've been dealing with a lot of, just like personal illness and just, Yeah. Just being sick time and time again, like, probably 3 out of 4, weeks every month for, like, a year.
Hannah:And, Yeah. Just having to work through, like, kinda what's causing it and, you know, what the next steps are. Am I going to doctors? Like, what's you know, what do I do? And so I've been praying time and time again.
Hannah:I'm like, you know, god, what do I do? Like, what doctors do I see? Like, when are you gonna heal Be like, this isn't that, and God you know, it's that patience thing again. It's the waiting thing again. And so I don't know if it's exactly Like, is it a is the response a wait?
Hannah:Is it a no? You know, it's just kind of like a I really have to be patient. And so, yeah, it's been really emotional for me to just, Yeah. Like, not experience that, like, radical healing that I, like, expect to experience. But, But, yeah, it kinda reminds me of, that second Corinthians 12, where Paul is talking about the thorn in his flesh, and And I'll kinda read some of it again.
Hannah:But it says,
Emiliee:I was given a thorn
Hannah:in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me. Three times, I pleaded with the lord to take Get away from me. But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me. And so, yeah, this, like, these conditions that I've been experiencing, just kinda reminded me of this passage, and sort of just the notion of, like, spiritual Strength and well-being versus, yeah, like physical or emotional and all of the more worldly aspects that we might be praying for, which makes sense because we are humans and those are the realms that we, you know, are in and we experience more often, but, I was reading this commentary that I reference sometimes.
Hannah:It's called Bible riff, if anyone's heard of it. But they're talking about in 2nd Corinthians 12, specifically verse 7 where it's talking about the thorn in the flesh, and just some lessons about this verse. And it The 3rd lesson, it says, 3rd, spiritual strength is no guarantee of health, wealth, or prosperity as Paul's reference to his own prayer makes clear. And so I think Yeah. This just reminds me of, my relationship with God and the promise that I have, as a believer and just, A child of God, that I do have a promise, of life with God and eternity with God.
Hannah:And so that doesn't always mean that, I am going to be healed instantly or that my life is going to be perfect on earth, but there is, you know, peace on the other side. And so, I mean, that just brings me a lot of peace despite, you know, what I am feeling right now. And so, yeah, it's just been, like, a hard year, a hard time for me. But, Yeah. Things like this just bring me peace and comfort in a time where, you know, the world would be telling like, no.
Hannah:You need to keep, like, fighting for answers. Like, why are you just sitting around and waiting? Like, you need to keep going, going, But I'm like, you know, actually, maybe it's okay to just kind of sit in that, you know, unknowing for some of the time and maybe just I am just gonna have to wait on the Lord to heal me from a lot of the things. And, you know, there are sort of practical things that I can do, but a lot of it is just having to trust in the Lord and Know that his timing is better than anything that, you know, I can kinda predict. So
Joshua:yeah. That's really good. I hope as our friends are sharing some stuff that you can you can kinda relate to some of this. Maybe it's been different in your life, but a hard season you've had, a hard decision you've had to make, times you've had to wait, and just ways that you can adapt this to yourself. You know?
Joshua:It's very different for each of us, the things that we encounter. But I hope that you can you can adapt it for your situation. Kurt, was that the question you wanted to sing a song on? I was
Kurt:No. I'm gonna do that.
Joshua:Okay. Cool. Alright. Cool. I had a note to make sure Kurt gets to sing the song that just kidding.
Joshua:Leslie doesn't want him to, but I want him to. So here's our our final question. How does prayer help heal people today? Can we, disciples, have a healing power of prayer, and why does God sometimes answer prayers with no when people are sick?
Steven:Well, how does prayer help you? I mean, I think Prayer, like, basically puts us in connection with the God who can do anything. Right? And I I think we do see Prayer, resulting in healing often, like, I mean, not just in scriptures, but in our world today. Right?
Steven:Like, I think, Yeah. Maybe, like, we don't see as much, like, in in our day to day lives here, but, I mean, if you, Yeah. I don't know. If you if you look at, I guess, the greater, like, global church, like, history, like, the world, I mean, Prayer does, like, do do a lot of miraculous things in other places. Like, we believe that the spirit is alive and active today just as it was Or he was in, in the early church, and I've just I mean, I've heard so many stories of crazy healings and crazy miracles All around the world.
