OUR DAILY BREAD : UNANSWERED PRAYERS

[cimi]

September 7
Monday


UNANSWERED
PRAYERS

READ:
Luke 7:1-10
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[Jesus said], "I have not
found such great faith,
not even in Israel!"
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THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
*Proverbs 1-2
*1 corinthians 16
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An explanation we often hear for "unanswered" prayers is that we don't have enough faith. But Jesus said in Luke 17:6 that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can command a mulberry tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea and it will obey us. In other words, the effectiveness of our prayers depends not on how much faith we have but on whether we even have faith.

Luke tells of a Roman centurion with "great faith" (7:9). His faith was expressed first as an appeal to Jesus to heal his dying servant. Then it was expressed as an acknowledgment that Jesus could heal his servant anytime, anywhere. The centurion did not ask Jesus to do things his way.

Faith has been described as "trusting God's heart and trusting God's power." Some prayers that seem to go unanswered are simply instances in which God has lovingly overruled our wishes. He knows that what we have asked for is not best. Or it may be that our timing is not His timing, or He has some far greater purpose in mind. Let us remember, even Jesus prayed to His Father, "Nevertheless not My will, but Yours" (Luke 22:42).

Do we have the centurion's great faith--a faith that trusts God to do His work, in His way? __C. P. Hia
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```````````````Unanswered prayers are answered still``````````````
````````````````As part of God's great master plan;````````````````
``````````````````They help to carry out His will``````````````````
``````````To demonstrate God's love for man. __D. De Haan`````````
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God's answers are wiser than our prayers.

************Today's Bible Reading __ Luke 7:1-10****************

1 Now when He concluded
all His sayings in the
hearing of the people, He
entered capernaum. 2 And a
certain centurion's servant,
who was dear to him, was
sick and ready to die. 3 So
when he heard about Jesus,
he sent elders of the Jews to
Him, pleading with Him to
come and heal his servant.

4 And when they cane to
Jesus, they begged Him
earnestly, saying that the
one for whom He should do
this was deserving, 5 "for he
loves our nation, and has
built us a synagogue."

6 Then Jesus went with
them. And when He was
already not far from the
house, the centurion sent
friends to Him, saying to
Him, "Lord, do not trouble
Yourself, for I am not
worthy that You should
enter under my roof.

7 Therefore I did not even
think myself worthy to
come to You. But say the
word, and my servant will
be healed. 8 For I also am a
man placed under authority,
having soldiers under me.
And I say to one, 'Go,' and
he goes; and to another,
'Come,' and he comes; and
to my servant, 'Do this,'
and he does it."

9 When Jesus heard these
things, He marveled at him,
and turned around and said
to the crowd that followed
Him, "I say to you, I have
not found such great faith,
not even in Israel!" 10 And
those who were sent,
returning to the house,
found the servant well who
had been sick.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

It is interesting that two people whom Jesus lifted up as examples of
genuine faith were Gentiles. Here we see a Roman centurion whose
faith Christ honored (v.9). Additionally, He celebrated the faith of a
Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28. __Bill Crowder