Mrs. Piggy - you have brought me up to the point that I can accept that God's answer to every prayer is Yes, provided the prayer is in accordance with His will. Hindsight is indeed 20:20; this now seems very simple. I can also accept that God's response is immediate. However, I'm stuck with the feeling that we do not always perceive the answer immediately. Would you agree that God's answer is sometimes Yes, but wait? Or is the wait part where faith enters into the equation? Do you have another way of explaining how He delivers the immediate response? In your post under the Discussion Topic: NOT the same yesterday and today, you wrote:

It' ALL in the "believing". Jesus said, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask in prayer." (Matthew 21:22)

Don't put yourself down about faith. God has given all of us "a measure" of faith. It is up to us to make it grow. Just like anything else that's planted, the seed of faith requires Son-shine and watering. I believe the Son-shine comes from the words that Jesus and the watering is prayer. God is so faithful to His word. Quite often in the past I have prayed and like others, thought God had not answered my prayer or that the answer was negative. But, in studying the Bible I found that it I was not always praying God's word. He will answer yes to any prayer that lines up with His word.

Also, the answer really is immediate. It just takes us time to realize that the prayer has been answered. God does not procrastinate. The next time you pray, believe right then that you have received. Then, we your prayer is made manifest, get quiet and think back. You'll find that it was answered prior to your realization. Hind sight is 20-20. It's like knowing something, but forgetting you knew it until it's mentioned.

I find that most of what Jesus spoke on was faith. He continually told the disciples to have faith. I, too, feel this would be a good topic for discussion.

Perhaps this is the faith you are referring to (?):
Being able to know God's answer is Yes, and then being able to relax and trust that the yes will come at the appropriate time.

This may be easier to accomplish when praying for healing for some distant person suffering from cancer. We know God promises to heal; even if the Yes occurs in heaven. It is more arduous to achieve when you are desperately praying for someone close to you who appears to be in the last stages of cancer, even if you have a degree of conformability with the fact that God will take care of the person both on earth and in heaven. You are not saying that if God answers a prayer with what seems to me to be a Not now response, it is due to a lack of faith on the part of the petitioner, right?

What if you are asking to know God's will or praying for faith? God's answer is Yes, and immediate - but you may be waiting a long time for the awakening to the answer. If you are praying to know God or for faith; yet you don't know Him and have little faith, what good is it for someone to tell you to believe and have faith? It seems like telling someone in need to be warm and well fed, without providing any physical assistance.

In one way, I agree with your comment: "It's ALL about believing." The ability to believe is a loving gift from God. However, your statement also reminds me of video footage we've all seen of starving people sitting in the midst of what appears to most of us to be very tasty and traditional food sources milling around them. We could say to these famished people, It's all about the eating. However, that comment is not likely to make sense to those in need. If these folks were to give any thought to such a statement, it may cause them to feel that in addition to their suffering hunger, others do not understand them and even mock them.

Jesus told his followers to have faith, and provided many miracles to build their faith. Not only do we have their record of miracles, we have the miracle of God working in our individual lives to build faith. I am appreciative of the measure of faith God has given me, and I'm excited about seeing it increased. Your example is at first completely foreign to me, and later very helpful. So, please tell me what else am I missing in understanding faith?

3/24/2008 5:25:45 PM by Ryan, Member of Delve into Jesus since 12/30/2007

If you are praying for faith and to know God's will and didn't get your prayer answered immediately, read Daniel 10:10-14.

First spiritual. Then natural. When we pray, it's spiritual. The answer is "yes" first in the spiritual. Then in the natural. Granted, you have to hold on to your spiritual "yes" until you see your natural "yes". That's what's arduous. It seems oxymoronic to be patient and eagerly expectant at the same time. But, it's what we must do.Faith holds us to it.

Okay, Jesus cast out the evil spirit from the man in Capernaum, then He healed Simon's mother-in-law, then He cleansed the man with leprosy, then the four men dropped the paralytic man through the roof and Jesus healed him. The disciples were with Him all these times. Then, they get on the boat and the storm came. They woke Jesus up, He rebuked the storm and said to them, Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" So, I guess the four miracles prior to being on the boat wasn't enough to build their faith, right?

