Will God Always Answer Prayers? ~~ Deuteronomy 3:23-29 ~~ When God says No!

Will God Always Answer Prayers? ~~ Deuteronomy 3:23-29 ~~ When God says No!

Prayer creates expectation and hope. Hope soon turns into disappointment. Moses: o A great spiritual leader o A man of God o A great prayer warrior o Personal prayer request: to enter the Promised Land

Deuteronomy 3:23, 25: 23. At that time I pleaded with the LORD: 25. Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan-- that fine hill country and Lebanon. Moses persisted and persevered in prayer. Deuteronomy 3:26 But because of you the LORD was angry with me and would not listen to me. "That is enough," the LORD said. Do not speak to me anymore about this matter.

To enter Canaan The most important thing Moses wanted His life s goal and dream Spent 40 years working and waiting for it. Denied!!

Numbers 20:1 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried. Moses was grieving and in bereavement

Numbers 20:2-5 2. Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3. They quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! 4. Why did you bring the LORD's community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? 5. Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!"

1 st generation of Jews - perished in the wilderness (Numbers 1:45-46, 14:29). 2 nd generation of Jews o About to enter the Promised Land. o History repeating itself? o In danger of rejecting God the 2 nd time! o Another 40 years of wandering in desert?

Numbers 20:6-8 6. Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7. The LORD said to Moses, 8. "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."

Numbers 20:9-11 9. So Moses took the staff from the LORD's presence, just as he commanded him. 10. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" 11. Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

Moses o Frustrated o Angry o Embittered o Emotionally vulnerable Anger + Grief = Explosive

Psalm 106:32-33 32. By the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD, and trouble came to Moses because of them; 33. for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses' lips. Psalm 106:33 (NLT) 33. They made Moses angry (Hebrew: they embittered his spirit ) and he spoke foolishly.

1. Control our anger (Ecclesiastes 7:9, Proverbs 14:17). o Ecclesiastes 7:9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. o Proverbs 14:17 A quick-tempered man does foolish things.

2. When you are angry, let your words be few Proverbs 10:19 When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise If you talk when you are angry, you will make the best speech you will always regret. James 1:19-20 19. My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20. for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

Moses o Struck the rock twice o Instead of simply speaking to it What s so wrong about that? o A pretty minor mistake? o His anger is justified? o Moses is in bereavement?

Numbers 20:12-13 12. But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them." 13. These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarrelled with the LORD and where he showed himself holy among them.

Moses committed 2 wrongs: Wrong #1 o 12a Because you did not trust in me... o Moses was simply to 8 speak to that rock.. o Failed to show his trust in God o Publicly demonstrated his disobedience. o Showed a denunciatory and derogatory attitude against God s people. 10 Listen, you rebels,.. o A violation of the holiness of God

Wrong #2 o 12b Because you did not honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites o How did Moses dishonor God? o Numbers 20:10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock? o Moses drew attention: to his own authority as the covenant mediator ascribed miraculous powers to himself took credit for the miracle

The problem of human pride. o a i in the middle of sin. o a i in the center of pride 1 Corinthians 10:4...and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

Beware of spiritual pride claiming credit for what Christ has done. Moses publicly dishonored God when he took o credit for the miracle and o the glory that is due to Christ alone. Numbers 20:12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.

Fast forward o 1500 years later o the Mount of Transfiguration Matthew 17:1-3 1. After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Moses has entered Canaan! His prayers answered! But what is Canaan compared to Heaven? His focus o Not on the land o But on the Lord When God said No! o Q: Did Moses become a disillusioned, disappointed, bitter person? o Q: Did Moses stop trusting God?

Deuteronomy 34:1-7 1. Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land-- from Gilead to Dan, 4. I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.... 7. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. Deuteronomy 34:7 yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. o Did not lose sight of who God is o Remained steadfast and faithful We cannot avoid growing old; but we can avoid growing cold.

Un-answered prayer? Q1: Will God answer all my prayers? Q2: Will God say Yes to all my prayers? o God may say No to our prayers o And He often does Deal with our feelings and our response to God. Moses prayer answered - 1500 years later!

When God says No : o Trust God in all circumstances. God s way may be mysterious, o But His way is never a mistake. When His ways are confusing, o We need to trust His heart.

Matthew 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Which responsible father o Would plan evil for his children? o Give his children everything they want?

Our Heavenly Father o Will always hear our prayers. o Will only give us what is best for us! 1 John 5:14-15 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us whatever we ask we know that we have what we asked of him.

Trust the good heart of our Heavenly Father o Whatever He gives us o Whatever He does not give us is the best for us. In CS Lewis Prince Caspian, Aslan said: Every year you grow, so shall I CS Lewis: I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice?

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