The ad reads:
How should you pray? What prayers does God answer? What does it take to be heard?With my recent post, I had to check it out.
I'm quite sure the site is hosted by Campus Crusade for Christ, but I could be wrong.
I began reading the site and had some concerns.
Such as:
So, Why Doesn't God Answer Everyone's Prayers?Does God really not answer everyone's prayers?
It may be because they don't have a relationship with God. They may know that God exists, and they might even worship God from time to time. But those who never seem to have their prayers answered probably don't have a relationship with him. Further, they have never received from God complete forgiveness for their sin. What does that have to do with it you ask? Here is an explanation. "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God. Your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear."
Now granted, God may not answer everyone's prayers the way we want Him to. But I believe God listens and answers everyone's prayers.
If God only answers the prayers of the "saved" how in the world would anyone be saved? We don't have a relationship with him until we accept Him as our Savior.
Am I missing something in my theology? Did all the people in the New Testament have a relationship with Christ before they asked Him to heal them or their child or family member?
Did the theif on the cross have a relationship with Christ before he asked to be let into the kingdom of heaven?
I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments on this. Let me know what I might be missing.
1 comment:
Yes, you're right; EveryStudent.com is a Campus Crusade for Christ site.
While I don't speak in an official capacity for CCC, I am a staff member with them, and I work with the EveryStudent.com team.
I think you are also right that God hears and answers the prayers of unbelievers. The context and level of expectation is what comes into play here.
The writer of that article was explaining why an unbeliever shouldn't expect God to answer their prayers, despite the fact that he might. The relationship is the key.
Growing up, my parents would feed my friends and me lunch at our house. If one of my friends came to the front door and asked my dad for some food, he would probably give it to them, but that request would be completely different than me, his son, asking him if I could have something to eat. The basis of the request is different based on the relationship.
Also, how will someone who doesn't have a relationship with God know God's answer to their prayer? How will God guide them without the Holy Spirit? How does God feel about granting requests to someone who may have already rejected God's most precious answer of all; his only son?
If someone wants to come to God as though he is their father, they first need to come to God as though they are his children; in faith.
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