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)

Hope is the eager expectation of the manifestation. Certain (with confidence that it is so) of what we do not see.
So, when we pray, we know that our prayers are answered (in the spirit realm)and we eagerly expect that we will see the manifestation (in the natural realm) of the answered prayer.

In John 14:12-14 Jesus spoke these words,

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has FAITH in me will do what I have been doing. He will do greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

So, it's all in the believing. We have to make up our minds that we believe the word of God. Jesus is the word made flesh(John 1-4). He said we could do these things and it's all in believing Him. We are to pray for the sick in Jesus name. We don't heal them, God does. We have to trust that God will do His part when we do our part. We must have faith.

As for the starving people sitting in the midst of food, they need the word of God. The Bible says be transformed by the renewing of your mind.(Romans 12:2) When you know better, you should do better. My question is why don't the people filming them tell them they have tasty food milling around them? We don't lose information by passing it on to others. If the starving people don't know it's food, someone should tell them. Better yet, that someone should eat the food in front of them and they will know. That's one of the reasons I turn the station when I see that kind of stuff on television.

Just because you don't see your answered prayer in the natural when you pray, does NOT mean you lack faith.

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17) Remember when Jesus said let those who have ears hear?

3/25/2008 3:00:38 PM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

Perhaps this is the faith you are referring to (?):
Being able to know God's answer is Yes, and then being able to relax and trust that the yes will come at the appropriate time.

In a nutshell, yes.

3/25/2008 3:21:10 PM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

I don't understand how Daniel 10:10-14 pertains to immediate answering of prayer. Perhaps you could elaborate on your interpretation? I don't get the starving children thing either. I don't normally see food sitting around these kids in those commercials? There are people starving. They do need help. I don't understand what you mean.

Anyway, I think it is not totally true to say that God's only answer to prayer is "Now and Yes". If I am dying of cancer and my family and I pray for healing, but I still die anyway, were we wrong in asking to be healed? I can understand in retrospect that it was God's will for me to die, but God's answer was No. Flat out No.

When Paul asked for God to take out the thorn in his side, God said No, I've done this for a reason and have different plans for you.

3/25/2008 4:12:29 PM by XFrogger, Member of Delve into Jesus since 12/13/2007

10- A hand touched Daniel while he was on his hands and knees. He had been praying for understanding of a vision he'd had. The hand that touched his shoulder was that of the angel, Gabriel. Gabriel tells Daniel that the first day that he prayed, his prayer was answered. But as Gabriel was on his way to Daniel with the answered prayer, he, Gabriel was stopped by a demon (the prince of the Persian kingdom) who resisted Gabriel and prevented him from bringing the answer immediately to Daniel. As you know, Gabriel is the messenger angel. So, Michael, the fighting angel, came to contend with the demon so that Gabriel could take the answer to Daniel.

This is why it took 21 days for Daniel to get the answer even though the prayer was heard and answered the same day he prayed.

3/25/2008 5:04:37 PM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

You are absolutely right. If you are dying and pray and still die, it was not the prayer in God's will for you.

It's ironic that you mentioned Paul. He is the one who wrote that the answer to all prayers in God's will are yes and we say amen.

Please know that I don't make this stuff up as I go along. I have read these scriptures myself and I try to enter BCV so that all who read what I write can see for themselves. Besides, I'm not that creative.

3/25/2008 5:10:50 PM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

your statement also reminds me of video footage we've all seen of starving people sitting in the midst of what appears to most of us to be very tasty and traditional food sources milling around them

That was from Ryan's statement at the top.

3/25/2008 5:16:53 PM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

Thanks for the long answer. I do understand most of it, even though I'm clinging to some disagreement in content and wording.

Our responsibility is to pray. We believe God will answers Yes. God answers Yes. I see the scriptural support for this.

Again, that seems very simple now. I have no problem with praying to know God's will and praying for other people. I do have difficulties waiting for, as you termed it, the natural yes. However, I get the part about being eagerly expectant while remaining confidently patient. After thinking about this concept for awhile, I believe it will assist me in being able to mentally release matters to God to deal with - even though I've been aware they are really in His hands regardless of my struggling with them.

