Running To Win

Dave McAllister: Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. It's just possible that unanswered prayer can be a blessing. In fact, our very salvation depends on a prayer God did not answer. The cry of Jesus to let this cup pass from me went unheeded. But if that cup had passed from Jesus, none of us would have eternal life.

From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. "Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayers?" That's the title of Erwin Lutzer's new book, a book we'd like each of our listeners to have. Here again to discuss that book is Pastor Lutzer along with Pastor Larry McCarthy.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: This is Pastor Lutzer. I want to thank you so much for joining us today as we have a conversation about unanswered prayer. Joining me today in the studio is Larry McCarthy. Now, Larry is one of the pastors here at the Moody Church. He's a pastor of compassion and outreach.

But our discussion centers on a new book I've written entitled "Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayers?". We've all asked that question. The subtitle is "A Biblical Guide to God's Hidden Purposes." Now, when you look at the scriptures, you have to recognize the fact that God doesn't always answer people's prayers. Just no doubt about it.

And today we have two examples of that. And I want to say up front that you are going to be surprised and I believe greatly blessed when you realize that our redemption hinged on an unanswered prayer. Yes, you heard me correctly. There is a prayer that was prayed which, if it had been answered, you and I would not be redeemed.

I want you to perhaps get on the phone if you have time and call a friend and invite them to listen because our intention is to help you on your spiritual journey so that even in the midst of disappointment with God, you will continue to believe and you'll be able to accept those hidden purposes and move on.

You've heard me say it before, but so many people deconstruct, they leave the faith because of unanswered prayer. In my book, for example, I mention a girl who prayed. She was actually a quadriplegic. This was not Joni Eareckson, but someone who had a similar problem as she did. And this woman says, "God's promises seem to mock me." And so she moved away from the Lord.

Would you listen carefully? We're going to actually begin with a very famous unanswered prayer. It occurs in the 12th chapter of the book of 2 Corinthians. Larry, today we're discussing Paul's thorn in the flesh. What do you think it is?

Larry McCarthy: I love this chapter in the book. I really love this book and I think it's just going to be so practical. But as I'm reading about the thorn in the flesh and I've considered this now, he isn't specific. He doesn't tell us. We know he had something that was bothering him and he was asking for relief many times, but I was drawn to, I think these were hecklers because that expression, a thorn in your side, a thorn in the flesh, we see that in the Old Testament in Numbers and Joshua and in Ezekiel and it always refers to people that are harassing Israel.

And so I think at least that there are people following him around and reminding him of his past. "Hey Saul, Saul, don't you remember when we beat up on all those people? Hey Saul."

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: You know, later on actually in this very passage, he says, "I'm going to be content with false apostles who harass me" and so forth. So you might be absolutely right. On the other hand, I'm comforted by the fact that he does not specify what the thorn is so that you and I can insert into this passage whatever our thorn is. It may be people, it may be a physical ailment, whatever our thorn is.

Now, when the Apostle Paul prays, he's very sincere. He says, "I besought the Lord three times that it might be taken from me." And the third time, the first two times he doesn't hear anything, but the third time God speaks to him. And Larry, does God say yes or does God say no? What does God say to him?

Larry McCarthy: Well, the answer is no. But that which he comes away from it is that this was something personal given to you for a purpose. And I had to linger there and just shut my eyes and think about it. When the burdens come into my life, it isn't just this random haphazard thing that's happened. There's a specific—these are personalized, if you please, for each believer. They come into our lives for a reason.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: And God says, "No, I'm not going to give you what you're requesting, but I am going to give you something. I'm going to substitute it with another gift." And that gift is the gift of grace to be able to bear it. And so the Apostle Paul is saying here, "Lord, you didn't answer the prayer the way in which I thought you should. I wanted it to be taken away. But nonetheless, I am going to be content." In fact, I think he uses that word, doesn't he, Larry?

Larry McCarthy: Yes.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: He says, "I'm content with all of these problems because when I am weak, then"—not two weeks later—"but when I am weak, then am I strong." You know, in the book I use the illustration that when I was a boy on the farm and the only way in which we could get clothes is through a catalog. If we ordered a sweater, say, and it was in a certain size and a specific color, they oftentimes would send us a sweater that was the correct size but a different color because they didn't have the color that we wanted.

So they were saying in effect, "We're not giving you what you want, but we're giving you something like it, something that we hope you will be happy with." And in the very same way, God is saying, "I'm giving you grace." Now, what comes to mind is this: when you have a heavy burden, there are two ways that you can take care of it. Number one, God can take that burden from you, or God can give you strong shoulders by which you are able to bear the burden. And what God is saying to the Apostle Paul is this, "I'm not taking away your thorn, but I'm giving you grace. I'm going to give you the strength to be able to bear your challenge."

And actually, in context, this happened because God wanted to make sure that Paul would remain humble. And you know, the way in which we stay humble actually is by God giving us problems, and all of us have many of them, helping us to see our frailty, helping us to see that we can't solve the problems by ourselves and trusting Him. And that's what God did for the Apostle Paul.

