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Answers to Prayer – Charles Stanley

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2 Chronicles 20:14-25

“My boss is intolerable, Lord. Please help me find another job.”

“God, this back pain is ruining my life. Have mercy and heal me!”

Christians almost universally agree that God answers prayer. But many people, if they were honest, would amend the phrase to say, “He answers most prayers, but not mine.” A believer can fervently call upon God without receiving what he considers a satisfactory answer. The stumbling block isn’t God’s unwillingness or inability to respond, but rather the word satisfactory. If we come to God with a preconceived idea of how to solve our problem, we will likely overlook His true resolution.

Suppose King Jehoshaphat had decided that God could answer his prayer only by giving the army extra strength for the forthcoming skirmish. He would have called a war council, arrayed his soldiers in armor, and set up battle lines. God’s solution was entirely unexpected: to send the choir out singing praises and then watch the Lord save Israel. Had the Israelite army attempted combat, they would have lost Jerusalem.

Sometimes we don’t like God’s solution. We desire freedom from difficulty rather than an extra measure of grace to endure it. Or we want a new job, not a command to ask the boss to forgive our poor attitude.

It is a very human reaction to want the Lord to fix everything without requiring any effort on our part. But our willingness to obey is a key to answered prayer. When He tells us how to resolve our problem, we must act just as He specifies, or we’ll never be satisfied.

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Solving Problems through Prayer – Charles Stanley

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2 Chronicles 20:1-13

The cultural emphasis on “self “ has bred a prayer crisis. Too many believers focus on a problem or its perceived solution instead of making God the center of their attention. Second Chronicles 20 shows us a better way.

King Jehoshaphat faced a dire situation: “a great multitude” approaching quickly to overthrow him. If he had wrung his hands and wailed instead of concentrating on God’s promises and past provision, Jerusalem might have been wiped out as the Moabites and Ammonites intended.

The king magnified the Lord’s greatness, recalling for himself and his people many divine triumphs. In that way, he was able to bolster the Israelites’ courage and prepare them for whatever solution God proposed.

Through the words of his powerful entreaty, Jehoshaphat revealed his firm belief that no problem—not even three fast-approaching murderous armies—is bigger than the Lord of the universe. The Israelite army was powerless against such an onslaught, but the king refused to give in to his initial fear and despair. “Our eyes are on You,” he pledged. In other words, “We know You have a plan, and we are waiting to hear what to do.” Seeking the Lord’s will and His best way is a priority for those who want to solve problems through prayer.

God doesn’t want us to pray casually, “Lord, please solve my problem. Amen!” and then rush into our day, thinking we’ve done well to unload our difficulty onto Him. If He’s going to solve a problem, we should have our ears and mind open to receive His answer—and our heart ready to obey.