Forgive me for using the imagery of the starving people - I should have avoided mentioning anything that could rouse cultural sensitivities. It is far better to pursue understanding than to cause offense to others. Nevertheless, this is the point at which we may turn off others so that rather than learning about faith, they become defensive. Do we agree that even though God's answer to our prayers for healing and comfort for a sick person is Yes, it is sometimes God's will to postpone that Yes until the person is in heaven? I'm not claiming to know the answer - I just think this scenario provides a palatable explanation for why God appears to many of us to be responding with Yes, but not now or not on earth. I feel we must be very careful with the wording we choose so that our faith is not a stumbling point for others. Love is greater than faith.

I prayed that you would deliver a good answer; I believe that prayer was answered with Yes.

3/25/2008 5:27:16 PM by Ryan, Member of Delve into Jesus since 12/30/2007

Ryan,

We don't like to talk about it that way, but yes, the comfort and healing is sometimes going to heaven. I like to think of it as the ultimate cure.

By natural, I mean when you see it.

So as not to be misunderstood by anyone else, I'll go back to the beginning. Genesis chapter 1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
No, I'm not going to type the entire thing. For the next 22 verses, God did this over and over:

And God SAID, then God SAW.

In verse 27, He created man in His own image. So, when we say (pray), then we see.

God is Spirit and we are spirit beings. So, first spiritual (we say), then natural (we see).

I know love is great. But without faith it is impossible to please God.(Hebrews 11:6) We need both, since faith works by love.

3/25/2008 6:04:03 PM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

As it does not directly pertain to this discussion, I'll drop the starving children issue for another day. :oO

Mrs Piggy:
Since you didn't like the 'thorn in my flesh' one how about this one:

Matthew 36:39,42
39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
42He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."

Obviously, since we are not still in our sins, Jesus did not get his request answered with a Yes.

Taking it further, we should pray as Jesus prayed. Make your request known to God, but fully submit to His will.

Maybe I'm a bit heated because of the personal issues I have with this subject. I apologize if I offend anyone. My only point is that God sometimes says something like "No, that is not what I had in mind. I have a higher purpose for you than what you asked or understand."

3/25/2008 8:15:19 PM by XFrogger, Member of Delve into Jesus since 12/13/2007

Have any of you read this article? If so, do you find it helpful, or have I muddied the waters?

3/25/2008 8:18:03 PM by arsindelve, Executive Director, Delve Christian Ministries

XFrogger, my brother,

Jesus KNEW the Father's will before He was born. He was born fully God and fully human. He could not go to the cross in His divinity. He would have to be separated from the Father. That's what He was praying about. He wasn't concerned with the dying, but the separation. Remember, He didn't just die for our sins, He became sin. He could not do that in His divinity. I am very glad that He accepted the will of the Father. I think we all are.

3/25/2008 9:21:19 PM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

Arsin,

I have read that article before and just read it again. I enjoyed it both times. I have one thing to say about it. Yes, God's will most certainly gets done, but it will be done by us. When we accepted Christ in our lives, we took on the responsibility of God's will. God uses His people to get the job done.
We can all ask Him when we get home, but I'm telling you, He is all knowing and therefore He knows when we are prepared to do what He asks of us. Obedience is greater than sacrifice. We will obey because He is our Father who loves us.

3/25/2008 9:37:14 PM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

XFrogger,

I'm sorry. All I know about the thorn in the flesh is God answered the prayer, "My grace is sufficient." I have often wondered what the thorn was. I assumed it was a bad habit since Paul wrote that where sin abounds, grace abounds more. I will have to pray for more revelation on that one. Actually, it is a good one, worthy of study.

3/25/2008 9:43:23 PM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

Mrs. Piggy - I agree one hundred percent with your comments about the article. I think I will take a few moments and make sure the article reflects those important points. Thanks!