Larry McCarthy: What a wonderful perspective. I've received this buffeting because of the abundance of the revelation I've received, so I don't get a big head. It keeps in perspective. And I want our listeners to be encouraged with what you just said, that sometimes God will lighten that burden. He'll lighten it up a little bit so that we can bear it, or He will remove it. You know, that chapter, which is Chapter 5 in the book entitled "Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayers?", I do tell the story about a widow by the name of Doris.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Now, she is in heaven, has been there a number of years, but I remember her testimony. She was angry at God because God had taken her husband. And she thought to herself, "God knows that I needed companionship and so forth and yet my husband died at a relatively young age." Now, here's the thing, and this relates to this passage. She said that she would drive to the church in her Buick, I think that's what she used to drive, and all the way cry and say, "Your grace is not sufficient. Your grace is not sufficient."

So she was contradicting what the Apostle Paul experienced here. Now, Larry, if you remember, and I know that you've read the book, what happened to her that was transforming?

Larry McCarthy: She goes to a prayer meeting and she's there with other ladies and she just unloads. She almost as if she's kept a database of every hurt and every disappointment and she just laments. It was more than cathartic for her because once she leaves there, she feels a burden that's been lifted from her and she's now saying, "Yes, your grace is sufficient."

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: I find that story fascinating. What she said also is, "I unloaded boatloads"—if I remember correctly—"boatloads of self-pity." So instead of accepting her circumstance from God, the fact that her husband died at a relatively young age, she maintained that anger toward God. And when we have that, indeed, we discover that His grace is not sufficient. You know, frequently it is said, "In acceptance, there is peace."

But Larry, I'm anxious to go to the next chapter of this book. It's Chapter 6, and remember the title of the book is "Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayers?". And remember at the end of this discussion, you're going to receive information as to how this book can be yours. But Chapter 6, I find this so fascinating. And even as I talk about Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, it's almost as if I want to take the shoes off of my feet because we are seeing here, if I might put it one way, God the Son praying to God the Father.

All of you will remember the story, of course. I'm taking it from the 14th chapter of the Gospel of Mark. Jesus enters Gethsemane with his twelve disciples and then he says to three of them, Peter, James, and John, "Come and watch with me." Now they fall asleep, which is a lesson of itself. But the agony that Jesus experiences, the cup as he put it, is beyond our ability to be able to comprehend.

Because in that cup was the wrath of God. And in the book, what I try to do is to explain how that hell is eternal and Jesus took our eternal hell and it was compressed for him in three hours of suffering. And there he is on the ground. We find from the book of Matthew that Jesus actually was facedown on the ground and he's agonizing. And Larry, he prays a prayer. And the prayer is this: "Remove this cup."

Larry McCarthy: Yes.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Now I want everyone who is listening to think about this. What if God had answered that prayer?

Larry McCarthy: We'd be lost.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: We'd be lost. As a matter of fact, Jesus asked the Father that three times: "Remove this cup." And what we have to do is to recognize that our redemption—our redemption depended upon an unanswered prayer. Now this gives me chills to say. But if the Father had responded and said, "You know, from what I've seen of humanity, it's really not worth it. Let's abort the plan," you and I would not be redeemed.

Larry McCarthy: No, we'd be lost. You know, I had the privilege of traveling Israel with you. We were on the Mount of Olives and we looked over this grove, and it took me back to that really precious time when we were there. And as you pointed out here, the Father gave him this cup.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Oh, Larry, that is so transforming and it's very applicable to us as well. Larry, I've often thought about this. Jesus did not say, "The cup that Judas has given me, shall I not drink it? The cup that the Sanhedrin has given me, shall I not drink it? The cup that Herod or Pilate has given to me, shall I not drink it?" No. "The cup which my Father has given me."

And Larry, to everyone who is listening, this could be a very transforming moment. When I explained this to someone, he said, "You know, it's difficult to get there, but once you get there, you are at peace." Today I'm speaking to all those of you who have a cup. It may be the breakup of your family, it may be injustice, it could be a physical malady that is causing you to doubt God. Could I just speak with you for a moment?

If you see this cup as coming only from the people who want to crucify you, if indeed it is a personal matter, if you see this cup only as coming from the vicissitudes of physical maladies and weaknesses and sicknesses, you are going to be in distress. But if you can do what Jesus did, namely look beyond all the evils, all of the people who participated in his death—evil people—if you can look beyond all that and say, "This is the cup that my Father has given me" and bow before that, it will definitely help you in your spiritual journey and help you to give up your anger and your resentment if you see it as coming from God, ultimately, even though the intermediate causes may be evil. Does that make sense, Larry?

