You Have Not Because You Ask Not

Let me tell you a wonderful story regarding the answer to prayer. Stay with me, it will take a bit of time to share a related story.

Today I was looking through some things in a drawer and found a little booklet given to me by Bruce Bickel and signed, “I am glad we were called to serve Him together.” Bruce played quarterback at Navy following Roger Stauback and broke some of Roger’s records. Bruce and I met when he was on the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) staff in Chicago and I on the FCA National Board.

One night he was out for a walk with his Doberman on an isolated street when he saw four thugs closing in on him. He prayed for help. As Bruce tells it, the dog was a big sissy, overly friendly. Nevertheless Bruce reached down, caught the dog by the collar, and stood him up on his back legs resulting in the dog panting for air. To the thugs it looked like the dog was panting trying to break free to attack them. They fled. Prayer answered.

Bruce was on a rather small FCA staff salary and Roger was getting very wealthy playing quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.

Bruce needed a car and was telling no one while praying for a miracle. Bruce and Roger talked frequently as Bruce taught Roger the Bible. Bruce never hinted at his need for a new car.

One night Roger called and told Bruce he had been given a new car as the NFL Player of the Year, and had just been given another as being named the Player of the Game in the Super Bowl. He asked Bruce if he could use a car. Prayer answered. 

That is a wonderful way to pray at times. You don’t need to advertise for an item when you can go directly to the Giver of every good and perfect gift. I have done so many times when God said no to my petition. I accepted the facts knowing God knew better than I. There have been numerous times when God said yes.

All prayer doesn’t need to be secret, but some should be.

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:6)

Like Bruce, I have done it many times and seen its effect. As a satisfied customer I recommend it. There are occasions when “You have not because you ask not.” (James 4:2)

Mind Over What Matters

Two attitudes wrestle for mastery in every event of life. One will prevail and that will be your mental attitude and action.

One response to the events of life is thanksgiving. It will prevail if we consider events in accord with the ancient Anglo-Saxon spelling: “thinksgiving.” If we consider them with the mind of Christ we can see the good in even the worst. The Greek word for think carries the idea of reasoning through a matter logically and carefully. 

The British author George MacDonald wrote:

This is a sane, wholesome, practical, working faith: first, that it is a man’s business to do the will of God; second, that God takes on Himself the special care of that man; third, therefore, that man ought never to be afraid of anything.

Thanksgiving is a reaction of joy. A thankful heart will enable the lips of laughter to overflow again.

A mind fixed on Christ is stable and secure. A divided mind is the breeding ground for the other potential response, anxiety. Anxiety, that is, worry, makes the heart nervous and even neurotic. It eats the soul out of one’s personality and makes that person a torture to self and a torment to others.

When we fail to reason from a biblical, Christ-like attitude, anxiety is inevitable. To drown out anxiety, flood your mind with Bible concepts. Therefore, memorize Scripture. Start by memorizing a new text every other day. In one month you will have memorized fifteen texts. I recite myself to sleep by recalling them. If you do, you will fall asleep before recalling all of them.

The same event met with thanksgiving can be met with anxiety. A bee finds nectar in the same flower from which a spider gains its substance for poison. It is a matter of the will. You chose. The person who prays about everything worries about nothing. A word of thanksgiving or a song of praise can unlock the prison of anxiety.

Goth, the 18th century German writer, beautifully describes two mutually exclusive responses:

“We always hope; and 
in all things it is
better to hope
than to despair.

When we return to
really trust in God, 
there will no
longer be room
in our soul for fear.”

Do You Ever Feel Like a Butterfly in the Rain?

What happens to a butterfly when it rains? An average monarch butterfly weighs roughly 500 milligrams and large raindrops have a mass of 70 milligrams or more. According to Scientific American, a raindrop this size striking a monarch would be equivalent to a human being pelted with water balloons weighing as much as two bowling balls.

Therefore butterflies seek protection when it rains. Some hide under large leaves, some crawl down into dense leaves or under rocks, and some just sit head down on grass stems or bushes with wings held tightly. Without shelter, when it rains exceptionally hard or of long duration many of the butterflies become tattered or die.

That process can be spiritually applied to us when in one of life’s storms. Shelter is essential. Face it, “storms” are inevitable. Examples of storms are the loss of a job, sickness or death, divorce, or injury.