3/26/2008 6:57:15 AM by arsindelve, Executive Director, Delve Christian Ministries

I have prayed and requested clarification on a couple of issues. As for the thorn in Paul's side, this is the revelation I got with confirmation. Paul was unmarried. He lived the celibate life.(1st Corinthians 7:7) However, being human he experienced sexual desire. This was his "thorn". He had to keep his body "under" so as not to preach one thing and do another.(1st Corinthians 9:27)

3/26/2008 8:58:16 AM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

Next issue prayer and time. As I was going to sleep last night, the Holy Spirit reminded me that we exist in time, but God is exempt from time as He is eternal. I received this scripture 2nd Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness.

3/26/2008 9:04:25 AM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

By nature, I am always wary of divine revelation. I know that it is possible and that it exists but I don't quite understand how you come to your conclusion so quick and so sure. I prefer to read commentaries and studies from people who have degrees and extensive knowledge of the Bible. We come from very different lines of thinking. I admire yours (and I wish I could have a bit more of it too) but as I am wired, I am most comfortable with the hard and sure study of the bible. However, as the identity of the thorn is moot, we can still see that Paul asked to be healed and was not.

I know God can heal. I know God can do things immediately. I know God answers prayer. I just don't know that he always answers yes and now.

Your article was very helpful arsin. Good stuff. :)

3/26/2008 12:30:06 PM by XFrogger, Member of Delve into Jesus since 12/13/2007

XFrogger,

Thank you. I appreciate what you have written. I spend HOURS daily studying the Bible. Also, I have three, that's right, three televisions on with sermon after sermon being preached all day. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. The more word I hear, the more my faith grows. I know that God is no respecter of people and what He has done for one He will do for others. (Acts 10:34)

God has set a certain day calling it "Today." I believe that everyone has their own "Today".

So, I say to you as Daniel said to King Darius, "Live on".

3/26/2008 1:23:18 PM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

Also, you should be wary of "divine revelation" until you get confirmation. God ALWAYS confirms His word. If you do not receive confirmation, what I have written was not of God. You will either hear or read this somewhere else. From two or three witnesses a thing is established.

3/26/2008 2:19:18 PM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

Mrs. Piggy - it has taken me awhile to return to this discussion, but I want to make a comment about one of the posts I was glad to read. On 03/25 you wrote:

We don't like to talk about it that way, but yes, the comfort and healing is sometimes going to heaven. I like to think of it as the ultimate cure.

I find it intriguing that different people can construe a statement in various ways. I hope I'm not misinterpreting your intention here. I believe you are saying you feel it is more hopeful or positive to tell people the answer to their prayer is Yes, while not mentioning that the Yes, in the case of healing, may take place in heaven. No doubt many of the recipients of your encouragement agree with your approach. I am sure many see the Yes answer as a manifestation of faith - I do, now.

I admit that the first time I read a comment where you asserted 'the answer to this prayer is Yes", I was more than turned off. Fortunately for me, I also had a degree of trust that you held a scriptural basis to support your statement. When I initially read this Yes statement I regressed to a former mode of thinking, something like: more surreal Christian tactics - making empty promises to people in dire straits; pushing false hope. We know some who receive prayer for healing will die at the time prayer is offered. Where does the Yes response leave the fragile survivors who do not comprehend your rationale? Most of us have only been exposed to the traditional teachings of how God responds to prayer (Yes, No, Not Now etc.) - which has been confirmed by multiple sources throughout the centuries.

I enjoy considering alternate approaches and I appreciate learning from the way you express yourself. If you encounter objections or resentment from others regarding some of your thoughts, it may be due to our unfamiliarity with the concepts you are illustrating. Or, it may be due to the fact we are all wired differently as XFrogger indicates. You have been blessed with some special talents - one of them is the ability to express yourself with scriptural bearing, while being challenged. I am glad you took the time to explain your thoughts and hope you did not feel you were being challenged harshly.

XFrogger - I currently like the Yes response (although I don't see my self using it on my friends), and I believe it helps me with the faith issue. However, I feel it is just another facet in attempting to examine God's will. I can also agree with all you are pointing out about how prayers have been answered in Biblical examples and the traditional way we have interpreted these answers. I see this part of the discussion as being like debating differing ways to explain the same concept.

3/27/2008 2:03:33 PM by Ryan, Member of Delve into Jesus since 12/30/2007

Thank you.