Steven:And I've even I mean, that stuff even happens here as well. I've had the personal blessing of Getting to witness someone being healed, like, right in front of me. It was, like, at a service with, with my church in Austin. And, I mean, there I I think the speaker was a guest speaker who focused on, yeah, just, like, gifts of the spirit and, Like, there was a one segment where we were just practicing like, oh, like, let's practice praying for healing. And, this this guy who was part of the college ministry, I was, like, In high school, then, he his feet was, like, I don't know.
Steven:It was, like, aching or hurting from something, like, really, Just like I don't know. Like, what it was, like, he was like, oh, I can, like, barely stand right now. And, you know, we just prayed together, and he he Just instantly was healed, and I don't know what, like, what happened, but he was like he stood up and he, like, ran up to them. I was like I was like, guys, like, I I got like, Jesus healed me right now. And, it's like yeah.
Steven:Like, how does prayer help that? I mean, I think it just, like, puts us in connection with God and lets us, like, ask Of him, yeah. Just like things that, you know, only he can do. And I don't you know, in In that instance, it's like neither of me nor I mean, I was just some kid, and then, you know, he is just like color shooting. Like, neither of us, like, were the ones doing the healing there.
Steven:Right? But it was It's God, and so prayer keeps that in the, you know, the forefront of our minds that it's God who's doing that. But, yeah, I mean, can we, as disciples, have a healing power? Like, yeah. But it's in Jesus' name.
Steven:Right? Like, when we see that happen in in Acts in scripture, like Peter and John and them always say, like, in the name of Jesus Christ. Right? Like, get up and walk, things like that. But, yeah, the but why does god sometimes answer prayers with no?
Steven:I mean, I think, Hannah did a great job answering that with the previous question as well. But, yeah, I think, ultimately, it comes down to the fact that I don't think Jesus, like, is here to heal everyone of physical ailments in this life. Right. If that's what he if that's what his big goal is in the world, I think that would happen, you know, and he probably would have spent way more time healing, when he was on earth. But I think, you know, he's here for a bigger picture, and, you know, some of what their responses were for the previous question kinda hint you know, Ties this in well too.
Steven:It's just like, I think God is doing something bigger, and sometimes saying no to that healing is, You know, part of a greater plan that is gonna be a bigger blessing either for us now or, you know, later. Like, with Paul and his thorn, Martin, like, I think it would've been great for Paul to be healed, but think of how like, what a great example and picture we got from him to be able to, You know, still proclaim God's strength and his weakness. Yeah. It's just like sometimes he's doing something else that we just aren't aware of. I mean, whenever, mark 1 starts out with a bunch of healing stuff.
Steven:Right? And, this is mark 132 to 39. I'm not gonna read the whole thing, but, basically, yeah, I mean, he healed some people. He chassed out some demons, and everyone Started bringing people to him to be healed, and he was doing it all night. And then he later the next day in the morning, he goes to pray.
Steven:And when he comes back, he tells his disciples, like, okay. Let's go somewhere else, so I can preach there also because that is why I've Come. And then so he left, and basically, like, everyone's like, oh, where's Jesus? Like, we want him to come heal up. And he's like, no.
Steven:I'm just gonna go somewhere else because apparently because I'm guessing because because, like, I'm not here to just heal a bunch of people, but I'm here to preach. And if, And for some people, like, the healings and the miracles is, like, the way to, you know, to what Jesus wants in their life, but, But maybe maybe God is looking for something else, that will lead you to, you know, to be closer to God. And so, yeah, I I feel like I the answer I I don't really know why Jesus says no sometimes and sometimes yes, but, I think it also is helpful for us to, You know, be humble with that and, like, what Kurt was saying, you know, like, his his ways are higher than ours. Like, him saying no may not be, Like, it may it may not be as simple as like, oh, god doesn't love me or doesn't care about me as much as that person. You know?
Steven:I I think he's doing something Figure that maybe we just don't get to see yet. You know?
Emiliee:I do not know how to answer this question shortly, so I'm sorry. This is kind of a long winded response. But, yeah, it's just a super hard question because I think there's just a lot of emotion attached to it. I think a ton of us in here have experienced very up close and personal loss, such as a parent, a spouse, a child, an unborn child, or a friend. Some taken super suddenly where you didn't even get the chance or opportunity to pray for their on their behalf for healing and some where you spent months or years Praying only for them just to come to their illness.
