"DO YOU SOMETIMES FEEL IGNORED BY GOD?"

 Good Afternoon to All!

It seems as though I have found a "snag" in my new blogging routine.  I was going to post everything 3 days, thinking that it would give more people a chance to check out my posts, but I have decided that, that is not such a good idea if I am going to include Bible Quizzes.  By the time I post the answers, y'all might have forgotten the questions!  LOL!  Anyway, I apologize and will try to do a better job from now on, and post more frequently.

My post today was inspired by my Bible Study which I am attending while here in Yuma.  We are studying Beth Moore's "A Study of David - Seeking a Heart Like His".  I was doing my lesson when the Scripture text of Isaiah 59:1-3 was brought up:

Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:  (2)  But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.   (3)  For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

This text was written of Saul as he was still after David.  He was terrorized by the idea of going up against the Philistines because he had prayed to God, yet God had not answered him, so he inquired of the "witch of Endor".  

My topic is about why we don't always hear God's answer to our prayers.

Many, many years ago when I was a child, I attended church regularly.  I even sang in the choir on Wednesday nights.  I thought I was doing everything right.  I had "told' Jesus that I accepted Him as my Savior, and "tried to be a good person."  As I grew older, I continued to adhere to the Ten Commandments as much as possible (or so I thought), you know, the ones that didn't take too much effort and that didn't interfere with my lifestyle.  All the while thinking I was still being a good Christian, because I believed in God and had accepted Jesus.  

The problem was, the older I got, it seemed the farther away from God I got.  I quit going to church all together, and of course after I got married, my lifestyle changed, unfortunately not for the better. I won't go into details, but I was definitely NO ANGEL.  All this while I still considered myself a "good Christian" even if I wasn't following Christ's lead. 

The thing is, during all of this, I still prayed when I needed His help.   Sometimes He listened and answered my prayer, and sometimes He didn't.  I don't think it is that He didn't hear me,  I have always gone on the premise that He hears our prayers and that He answers them, it is just sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes no, and sometimes, not yet. I am so thankful that I have developed an intimate relationship with Him and hunger more and more for His teaching, so that I have no doubts about my eternity being with Him. 

It of course is a continual journey and I will ALWAYS be learning something new from Him just as I have within this Bible Study.

After doing this Bible Study, I am finding that I have been wrong.  Of course it isn't that He CAN'T hear, it is that He chooses to disregard our petition until we realize that we have done wrong in His eyes and right our wrongs.

This is why I am looking at things in a "whole new light".  From now on, I won't look at it as yes, no or not yet.  I will pray, wait a little while, then search my heart as to why He hadn't answered my prayer yet.  Then I will REPENT, ask His forgiveness and pray my prayer again.  When I do this, it seems as though I hear or see the answer He gives me so clearly.

As I continue to grow, He shows me more.  He has definitely made me realize that if I expect to spend eternity with Him, I need to obey Him, respect Him and His wishes for my life.  Let Him have the reins to guide me.  I also need to acknowledge to Him and accept responsibility when I have sinned against Him according to His Word (whether I see anything wrong in it or not) and REPENT.  Turn TOWARD Him.  As long as I have sins which I have not repented from, or even if I am at odds with Him (sulking because I didn't get my way) I need to give myself an Attitude Adjustment.  If I want Him to respect me and answer my prayers, then I have to give Him the same treatment by respecting Him by Obeying Him.  The best way to do that is to read His Word so that we will know exactly what is expected of us.

In the end, THERE WILL BE NO EXCUSES.  God will not accept excuses for our actions because if we love Him we will read His Word and make sure we do what He wants.

Bottom Line:  If you EXPECT ANSWERS to your prayers, then DO WHAT GOD EXPECTS OF YOU.  Repent, and ask forgiveness for what you do wrong, so there will be NO wall between your prayers and God's ears.  

I had a friend ask the other day, "what if I don't know if I have committed any sins?"  All I could tell her is what I have started doing.  I pray and ask God to "search my heart".  He can see things there that I may not know even exist.  I ask Him to search my heart and remove anything that is contrary to what is of Him and to please forgive me for these sins.


I hope this helps to answer some of y'all's questions as well.  

 The Answers to the Bible Quiz we had on Tuesday will be posted below.

1.  c--Saul  (1 Sam. 10:21-22 NLT)
2.  a--He fell out of his chair and died  (1 Samuel 4:18)
3.  c--He performed a prebattle sacrifice himself, which only a priest should do. 
(1 Samuel 15:20)
4.  b--David (They were his older brothers)  (1 Samuel 16:12)
 5.  a--Delivering bread and cheese to the army  (1 Samuel 17:17-18)
6.  b--A tax exemption and his daughter's hand in marriage  (1 Samuel 17:24)
 7.  b--He wasn't used to it.   
(1 Sam. 17:39)
8.  c--and David his ten thousands!  (1 Samuel 18:6)
9.  b--David jumped aside and apparently kept playing the harp for Saul. 
(1 Samuel 18:11)
10. b--She put a dummy in bed and said David was too sick to be arrested.
(1 Samuel19:13-14)

 Have a Wonderful Day!

May God Bless