Every morning, I begin the day reading my daily devotion from the book, My Utmost For His Highest. I'd like to share a line from today's reading:

"Faith is not intelligent understanding, faith is deliberate commitment to a Person where I see no way."

3/28/2008 8:46:29 AM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

i am relatively new to the site.. i find myslef enamored with the discussions... this one i particular really intrigued me... one thing that i am not sure was stated, it could have and i missed it.. i am at work and every break i have i try to skim through at least one discussion... one thing i wanted to add was that in prayer we must be sure that what we ask for lines up with scripture... we cannot ask for God to do something that is not in His nature... my one example for this, is marriage, in my life i have experienced women who pray for a husband, and then decide upon a man and then ask God for that man... however God cannot go against our free will... so when praying for something that affects another, we must remember that God cannot violate that persons will to choose, so ultimately it would seem that the answer was no, but in fact the prayer failed to line up with God's Word...

on another note i did want to speak on the example given of someone who is praying for healing, my grandmother died two days before my 13th birthday of cancer, for about 2yrs she had lived with the cancer and during this time we prayed for her to be healed... in her case she had been smoking for over 30years, and the cancer had already taken over her throat and lungs... God's answer to our prayer could only be answered in death... it took me years to really see that, but she was in emense pain and her body had already succombed to the cancer, God delivered her from all the pain and disease when she set out to heaven... now i am in no way trying to say that this is the case with all situations like this, but i rather wanted to share my own experience and hope that it would shed a little light

3/29/2008 2:02:11 PM by Joia, Member of Delve into Jesus since 3/26/2008

Joia,

Thank you for your post. May God open a window in heaven and pour you out a blessing.

3/29/2008 6:05:28 PM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

Thanks for joining the discussion Joia - I enjoyed reading your post and believe we can use more of your input!

I am glad you've enjoyed this topic Joia, and hope you will choose to add more thoughts to the matter. I learn form hearing others debate these issues and I appreciate everyone indulging my questions. I am pleased to believe my measure of faith has been increased to the point at which I feel peace not having all questions answered now. What we've covered to date is just a small aspect in the subject of faith, with so much remaining to discuss.

I hope no one felt frustrated before or after that last edit.
I'm praying for a day filled with faith, hope and love for all those that have joined these discussions!

3/31/2008 10:41:09 PM by Ryan, Member of Delve into Jesus since 12/30/2007

I looked it up and the word faith is in 285 scriptures of the New Testament.

4/6/2008 1:18:01 PM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

My two cents: (as I am "wired" differently than others lol)

I think that we need to take into thought our concept of time versus God's concept of time. What may seem years to us is only a blink of God's eyes to Him. As scripture says, "With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day." (The Message, 2 Peter 3:8)

I'm also a bit different in thinking here - but I don't always believe that God says "yes" to our prayers. (I am not trying to stir up a rat's nest of problems, I am merely trying to be honest and express my thoughts as such...)

I believe that sometimes God says "Wait." as well as "No." We can ask with full confidence for what is promised to us in the scriptures, but we cannot dictate how or when God will answer our prayers. Also, God may grant what we ask for in prayer, but God may use a way that we do not desire or never thought about - it's all according to His will, and I think we have to remember this.

I was very motivated by watching an interview last Friday night on 20/20 with 25-year-old Nick Vujicic, a young man who was born without arms or legs who has become not only a minister of God's word but also a corporate motivational speaker, despite his obvious handicaps (which would truthfully stop me in my tracks - or at least give me major pause - and has in fact, crippled many folks who suffer from the same handicaps as he has, if not less).

When Dan Rather interviewed Vujicic and inquired if he prays for arms and legs as well as his belief in doing so, Vujicic's answer to him was this: "I totally surrender that to God. I would be obviously elated if I had arms and legs right now ... but I know that God's in full control. And do I believe that He can give me arms and legs? Yes, sir ... The world doesn't understand how you can have these two parallel thoughts, where you can say, on one hand ... 'yes, I believe in the miracle,' and on the other ... say, 'You know what? I'm fully content. I'm not discouraged if He doesn't give me arms and legs.' That's where I am. That's the freedom and victory I have. I believe in a God who can do all things, but if He chooses not to give me arms and legs, I know it's for the better. And I may not understand it, but all I need to know is that He's going to carry me through, that there is a purpose for it." Vujicic takes it one step further on one of his websites, quoting Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." He fully rejoices in God's purpose for him, acknowledges that God is in full control of his life and also delights in God's will in His life - which I found to be a very valuable and humbling lesson.