Emiliee:Maybe you yourself are the ones struggling with an illness and praying for healing. I think from what I can see in the Bible, the short answer to do we have the healing power of prayer, like Steven was saying, is yes. I think scripture hasn't given us any reason to think that the ability to heal stopped with the disciples, but I also know it's hard to reconcile that with the loss that so many of us have experienced despite praying for healing. Yeah. I think, many of us Here probably have heard a story or have someone you know, like what Steven was saying, that underwent some sort of miraculous healing.
Emiliee:I'm not sure if any of you guys Reading the book by Tyler Satan, that were is kind of going along with what we're talking about in small groups, but praying like monks and living like fools. He has a whole chapter that's kind of dedicated to this. And he talks about his brother-in-law who thought he was having heartburn and turned out it was actually a torn aorta and Ended up going in for, like, emergency he went under emergency surgery, lasted hours. It was already, like, a grim situation before he went into Surgery, and then, the surgeon just could not find the bleed and had been looking for hours and hours and basically Cleared him dead on the table, but then there was a nursing student that was in there, and she's started praying for healing for him. And then Suddenly after, like, 5 hours, the surgeon found the location of the bleed and was able to stop it and save him, and he's doing fine now.
Emiliee:And so, Tyler talks about, there's this tension that's there. Like, that's great that you saved your your brother-in-law at stage, or what about Me or what about my family member? What about, you know, whoever else that died or is still sick and suffering even though they had, or have had tons of people praying for them. And, again, it's super hard. I don't really have an answer for that, but I think it's just obvious that, from scripture scripture, Jesus teaches us that, we are given that authority Through him to heal and that he still wants us to participate in asking and interceding on those people's House.
Emiliee:Just from that chapter, I just grabbed these scriptures, but where it just says ask and it'll be given to you, seeking, you'll find, knock on the door will be open to you. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe it, that you have received it, and it'll be yours. And whatever you ask in my name, so the Father, may be glorified in the son. You may ask for anything in my name, and I will do it. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, whatever you wish, ask whatever you wish, and it'll be done for you.
Emiliee:If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. But then what does that look like when the prayers don't get answered the way that we want them So, there's this other author and speaker that I really like named Beth Guggenberger. She wrote a book called Relentless Hope, extracting the precious from the worthless, which she gets from the, Jeremiah 15, 15 through 21. It's in the New American Standard Bible where they use this language, but it's basically Jeremiah calling out to God and his suffering and God's response, which says, you sorry. You who know, oh lord, remember me and take notice of me, and take vengeance from me and my Peters, do not, in view of your patience, take me away.
Emiliee:Know that for your sake, I enter a reproach. Your words are found, and I ate them. Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart. For I have been called by your name, oh lord god of hosts. I did not sit the circle of merrymakers nor did I exalt.
Emiliee:Because of your hand upon me, I sat a wound. You filled me with indignation. Why has my pain been perpetual and my wound incurable, Refusing to be healed. Will you indeed be to me like a deceptive stream with water that is unreliable? Therefore, says the lord, if you return, then I will restore you.
Emiliee:Before me, you will stand. And if you exalt the precious if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become my spokesman. They, for their part, may turn to you, but as for you, you must not turn to them. Then I wanna make you to these people a fortified wall of bronze, and they might fight against you, but they will not prevail over you. For I am with you to save you and deliver you.
Emiliee:So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent. So her book is basically a testimony testimony of people in the midst of suffering and trying to extract the precious from the worthless for what's going on, and God using them, in spite of their suffering. And so I think, again, with this in mind, we have to look at the big picture and the character of God And believe that his goal really is restoration of his creation and That he is good in spite of all the suffering. It wasn't his original plan. And so this may look different for us in our sense of wanting restoration for, that sorry.
Emiliee:So it may look different for us in our sense of wanting restoration to be immediate, but I think that that's where we have to let faith step in. I I really like this quote from her book. It's long, but I think it's worth it to to say it. But the context the quote is that her dad was dying of cancer, and she's trying to grapple with her expectations of god healing him and yet her seeing him actively dying in front of her. I can do this.
