Delay or Denial

It has been said that God always answers prayers. He may not answer them the way we want Him to. Sometimes He says yes and gives us what we asked for. There are other times when the answer is no. Additionally there are other times when He says wait. We love it when He says yes. We are disappointed when He says no. When the answer is delayed we get disillusioned. 

How are we supposed to know the difference when God is delaying the answer for His purposes or when He denies our requests? We may not like it, but most of us know there are some things God is going to deny. It is not in His will for us. I love [I Jn 5:14-15] where we are assured if we pray in God's will we will get what we ask. Knowing what God wills it not always easy to discern. There are some things God is going to deny no matter how hard we pray. Like me playing in the NFL. I did ask God for that as a child. God denied it because His plan was for me pastor and preach. 

Recently, I resolved to only pray for what I felt assured was in God's will. I focused on asking God for what He desired to do in and around my life. It surprised me how my prayer list whittled down to very few things. We all have wants. We ask God for what we desire. We are not guaranteed to get all our desires. We will be denied many if not most of those things. That doesn't mean God is unkind, uncaring, or uninterested in the affairs of our lives. It means God knows what is best. That is hard to believe when God doesn't heal the loved one, when the prodigal continues a life of profligate living, and the finances dwindle until there is nothing left because the answer was delayed. 

God knows what He is doing. He certainly does not need my finite mind to help Him govern the universe. He also knows what is best. Past experience reminds me that I have fouled things up by making wrong decisions. He knows best and I am learning to trust Him even when I can't see the full outcome. He is also on time. Think about it. Has God ever been late for anything? His timing is perfect. 

If His timing is perfect, then His delays have purpose. Abraham and Sarah did not like waiting for a son of their own. They took matters into their own hands when Abraham married a servant girl and had Ishmael with her. That was not God's intended plan. Abraham and Sarah waited on their promised son for two and a half decades. They clung to faith and hope. In due time, at the proper time, and at the right time Sarah conceived and months later gave birth to Isaac. 

There are other instances in the Bible when God's timing proved perfect. Joseph from the book of Genesis felt forgotten sitting in a prison. His brothers sold him as a slave. His boss's wife falsely accused him of sexual assault when she was the aggressor. At the right time, Pharaoh had two dreams nobody could interpret. His cupbearer, who was incarcerated with Joseph for a short time, remembered Joseph interpreted a dream for him in prison. Joseph was brought to Pharaoh and prayerfully interpreted his dreams about coming abundance followed by years of famine. Joseph was promoted from prison to the palace in a day. Joseph was elevated to second in command over all Egypt. Later, he realized that God sent him to Egypt as a slave, prisoner, and leader to preserve the beginnings of the nation of Israel. God's timing proved perfect. 

If your prayers are getting denied, I challenge you to live out [Ps 37:4]. Fulfill the conditions on the front end and you will reap the reward on the backend. Start seeking what God wills to be done and pray [I Jn 5:14-15] with confidence. If we focus on praying what God wills to be done, we can be assured we will see less prayers denied. 

I exhort you to read [Luke 18:1] and learn to pray with perseverance when God delays the answers in coming.  Press on. Pray on. Don't lose heart. Trust that He will answer at just the right time when He has arranged all the circumstances and when He gets the most glory. Then, we get to brag on what God did. That in turn will encourage and inspire others to keep trusting and to keep praying while prayers are being delayed. 

A Dangerous Trend

Whether we like it or not, artificial intelligence is here and it is here to stay. Many praise the benefits. Others warn of the impending dangers. A.I. is a present reality that is already impacting our world. Coupled with the sobering truth that Gen Alpha, those born in 2010 and afterward, is considered the most anxious generation to ever live. One of the ways many of those students are coping with anxiety is by turning to A.I. for personal support. 1:4 Gen Alphas say that A.I. knows and understands them better than any person. 

A.I. is not a person. It is a thing. If not checked, A.I. could even become a substitute for God. A.I. is rewriting the Bible. I have zero confidence in the inerrancy and infallibility of that finished document. Not in a world who claim God does not exist. Not in a world who rewrite laws God established long ago. Not in a world that values most things God opposes. 

One report said as high as 72% of Alpha students turn to A.I. for personal support. It is easy to type in your question and get an instant response even if it is wrong. Believe me when I write A.I. is no match for God. Let God download all His understanding and the hard drives would crash and burn. God's understanding is unmatched. His power unequaled. 

When Gen Alpha, who have been hurt and had trust broken, was asked what they wanted people to know about them, their answer was simple. They list very high on what they want from adults is for them to listen without judging. As we get older, judging comes easier. We complain about the music being too loud, hair being too long on boys, too short on girls, that they are glued to their cell phones, are lazy, and that they are unfaithful to church. Tap the brakes. 

The church that was supposed to protect them and nurture them has been one of the institutions that has hurt many of them. One sex abuse scandal after another has broken the trust of these students. These students have been criticized, ostracized, and marginalized by many congregations. They are labeled as the anxious generation. No generation before them has faced greater mental health challenges as they do. Especially the girls. Some dismiss the whole idea of mental health even being an issue people struggle with. Such naysayers adopt the attitude of, "Suck it up buttercup." I confess that has been my attitude by and large. I need the attitude Jesus had toward people.

It is interesting that Gen Alpha is open to Jesus but distrusting of the church. Christians are supposed to be representatives of Jesus Christ. Yet, it is us Christians that give the church a bad name. We violate that sacred trust when we have morale failures in leadership. We mismanage that trust when we look down our pious noses in disgust at a generation of students far different that we are. 

Jesus had compassion for people. Matt 9: 36 All kinds of people. He loved people others labeled unlovable. He embraced sinners that religious people shunned. He forgave the ones others condemned. He comforted people the religious leaders hurt. Christians must become more like Jesus if we ever hope to help the "anxious generation."