Conflict With Unanswered Prayer Part 2

Reese Flores looking to Jesus, founder and perfecter when God chooses to not answer our prayers. We may think he's forgotten is when you may have more in store for us than we ever dreamed. That was the case for David Freire to build the temple was denied instead God would build an eternal kingdom from the Moody Church in Chicago this morning to with Dr. when Luzerne was clear. Teaching helps us make it across the finish line in a 10 part series through the life of King David. Pastor lets her in our look at conflict with unanswered prayer. We've seen God giving David new promises a new intimacy and a new project. Yes, it is so important for us to recognize that God does not simply say no and leave us there. He gives us a substitute and no matter what that substitute might be. It always includes new intimacy and of course fellowship with him, let me ask you a question many of you who listen to running to win regularly. You perhaps have missed some of the messages in this series.

The series is entitled growing through conflict lessons from the life of David. I believe that it would be a great blessing if you are to have this series and permanent form so that you can listen to it again and again shared with your friends for a gift of any amount were making it available. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 something else that God gave David that day, God gave him new intimacy new intimacy in a new relationship with him. Notice it says in verse 18, David, the king went and sat for the Lord and he said my old Lord God and what is my house that has brought me thus far and yet this was insignificant in thine eyes, old Lord God, for thou has spoken. Also of the house of thy servant concerning the distant future. Verse 22 thou art great old Lord, for there is none like him. There is no God, beside the according to all that we have heard with our ears and David spells out before the Lord his own heart and he and God are closer than they have ever been, you know, sometimes when God says no.

Here's what he does. He says look I not feel that desire that you're asking about, but I am going to give you the fulfillment of another desire which is even more basic which is even more necessary, and that is a need for myself because at the end of the day. That is always always our greatest need is George McDonald, says you know a child runs away and then comes home because he's hung, but he needs his mother more than he does suffer, and I want you to know today that our great by meeting need is always for you now in biblical times.

It was an agricultural society so people would pray and they would ask God for a good crop just like we used to do on the farm to you need a good crop yeah you got bills to pay. I know that during the harvest at such a time of rejoicing. You know what it says in Psalm verse chapter 4 verse seven it says that the gladness you oh Lord to give me within my heart is greater then the grain and did you why it's better than a good crop goddesses when I say no I say no. It's an invitation for you to draw closer to me and to know that I may say no to your request, but I'm saying yes I'm saying yes to more intimate fellowship you look at what people desire today and how can it be described except for pleasure. Right is not what everybody lives for the good time and that there's nothing wrong with the problem.

The problem of the world as is not that is going for pleasure, just that it's satisfied with such puny pleasures there better plaque pleasures at the right hand of God the father, but there are many Christians even who know nothing of those kinds of pleasures you see I like what CS Lewis says he says we are halfhearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea, we are far too easily satisfied. You want to live for pleasure left for pleasure when you do go for the greatest of that is the knowledge of God. Knowledge of today that sits before the Lord says God I can't believe this. I was going to do something great for you you're doing now something for me that is far greater than my plans were for you your dream for me is much bigger than my dream was and I'm just going to sit before the Lord and I go to worship you and you know that's another example of intimacy that God brings about through unanswered prayer. Sometimes not even takes us and we are sick and we are laid aside because it is there on the shelf away from all the hustle and the bustle that we finally give God is due. Finally, given the time that we thought we never had when it was all going well. Intimacy, Martha, Martha, say, Jesus, thou art careful and our troubled about many things but one thing is needful and that is your sister Mary is sitting here at my feet. David sitting with God. I have to ask you how far along are you in your Christian walk you ever just plain enjoy God come into his presence, not because you have a request.

Not because you absolutely need this request answered so that you might be fulfilled now are all kinds of unfulfilled desires that people have in life and they live with those unfulfilled desires, but their greatest desire is fulfilled, and that is what you come to enjoy them and say God I'm sitting in your present through your word and through your promises, you reveal yourself to me and I just want to tell you how great you are, how wonderful you are. I want to have some secrets that only you and I know about the secret place sitting in his presence.

