Answered Prayer Through Opportunity

God doesn't always answer our prayers the way we would like. Often He provides the opportunity to develop characteristics He desires in us, along with the end result we desire.

by Dale Schurter

"When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly" (Matthew 6:6, emphasis added).

Let's carefully examine two of the words Jesus Christ uses here to describe how our Heavenly Father promises to answer our prayers. These words are reward and openly.

Reward: A benefit obtained as a result of an action taken or a job done; something positive that follows a desired response and acts to encourage desired behavior.

Openly: Willingly, responsively, directly, truthfully, publicly, sympathetically (World English Dictionary).

As the meanings of these words sink in, we willingly desire to go to our "room" (private place), shut the door and pray to our Father. "Our room," is not the only place we pray, but also represents a state of mind, the mental attitude in which we pray. This environment provides a "private place" for personal fellowship with our God, any time, any place.

In contrast, praying hypocritically is described in verse 5:

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."

How Does God Answer?

How does our Heavenly Father answer? Does He always answer in a manner we personally desire at the time of our request? Are we sure our "idea" of answered prayer is always the correct one? If an answer is provided differently than we expect, are we discouraged or disappointed?

Sometimes we do receive an immediate answer to our petitions, don't we? I well remember one of these immediate answers early in my ministry. After giving the sermon one Sabbath in Shreveport, Louisiana, a member in his middle 80s requested prayer and anointing for his wife, also in her 80s. She was at home in bed with severe back pain. Several brethren, my wife and I accompanied him to their home.

We knelt at her bedside before our Creator. When I removed my hands following the anointing and prayer, she did not move or make a sound. Had she passed out?

I quickly asked, "Are you okay?" She opened her eyes, "I don't have any pain at all, and I'm afraid to move."

She slowly began to move to the edge of the bed, sat up, stood up, bent over nearly touching the floor with her hands, then straightened up and repeated the exercise—both crying and laughing at the same time. We joined her with joy and sincere gratitude toward our Healer (Exodus 15:26).

Sometimes we receive an immediate answer and sometimes a little at a time, over time. As we watch and pray, we watch the fruits in our life and pray to always know and be in His will.

Through Opportunity

Another way of answering prayer our Heavenly Father uses provides multiple benefits. I call it "opportunity answered prayer" or answered prayer through the opportunities God provides.

The key word is opportunity. God provides the opportunity to grow in grace and knowledge while we are receiving answers to our requests. This method of answering prayer includes our personal involvement and participation.

How many of us have prayed for courage? When watching and reflecting on my own experience, the answer to praying for courage often came by way of an opportunity to be courageous. Opportunity was provided, but I had to choose, in faith, to make the decision to accept the opportunity or reject it. In reality, the choice was mine to accept or reject my Father's answer.

Through this process of answered prayer, we receive and retain the courage to meet the challenge again, and with expanded courage to meet even greater challenges. We not only develop more courage, but also more confidence, more peace of mind, strengthened faith and less fear. We grow in godly character and are truly encouraged.

We pray for faith —we are given the opportunity to be faithful.

We pray for strength —our Maker provides the opportunity to be strong, to stand strong, to make a difference. And as we meet the opportunity with faith, and now with more courage, we become stronger, more resolute and steadfast in righteousness. That's answered prayer.

We pray for knowledge —He provides the opportunity to learn.

We pray for understanding —He provides the opportunity to receive understanding. For example, when we received knowledge of the Sabbath, we were given the opportunity to observe the Sabbath. We stepped out in faith and acted on the opportunity. We began to observe the Sabbath where we were in faith and knowledge. As we did, we received understanding of why—its purpose—its value and benefits. Another answered prayer.

"A good understanding have all those who do His commandments" (Psalm 111:10).

"I will run the course of Your commandments… And I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love. My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes" (Psalm 119:32, 47-48).

David ran into action to keep and guard the commandments of the Almighty, and he became a man after His heart. As we do the same, we continue to grow in grace, in knowledge, in understanding, in godly character. We, too, become a person after the hearts of our Father and Savior. And as we continue to observe these laws of freedom as a way of life, we continue to grow in godly character—purging (and replacing) the ways of the god of this world, with the way of the Kingdom (Hebrews 9:13-14).