Larry McCarthy: Oh, yes, yes. And I hope our listeners are encouraged by that biblical and truthful perspective. The Father gave him the cup. This passage, this chapter of your book is just so rich in so many practical applications. You pay particular attention to the issue of watching and sleeping. And you call sleep the enemy of prayer.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Well, yeah, I mean, you know, there are these three guys. Imagine this. They were with him on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John. Now Jesus needs them for encouragement because here we see Jesus Christ in all of his humanity. And all that they could do is sleep. Three times he comes to them and they're sleeping.

Larry McCarthy: It's not funny, but it is human and we understand—I mean, you can understand that, right? He is—you're right—he's in agony and he comes back and they're knocked out. And he says, "I need you to watch." Now, here's what I really want you to spend some time on for our listeners: watch for what? What are they looking for? What did he need them to do?

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Well, they, whenever you have a word like that and a command like that, the answer is there's an enemy out there. And the enemy, of course, would have been indeed Satan, yes, but in our own lives we should be watching. Right now, there are people who are addicted to the internet, they're addicted to their cellphone, and they are not watching and they are not praying.

And what you and I need to recognize is that Jesus then says, of course, something that we all know: the spirit is willing. Oh yes, Peter, yes, I'll die for you, Lord. But the flesh is weak. When we're in the 14th chapter of the book of Mark, by the time you get to verse 50, it says that all the disciples forsook him and fled. So they all had good intentions, but good intentions don't get you very far.

Larry McCarthy: Is that a word for us today, that we need to watch?

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Exactly, and pray. Now, I want to make a point going back to what Jesus Christ experienced and say this: I want to thank God that he didn't answer the prayer of Jesus the way he prayed it. I want to thank Him because if he had, we wouldn't be redeemed. And notice the submission of Jesus: "Your will. Your will. Nonetheless, this isn't up to me. This is not what I desire. Every fragment of my emotions and body rebel against this, but Lord, it's thy will and thy will be done." Could I just say something very personal here?

When I was writing this chapter, I was so overcome by the unanswered prayer which became the basis of our redemption that I got down on my knees and thanked God for this unanswered prayer. I was so overcome by this fact and to all those who are listening, I want to emphasize this: God may be doing more through an unanswered prayer than He would be doing through a prayer that is answered.

So when God doesn't answer your prayers, you may not know why, but you don't need to know why if you can trust Him and believe deeply that He has a purpose that He doesn't reveal to us as to why this prayer isn't answered. That's really what it means to live by faith.

Now, what's interesting is that in the book of Hebrews Chapter 5, it says that Jesus cried up to God with loud crying and tears unto Him who was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared. Eventually, of course, Jesus's answer was the resurrection. But here's the point: even though the answer did not come there in Gethsemane, his prayer was heard. And Greek scholars tell us that that's a positive response in the sense that God has heard.

So to all those who are listening today, may I shout this into your heart and mine: remember this, don't interpret the silence of God as the indifference of God. He sees your tears, He hears your prayers. In fact, in the book of Revelation, we read that the prayers of the saints are offered unto God and they are a sweet-smelling savor to Him. Don't be discouraged because of unanswered prayer. Keep moving on.

And I want to tell you that I am so pleased that we have made arrangements by which this book can be yours. In a moment, you'll be given some info so that it can be sent to you. And I also want to thank the many of you who partner with us who believe very deeply that the Gospel of Jesus Christ needs to go around the world.

And may I remind you that the ministry of Running to Win is in 50 different countries in seven different languages. Why? Because of people just like you. But our desire is to give you the kind of resources that will help you manage all the way to the finish line. And I believe that this book, "A Biblical Guide to God's Hidden Purposes"—that's actually the subtitle. The title is "Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayers?". We've all been there. We all know what it is like to be discouraged. But when we look at the scriptures, we are encouraged to know that yes, He doesn't answer them the way in which we think He should, but there He is, caring, loving, and behind the scenes—often unknown to us—working out His purposes in ways that we might not fully understand. But we live by faith and not by sight. And remember, the finish line is ahead of us. Amen.

Dave McAllister: Now a preview of what's ahead next time on Running to Win.

Guest (Male): Let me see if I've got this straight. You're telling me that God could, that He can, that He's able, but He won't.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: And that's exactly what makes people angry and they often leave the Christian faith.

Dave McAllister: This is one of your last opportunities to receive a resource. It's a book entitled "Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayers?". The subtitle is "A Biblical Guide to God's Hidden Purposes." I really do believe that this will be a great encouragement to those who are disappointed with God, perhaps also angry with God because He did not come through the way in which they think He should. We've all been there.

The question is, what is the biblical answer? For a gift of any amount, this book can be yours. Here's what you do: you go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com or you pick up the phone and call us at 1-888-218-9337 today. Get your copy of "Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayers?".

You can write to us at Running to Win, 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60614. Running to Win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. Next time, join Pastors Erwin Lutzer and Larry McCarthy for more on Pastor's new book, "Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayers?" and advice on how to handle it when the answer to your prayer is a resounding no. Thanks for listening. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.