What did God say to David when he said no. He said David going to give you some new promises. Secondly, I'm going to give you some new new intimacy new intimacy and thirdly he says I'm going to give you a new project, a new project in first Chronicles 29 we have the very interesting story of how the text tells us that David decided that though he was. Not permitted to build the temple he would help Solomon build the temple by preparing all the materials and it says in that passage, the David said with all my heart, Lord, I have gathered to silver and I have gathered goal that I have gathered timber to prepare for someone else to do what I couldn't. Now there's an idea you have an unanswered prayer. Why don't you get in on the somebody else was able to do what you can't and get in on their dream.

Let me put it a little more clearly your dream is broken, smashed, find someone else whose dream you can help be fulfilled.

You want to go to the mission field, but you can't send somebody else be there support system be there prayers and their money and you help them fulfill their dream. And God will bless you because of your servant role you desire. Children that is the great desire of your heart. You say that I just can't live with a sense of fulfillment in God is not given you children become surrogate parents find some other children who need you and fulfill your dream in their lives in their lives.

You want a certain vocation in God is not allowed you to have that location. The education that you hope that you would have has not come to you. Find someone who is able to do.

Perhaps what you cannot and get next to them and help them selflessly help them fulfill your dream and you know what Gotto do.

It will bless you for it will bless you for taxes in the Old Testament if you give your self to the needs of the hungry and if you remember the poor and if you knock yourself out for somebody else that's a very loose Syrian translation is as if you do all that God says that your light shall arise within your own soul, and you will be goddesses. David, the answer is no, but you got some new promises new intimacy and a new project you can help.

You can help. What is the bottom line.

I think the bottom line is this, that when God says no to us. The reason that he says no is because his dream for us is greater than our dream for ourselves. He's got a better dream.

I know that's a tough sell is a tough sell. So just grasp it in faith and hang onto it. One day, the apostle Paul was going through a very difficult time. He said he had a scallops that's the Greek word at thorn in the flesh.

We don't know what it was.

Was it malaria was it bad eyesight.

Was it some people with whom he worked tell you there. Some thorns in the flesh that sometimes come about, not the ones that are on the platform. I don't know what it was but pulses three times. He says I prayed to the Lord and I so God remove this remove it, remove it.

Talk about a very specific prayer goddesses know answer denied God is not harsh none is just as if he said no to hear no no no goddesses pole.

My grace is sufficient for you, my strength is perfected in weakness.

Pulses most likely will I therefore rather than my infirmity. I glory in the very thing I ask God to remove the power of Christ may rest upon Izzy. God's dream for Paul was a better dream than the one he had his dream was.

Get me out of this goddesses and alleviate net.

I'll give you the grace to Barrett and my power and my blessing will be upon you in a way that you would not have experienced. If I had answered your prayer.

My dream is bigger and it is better than yours. One day there was a man sitting in prison's name was John the Baptist.

John the God blessed John me there is he's telling the king what to do. Tell enemies living in immorality, and he gets thrown into jail you know the whole story and and here is and it dungeons in those days were not like the prison systems in Illinois tell you they were terrible.

Mary is in jail and his half cousin Jesus is preaching about all these wonderful things going all these wonderful miracles in he's beginning to think you know that's really neat. That's really really neat. Here you can pull this off. I'm in jail because of righteousness. And he won't lift a finger to get me out of this mess, and he began to doubt whether Jesus was the Messiah are not nothing wrong with some doubts sometimes said that he who has never doubted his really never really believed he's just trying to put it together.

I need it doesn't add up. If he were German, he would have said as she camped next is just not the way it's supposed to be and so he sends a delegation to Jesus. Remember nieces Jesus.

Are you the one that should come or should we look for another. Have I miss read the divine intention that you remember the story, Jesus sends a delegation back and says no tell John a couple of things tell him that the debtor being raised. The blinder seeing the poor having the gospel preached unto them, but don't and your little speech there at a little footnote and say this blessed is he who is not because of me.

Blessed is the person who is not upset with the way in which I run my business.

Blessed is the person who goes on believing even when he's not delivered at his prayers are unanswered. John of course had no answer to his prayers.

He was beheaded and that was the end of it. You know what John died before he heard Jesus say these marvelous words. Jesus said to his disciples. I want you to know that there is none born of woman that is as great as John the Baptist. He did know that Jesus had that kind of an opinion of here's this person who's going through all this suffering all this despair, all of the disappointments of life, one after another after an outer continually being not down and there does not seem to be any help from heaven and they would like to give up and they don't know but that Jesus might be saying to the father of those born of woman there's no greater and then name the person why because Jesus says I know that your dream isn't there, but I've got bigger and better one.

