Key Life Network

Steve Brown: If you want faith for God's sake, and yours, ask. Let's talk on K-Life.

Matthew: K-Life is a radio program for struggling believers sick of funny religion and pious clichés. Our host and teacher is seminary professor Steve Brown. He teaches that radical freedom leads to infectious joy and surprising faithfulness.

Steve Brown: Thank you, Matthew. If you were listening yesterday, I was telling you about Brian Hanson and his story of being a lonely little boy who was a nerd and didn't have any friends and was being raised in a toxic religious family. And as a little boy, and Jesus likes little boys, he said, God, could you bring me a friend? And the next day, a new boy came to school who was also a nerd and who also with Brant collected baseball cards. And they are friends after all these years. And we interviewed him on our talk show and he had just gotten a text from that long that long time friend.

What happened? He asked, that's what happened. And Jesus liked Brant and did that. Brant is one of the brightest, most fun and articulate people I know. But more important than that, Brant has a mountain moving faith. If uh Brant prayed for rain, I would get an umbrella. I've tried to get him to pray that I win the lottery, but so far he's refused. Jesus said, listen to this, or James said, this is in James 4 2 through 3. You desire, but you do not have, so you kill. You covet, but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight.

You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive because you ask with the wrong motives that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. Now, in a while, I'm going to deal with the wrong motives part of that promise. But first, don't miss the you do not have because you do not ask. As uh I mentioned, I told seminary students that they get a front row row seat to watch the supernatural actions of God. That's true. I've been doing this religion thing for a long time, maybe even before you were born.

And I've watched. Let me bring my witness into the conversation. Frankly, and this is honest, I've seen a lot of unanswered prayer. Well, my friend Jerry Perry says God always answers prayers. And he says to me, that was just because Jesus said no. Well, I've gotten a lot of no's. Uh unanswered prayer. Frankly, I've seen a lot of that. I've held parents in my arms as they wept over the death of their child. I've stood beside more death beds than I can even remember when family and friends had prayed for healing. And I've lamented the pain with those I've loved when their hopes and plans had crashed against the rocks of reality.

One time with when Ruth Graham was asked if all her prayers had been answered, she replied, of course not. If all of them had been answered, I would have married the wrong man several times. That makes me laugh. Uh but so many unanswered prayers cause me to weep. But and there's always that. I've also seen, you wouldn't believe how many answered prayers for which I have no explanation except a supernatural God answering the prayers of those he loves in a supernatural way. I know a man who was healed of ALS and that never happens. I've conducted healing services uh and Presbyterians hardly ever do that.

We used to do it on Wednesday nights where God answered so many prayers. Cancer healed, lifelong pain ceased, surgeries canceled, hatreds dissipated, marriages restored, emotional issues resolved. It goes on and on that I winced whenever I talked about it because I was afraid nobody would believe it. Not only are healing services hardly ever conducted by Presbyterians. Presbyterians don't often believe anything happened either. And then, as I mentioned earlier in my own family, we have a daughter who was healed of a horrible birth issue. When the doctor reexamined her, he said, I don't understand this. This is a miracle.

I believe God is a God of miracle. He's sovereign. He's good. But if you're in a place that's really dark and you need some help like yesterday, it would be a good thing to ask. That's what James said. You don't have because you don't ask. Anne Lamont, whose language leaves a lot to be desired, who loves Jesus as much as anybody uh I know and whose politics are not my politics, said that she believed in three kinds of prayer. And she said it was this. Help me, God. Secondly, help me right now. And third, thank you, God.

God still a supernatural God listens to the prayers of his people. You think about that. Amen. Well, it's Wednesday and sometimes on Wednesdays when I have a little time, I take the time to answer one or two questions. And you've heard me say a thousand times, we love your questions. You can uh you can pick up the phone 24/7 and dial 1-800 K-Life. That's 1-800-539-5433. Uh and record your question and sometimes we put that on the air. Or you can send your question to K-Life Network, Post Office Box 5000 Maitland, Florida 32794. In Canada, it's K-Life Canada, Post Office Box 28060 Waterloo, Ontario N2L 6J8.

Or you can email your question to steve at kelife.org. And uh you know I was going to say this because I've said this a thousand times. If you can help us financially, I would very much appreciate it. This is a very expensive ministry and we squeeze every dime for the glory of God. And I also understand that a lot of you can't do that and that's okay. But if you can be as generous as you can, and I promise we'll be as faithful as you were in giving your gift. All right, let's uh turn to one or two questions.

This is an email. Why do bad things happen? I understand bad things happen because of the sinful choices we as people make. But I've often wondered why God allows such horrific things to happen to people like the Holocaust or human trafficking. I don't know. You know, there are a lot of things that could be said about that and some of them are silly and some of them are thoughtful. C. S. Lewis often spoke of bad things happening. And he said, sometimes we universalize something that is happening only bad to one person at one time, no matter how much you multiply it.

And that's that's kind of true and I get that. Sometimes people say that we don't know the whole story. And this is a lot bigger than we think it is and it involves so much more than we think it does. And we are finite and we're small and we're little. So we don't know what's going on. Uh and there's probably, in fact I know there's some truth to that. Some people say, but you know, you don't know what God is doing. Romans 8:28 is still true. And things look bad right now, but God is working on those things to bring out something good.

You just don't see it yet. And I have to trust that that is true. Some people say God is not as good as you think he is. That's a lie. Some people say you don't have enough faith. That 's a lie. Some people say, ask him for anything and he'll do it because he's a magician and he does tricks for his people. That's a lie too. You put it all together, there's a miracle there. And that is the miracle of belief. And we've been talking about that on the broadcast. Why do we believe something as crazy as a good God when we live in a world like this?

I have no idea unless it's true. Where in the world did we get that idea if we didn't get it from him? And so sometimes God changes things, sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes we understand, sometimes we don't understand. Sometimes there is no earthly explanation for the bad things that are happen. But a miracle is taking place in the lives of God's people. And that is despite all of that. We still believe. Paul Stookey had a song number of years ago during the God is Dead movement and he went to church with his mother at Christmas. And he put a note in the in the offering plate.

It said, I believe in you. You do too and I do too. And that's a miracle in itself. Hey, K-Life is a listener supported production of K-Life Network.