Prayers that get answered
Say what you feel. Jeremiah was an amazing bloke. He had an amazing relationship to God and God used him in ways beyond his own comprehension. If we look at his prayers we are shocked. Shocked by the things they say and shocked that God answers his prayers when they are so selfish, so arrogant and so theologically incorrect. But right at the start let me point out, God would rather honest prayer than something theologically correct. Jeremiah belly aches, asked God to take revenge for him and questions what God is doing. All things I am too chicken to say to God. But he is right out there in front of God. No pretense, no mask and no mucking about. So tonight we are going to learn that it is ok to question God, Ok to ask him to take revenge for us and Ok to complain. 1. A good Aussie way of saying complain is belly aching. This is really what Jeremiah does a number of times to God. JER 15:15 You understand, O LORD; remember me and care for me. Avenge me on my persecutors. You are long-suffering–do not take me away; think of how I suffer reproach for your sake. JER 15:16 When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty. JER 15:17 I never sat in the company of revelers, never made merry with them; I sat alone because your hand was on me and you had filled me with indignation. JER 15:18 Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable? Will you be to me like a deceptive brook, like a spring that fails? He is saying I did everything you asked and look what I get for it – nothing. Criticism, persecution, get laughed at, the list goes on. Ever felt like that. Did you complain to God? Well I think we should. If we have a real relationship with God, He wants to know how we feel. He knows how amazing he is and he wants us to worship, but He had this included in his word the bible so he wants us to take note. We do notice that God deals with the issue. JER 15:19 Therefore this is what the LORD says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them.
Notice that God is saying that’s enough, I’ve heard you now stop it. Don’t continue like this. He does not criticize the fact that Jeremiah confronted God, but to change where he is at. Repent, turn around and have a different way of reacting.
Whenever we pray, expect God to answer. The answer may be a challenge, a positive , a negative, but usually a directive. My dad used to say God answers in Yes , no and wait.
It is Ok to belly ache only if we are willing to listen to what God has to say about it.
2. The next thing Jeremiah does is ask God to revenge him. This is a bit weird, asking God to punish his own people, but that’s what Jere asks for. Jere 18:19f JER 18:19 Listen to me, O LORD; hear what my accusers are saying! JER 18:20 Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember that I stood before you and spoke in their behalf to turn your wrath away from them. JER 18:21 So give their children over to famine; hand them over to the power of the sword. Let their wives be made childless and widows; let their men be put to death, their young men slain by the sword in battle. JER 18:22 Let a cry be heard from their houses when you suddenly bring invaders against them, for they have dug a pit to capture me and have hidden snares for my feet. JER 18:23 But you know, O LORD, all their plots to kill me. Do not forgive their crimes or blot out their sins from your sight. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger. Look at that Last verse. Do not forgive their crimes. Wow, this is outa line. Or is it????Are we agreeing with God’s law if we ask God to carry out justice? I don’t know, and I certainly can not asked God to wipe people out. Aren’t we to forgive 70 x70???? Yes, we are. But here is a honest heartfelt prayer. Jeremiah is disgusted at how the people are treating God. Can’t we be disgusted as well???? Yes. What is God’s response? A broken pot!! A symbol of destruction. God actually agreed. But here we have to be careful, it is not our job to decide who s to be punished, it is God’s. Jeremiah asks God to deal with it, he doesn’t try to do it himself. Now that is an important lesson. 3. The last prayer we want to look at is Jeremiah’s questioning of God. Jere 32:17-25“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. 18 You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the fathers’ sins into the laps of their children after them. O great and powerful God, whose name is the LORD Almighty, 19 great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to all the ways of men; you reward everyone according to his conduct and as his deeds deserve. 20 You performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, both in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours. 21 You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror. 22 You gave them this land you had sworn to give their forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey. 23 They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law; they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster upon them. JER 32:24 “See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the city will be handed over to the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said has happened, as you now see. 25 And though the city will be handed over to the Babylonians, you, O Sovereign LORD, say to me, `Buy the field with silver and have the transaction witnessed.’ “ Here we have a real expression of wondering what is going on. God is going to destroy them but He tells Jeremiah to buy an investment property. If the nation is going to be wiped out, why buy. The value is going to be zilch. There is a reason. Yes God will punish, but there is a bigger picture. God will punish then forgive. Yo, this is huge. The property as an investment is a long term thing. We can question what God is doing, but He has a much bigger picture than us. Think long term. Why are we all here together? Think long term. For the good of Armidale – long term. We need to strategize, we need to plan, not only what we will be doing this year, but next and in ten years and plan for our kids and grand kids. Too long term?? Not for God. He may have some answers if we ask. Where are we headed?? What the future got in store? I don’t know but God does. So what have we learnt tonight? 1. It is ok to pray how you feel. Belly ache, question, get mad.2. Expect an answer, then expect to have to act on it.3. Ask God – think big – and get ready for something to happen.
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