Emiliee:So she says, I had to ask myself in this season, was I willing to grow my faith To the point that I believe that there is no circumstance that he can't use for his glory and our greater good? Or would I keep my faith Inside a frame, I had always known and diminished what could come of such a terrible reality. I had made god into something he was not, like a personal magician whom I could coax into doing a trick for me. Today, 15 plus years later and wiser, vastly more exposed To the needs that are painful and circumstances that are not easily solved. I believe in a bigger god.
Emiliee:I believe in a god who has our whole lives in his hands, and his timing is clearly different than mine. God could be more or could god be more than a chronological order of days? Could his story have started long before I arrived and still be going on after its perceived end? The story of my dad's illness and subsequent death Still isn't over yet no matter how much it felt like the end when it happened. I could try to explain his death of layers of stories that came in the seasons following his funeral, but that doesn't feel right.
Emiliee:I know god could've touched those lives in a lot of ways without killing off my dad to do it. I think rather that we live in a world that has been broken, broken physically and spiritually. God could have pulled his hands off and God could have pulled his hands off and watched it all spiral out of control with sin, disease, pain, and war. Instead, he's intervene and to redeem what is happening and use those situations regardless of their causes for his greater good and the good of those bear bearing witness He has made us to be in relationship with him and for that relationship to be evolving and growing as we experience the life and faith around us. I wish I could have learned that lesson and experienced that intimacy in a 1000000 other ways.
Emiliee:But one thing I get to take away from dad's death is when I intersect with a situation or a circumstance, A relationship, and I find it too hard or too big, too difficult or too heavy to lift. I remind myself that I'm looking at it from one in time, kinda like what Steven was saying. There are plot lines going on all around that point that will culminate in the next chapter. The story isn't over yet. The frame can be Excuse me.
Emiliee:This frame can be expanded, and it won't break. So that's the end Her quote. But so going back to the question, personally, I believe, yes. We have the same healing power that the disciples were given. Does that healing always look like how we want?
Emiliee:I don't think So but I think we can trust that god is working to bring restoration to the world and that we can work to extract the precious from the worthless to use her terms in Process. And, I mentioned this after Grant's sermon, that when Chelsea kind of posed that question of But if you don't see god working and I think it's okay to tell god that I don't see you working in this situation, but can you open my eyes to the way that ways that you are, and I think God will be faithful to that.
Joshua:That is all the time we're able to to talk about these questions, but I do wanna ask, Kurt, if you'd be willing to just close us in a prayer an Urging prayer. This is what'd you say? Song. And a singer song. Yeah.
Joshua:As you can tell, like, obviously, when we ask questions like this, the questions you guys have submitted, like, They are ranged from just the curious to the very, like, you know, deeply affecting, our stories and stuff. And so this is the conversation we want to Keep going about prayer and talking with each other about and this is what God wants us to do as well. He doesn't want prayer just to be something we like to talk about, but we like to talk with each other about the things we asking God to do, the things that we're having a hard time being patient with him about. It's real stuff. I mean, it's this is what it's like.
Joshua:It's Not just an interesting sort of theological, topic or whatever. It's about our daily lives, the highs and the lows and stuff. So, also before Kurt prays, let's just thank our panelists here for being willing to share. Let let's go to God in prayer.
Steven:Okay.
Kurt:God, we just, come to you in prayer like we've been talking about. And, Lord, we don't know how it all works, but we know you work, and we see you through history of time, Do the good and the bad. Lord, you've always been there with us, and you you ask us as believers to lift you up in prayer and talk to you, lord, and have that conversation with you. And, lord, help us never to give up on that, that it's right there At the end of our our lips to be able to speak to you constantly, help us never to forget that. Help us to take the Things that we have learned today, lord, and everything we've learned, lord, is from you.
Kurt:I mean, it it really is. And so We just wanted to be tools to, share that with our group today, and we just lift that up. Lord, I lift up the people in this room that Have have hurt before or still hurting, lord, that, just with this life and and the things that this Life brings it, and we don't understand, lord. And, lord, like, Em was saying about just rest restoring During all of this one day, Lord, we just have to believe and and be patient, Lord, even when it hurts and when we don't understand and we don't agree with it, Lord. Thanks for your love, and thanks for this community, Lord.
Kurt:In Christ name we
Joshua:pray. Amen.