Is not the ultimate of answered prayer a continuing walk in physical and spiritual healing and maturing in righteousness for the rest of our natural life and beyond? Isn't it a purifying of conscience and heart resulting in a mature godly character? Absolutely.

Ask, Seek, Knock

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened" (Matthew 7:7-8).

Asking, seeking and knocking include personal action. When we pray, we need to be alert and watching for opportunity to participate in receiving our request. In the middle of a raging flood, mentally or physically, we pray for rescue. But when a boat or airlift opportunity arrives, we must take action to get on board to be saved.

We praise Him in prayer, with thanksgiving and within the loving guidelines of His laws (commandments, statutes, precepts, testimonies and judgments). Within this environment we can be confident we are making our praises, our petitions and requests according to His will. As we do this, we know we will receive what we ask for, either directly or through opportunity—every time! Either way, is it not still a miracle?

Included in this, we must fully accept His timing, even when we offer up urgent requests. Our faith and trust is that He always has our ultimate best interest at heart. Truly, this is the way to peace—peace of mind and inner tranquility!

Praying for Fruit

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering [patience], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness [meekness], self-control. Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).

Consider how God often answers our prayer for more of the fruit of His Spirit.

Love: We pray for more love, and He gives us the opportunity to express and demonstrate love to Him and to others. And as we do, additional character is developed in us and we become more loving. That's answered prayer.

Joy: We pray for joy and are often given the opportunity to provide a joyful environment for others. And when we do, we receive and share in the joy. Another answered prayer.

Peace: We are often given the opportunity to be a peacemaker.

Longsuffering (patience): We are given the opportunity to exercise patience.

Kindness: We are given the opportunity to be kind, to offer and demonstrate kindness and we become a kinder person.

Goodness: We are given the opportunity to do good.

Faithfulness: We are given the opportunity to be faithful and our faith increases.

Gentleness (meekness): We are given the opportunity to be gentle and meek, and we become more gentle (Proverbs 15:1).

Self-control: We are given the opportunity to exercise control over our personal behavior.

The fruit of the Spirit is fruit our Father and Savior in us produces. It is up to us to harvest the fruit, lest it decay on the vine or fall to the ground.

The harvest of the fruit the Spirit produces is God's nature and character in us. This character is then reflected in our life every day, leading how we think and what we do. It provides our most effective method of preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. As we harvest these fruits, our opportunity and responsibility is to plant these seeds wherever we are, wherever we go, whatever we do.

And as we do, our "branches" (yes, pruned from time to time), continue to grow to produce more fruit, more seeds, for a greater harvest for the Kingdom of God. That's how He uses opportunity to answer prayer.

"So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith" (Galatians 6:10, New Revised Standard Version).

What a joy! What a privilege! What an opportunity! UN

Vain Repetition: A Dangerous Race in the Desert

In teaching His disciples to pray, Jesus Christ said: "And when you pray, do not use vain [useless] repetitions as the heathen do [do not keep on babbling like the gentiles]. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

"Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him" (Matthew 6:7-8).

I'm reminded of an example of "vain repetition" I saw some years ago when on assignment in Saudi Arabia. The day following our arrival, the king's brother, Prince Mamdouh Al-Saoud, invited us to a meeting and banquet in the desert near the Red Sea, some 70 miles southwest of Jidda.

We took off across the desert sands "cruising" between 60 and 75 miles an hour. It quickly became evident this was more of a race to see which vehicle could "nudge" closest in line behind the limo of the prince.

A professor from the university and I were the only ones in our vehicle with Richard, our driver. We raced along in the dust, our "steed" literally leaving the ground when encountering sand mounds.

Richard was determined to move forward from our present ninth position. As the lead car turned a partial corner, we cut out of line and headed "cross-country" aiming at fourth position.

I turned to check on the professor, but did not immediately see him. Looking over the back of the seat, there he was on the floorboard praying, babbling away as he moved his fingers from bead to bead, repeating the same words over and over—looking down, then looking up with fear-filled eyes.

As we approached the line of vehicles, it seemed certain we would crash into one of them. Then a space opened behind car four and we were now fifth in line. The professor slowly returned to the seat.

Though I was thankful we were safe, I don't believe our safety had anything to do with the professor's rote prayers. Repetitious babbling is what he had been taught to do. Quite different from the instructions of the Bible.

—Dale Schurter