Prepare your shelter in advance. Perhaps one is needed now. Therefore, consider this bouquet of blessings, my fellow butterfly:

“Those who go to God Most High for safety will be protected by the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “You are my place of safety and protection. You are my God and I trust you.” (Psalm 91:1-4)

“You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.” (Psalm 119:114)  Hide His word in your heart in advance in order to be assured.

“Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.” (Ecclesiastes 7:12-14) Wisdom is knowing how to apply God’s word.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (I Peter 5:7) With confidence you can be assured He cares for you. Therefore, talk to Him, pray.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) Don’t act like He is present, act because He is present. Claim it.

The option is to neglect His shelter, and like the unsheltered butterfly, suffer the consequence. Begin today to build your shelter. Review those texts and one by one evaluate how you are going to apply them.

Is It Time to Renew?

“… THOSE WHO WAIT ON THE LORD SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH…” (Isaiah 40:31)

Let’s focus principally on one word in that text, “renew.”

Through the psalmist, God gave us insight into what causes a lot of our problems: “You thought I was altogether like you.” (Psalms 50:21)

The French atheist Voltaire said, “The Bible says, ‘God created man in His image,’ and now man has returned the favor, and created God in man’s image.”

Fortunately God is not like man. The constant challenge of each of us is trying to personally become more like God. That requires renewal.

The Hebrew word for “renew” means they shall exchange their weakness for His strength. Well might we pray, “God I will provide the weakness, if you will provide the strength.”

Renewal necessitates that we: See Him more clearly. Love Him more dearly. Follow Him more nearly.

Would you really like to live closer to God? There is a simple equation explaining how you can: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

David identifies the starting point: “Be still and know that I am God.” The Hebrew wording means “stop striving.”

Felon, a voice from yesteryear wrote: “How rare it is to find a soul quiet enough to hear God speak.”

Most want more emotion and sensationalism in their religion today. We need to invest more time in developing the virtue of personal holiness. Yes, holiness.

Solitude is the incubator in which the fertile Word of God has time to develop intimacy with God. Consider designating a time and place where every day you spend time alone with God. 

Years ago while touring South America as a member of a basketball team, a missionary named Rosalee Mills Appleby gave me a book inscribed, “One can not expect to amount to much for God without often spending time alone with God.”

Through the years I have found that to be true. Try it.

Are You a Creature of Habits?

“For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.”
(Romans 7:15)

The Apostle Paul was a new creature in Christ, yet even he struggled with his old habits. In most he was victorious, but initially he was still losing some battles in his spiritual warfare. His struggle was typical. It is hard to break old habits.

To the world you may be one person, to one person you may be the world. Therefore, search the Scripture to find out just what God desires of you. You can’t do it by imitation, but by incarnation. Philippians 2:13 speaks of the “God which works within you.” Our word “energy” comes from the Greek word translated “works.” In other words, God energizes you. Realizing your energizing God lives inside you helps overcome any tendency toward laziness. 

Principally God uses three things to energize us.

• The Bible is a primary source. First, you must appreciate it enough to learn it. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15) Not only do you have to appreciate it, you must appropriate it. This means to make it your standard for life. It will help guide you in forming good habits and breaking some old bad ones. Thirdly, you must apply it, that is live by it.

• Prayer can be a marvelous way to engage with God in forming good habits.

• Suffering. Yes, the Bible speaks of the “fellowship of His suffering.” It is an unsurpassed factor in bringing us back to the Bible and prayer.

I had a letter from a young person who had been working with youth all summer. She said what she wanted to do was inspire them to chase after God all of their life. You might phrase it differently, but that is really what we should do. 

“The Greatest Salesman in the World,” authored by Og Mandino makes this statement regarding forming habits. “I will form good habits and become their slave.” He reached this conclusion, ”In truth, the only difference between those who have failed and those who have succeeded lies in the difference of their habits.”

As you unfold an area of life requiring obedience, pause and commit yourself to doing it. Ask the Lord to help you become so familiar with it that it will become an instinctive habit. Consider starting by listing four new habits you know you need to form. Then concentrate on developing only one for a week. Then the second week concentrate on developing the second, and so on.

Now the fun begins by you praying, “Lord help me to be all you can help me become. Please energize me.”