Your suffering is precious and eternally speaking eternally. There will be such an explosion of wonder over the life that you live in the glory that will be revealed, that you will say insincerity. It was worth it all.

But you don't see that here you don't see that here, but in the end you will the end you will because my dream is bigger than yours and when I say no because I'm saying yes to something much more grand. I asked the Lord for strength that I might do great things.

He gave me infirmity that I might do better things. I asked for riches that I might be happy. He gave me poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might sway man. He gave me weakness that I might learn God's grace I asked for companionship that I might be fulfilled. He gave me loneliness that I might be feeling my need of God. I received nothing that I asked for but really all that I hoped for all that I hope for because please believe me when I tell you that when God says no. When God says no. It's always because it is something better in mind something more eternal something more lasting is another man who prayed and God said no it was agonizing in the garden of Gethsemane laid out before the Lord as he prayed in the sweat came to his brow and as he was in great agony he prayed and said father if it be possible, let this cup pass from me if there is some way to get out of the horror that I am about to partake of do it. Nevertheless, by will be done and you member the father did not deliver them. Father did not deliberately went all the way to the cross and because he went to the cross and because he bore our sins and because he was nailed, there is the son of God and the sins of those who believed were laid upon his shoulders and he became legally guilty up there in the teeth. Because of that God had something greater for him because he humbled himself, God has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is a will that would've been true even if he wouldn't have died, yes, of course, because he was God.

But in a new way. It now became true, it became true because he earned that right as the God man because God's dream for him was greater than the dream that he had when he was wrestling with a little of God in Gethsemane and you know that because he was obedient to accepting a note from God. There is now a prayer that all of us can pray that God will always accept that wonderful there's some things that God will not thoroughly give us his many promises but is not promised to do everything that we ask as we learned today.

There's one prayer that we can pray that we can have the assurance that when it is prayed, it will be answered. Bible says whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. He that believes in him has eternal life. Why, because there was someone who took his dreams and gave them to God and believe that when God said no it was because there was something better greater grand more eternal, but he had in mind. And if you agree, let us pray. Her father and all the busyness of life. Help us to sit before the Lord to know that when you say no you always give us a greater measure of yourself. You fulfill the greater need, though the lesser is unfulfilled grant is that father we pray for all those who have been disappointed in God. For those who long since have given up on prayer bring them today sweep them into your presence. We pray and show them your glory and show them yourself and show them your interest in their lives, then father may they pray as they never prayed before.

With the promises, the intimacy, the optimists of those who walk with God grant us that Lord for so many injustices so many reasons why, sometimes you've answered prayers, and sometimes you haven't and it just makes no sense to us. Help us to know that it doesn't have to. What makes sense is your presence grant that father in May. We this week.

Take time to sit before the Lord and for those who have never called upon you, and have been saved. We pray in the name of Jesus that you might grant them the ability to do that Christ will I think that is all of us maturing the Christian life. We realize that we do not live by explanations relived by promises that me ask you a question. Do you know someone who would benefit from these messages. Perhaps you've been able to listen to all of them but you know others who you believe will be blessed and challenged and helped where making this series of messages available to you for a gift of any amount. These messages can be yours in permanent form. The title of course of the series growing through conflict lessons from the life of David as we learn these lessons were reminded of how his life really does apply to all of us and at the end of the day helps us with our intimacy with God. Here's how you can contact us. You can go to RTW offer.com that when you're there. We want to thank you in advance for your gift because it is your gifts that make this ministry possible.

Go to RTW offer.com or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for this series of messages titled growing through conflict lessons from the life of David, of course, the series of messages traces him from when he was simply a shepherd boy all the way through his struggles with Saul his kingship. His failures and ultimately it ends. Of course with the death of David when he is finally ushered into the presence of the God whom he loved to series that we believe will help you will bless you growing through conflict lessons from the life of David. You can write to is running to win 1635 LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 with the example of Jesus himself. When server has concluded conflict with unanswered prayer. The seventh message in his series growing through conflict.

A study in the life of King David. Next time. Join us for the famous story of David and Bathsheba story of passions and conflict. This is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church