Being a country music lover, please let me also bring up Garth Brooks' hit "Unanswered Prayers". For those of you who may not have heard this song, in "Unanswered Prayers," a man runs into his high school sweetheart at a home town football game. As he introduces her to his wife, he reminisces about that past relationship and how he had once prayed so fervently that she would be his forever. In the song, the man looks at his wife and realizes that God knew what He was doing all along. (Jeremiah 29:11 brilliantly illustrated) I could go on and on about how important unanswered prayers have been in my life, but I won't do so right now (maybe later).

I want to close this post using the chorus from "Unanswered Prayers" to illustrate my thoughts on this subject, and hopefully I haven't offended anyone in doing so. If I have, please accept my sincere and abject apologies.

"Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin to the Man upstairs
That just because He doesnt answer doesnt mean He don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers."

4/6/2008 11:22:16 PM by txhoneydarlin, Member of Delve into Jesus since 4/5/2008

Beautiful!! From the Mendin' Fences cd?

4/6/2008 11:34:43 PM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

According to Wikipedia, it debuted in 1990 on his second album "No Fences" and also appears on "The Hits", "The Limited Series", and "Double Live". It was a huge hit (I'm dating myself here, lol) my senior year of high school and really made an impact on my life way back when... as it continues to do so now. :)

4/6/2008 11:52:42 PM by txhoneydarlin, Member of Delve into Jesus since 4/5/2008

Yes, I remember it well. I have the tape here somewhere. But it does not line up with the word of God. The Bible says God hears our prayers and answers them.(1st John 5:14-15) Jeremiah 29:11 assures us that God has a good plan for our lives.

4/7/2008 9:27:04 AM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

Not to argue, but I think that 1 John 5:14 - 15 has to be read in two parts to understand the ways God answers our prayers. 1 John 5:15 certainly states, "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." However, we need to read and understand the preceding verse, verse 14, which states, "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us."

From this, I draw understanding that we must ask according to His will. Who among us knows God's will for everything in our lives? We can know God's will for some things in our lives - but not for everything. And I believe that verse 15 depends on verse 14.

There are many examples of God answering prayers with "no" in the scriptures - when Paul asks for the thorn to be removed from his side, three times - the answer was still no. (1 Corinthians 12: 7 - 10) When David asked God to spare the son he had with Bathsheba - God took His son - yet David realized God's will in that decision and still praised God. (2 Samuel 12: 15 - 22) The final example I want to refer to is Jesus asking for the cup of his suffering and death to pass - God said no, and Jesus was crucified. (Matthew 26:39, 42; Mark 14:36)

Again, I am "wired" differently from others, and so this post is not meant to be argumentative but rather in support of my beliefs regarding God's answers to our prayers.

4/7/2008 11:44:10 AM by txhoneydarlin, Member of Delve into Jesus since 4/5/2008

txhoneydarlin,

I want to welcome you to the site, and apologize that I have not done so sooner. I have been very blessed and encouraged by everything you've written. It's so wonderful to have you here, and I hope you will be with us for a very long time. If you ever have any questions or concerns about the site, or if there is anything we can do to help, please don't be shy to let us know.

Thanks again for being part of our community and for all your wonderful contributions to the site.

4/7/2008 12:14:40 PM by arsindelve, Executive Director, Delve Christian Ministries

as i studied this morning i came across this scripture, and i felt the need to share it...

"I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yeild her increase and the trees of the field yeild their fruit."
Leviticus 26:4

For with God there is a season for everything, see Eccelesiates 3 as well for more on that. One thing we have to remeber is that God is always on time, never late and never early. In the midst of answering our prayers, God prepares both us and those who are to be involved. In our haste we get ahead of God and look for things to be answered in our time, but God will deliver it in due season. Sometimes its a matter of us waiting on God to finish His work in others, but trust in Him, and believe that He will deliver your answer just in time.