Unanswered Prayer. Luke 4:3

[Blik]

What kind of prayer do you think is asking amiss? What do you think the Lord means by “consuming it on our lusts”?

Luke 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

 

[JaumeJ]

All prayers are answered. In faith we know this is true, however many people pray and do not recognize the response. You know even silence may be the response.

Always pray to be in our Father's will, and you will understand. That is providing you believe.

 

[p_rehbein]

I'm confused............

Luke, Chapter 4:

3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

 

[p_rehbein]

JAMES, Chapter 4:

3) Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Forerunner Commentary (excerpt)

He is saying to us that, if we seek our desires, then we had better understand that life will be filled with conflict. Why? Because everybody else is doing the same thing. Their desires are likely different from ours, and so our desires runs headlong into their desires, producing arguments, struggle, strife, and war over whose desire is going to be fulfilled. When people do what is right in their own eyes, rather than submit to the central authority, desires will crash into each other, creating conflict. It does not matter whether that central authority is the family, the culture, or God's Word!

https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A2K...ID/30341/RK=2/RS=SAhmZIb6oBXZJAqrw3Vub7XV.qw-

 

[Corban]

What kind of prayer do you think is asking amiss? What do you think the Lord means by “consuming it on our lusts”?

Luke 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Any prayer that is not God's will is asking amiss. In the universe there is only God's will, Satan's will and man's will. Because God is good, benign and righteous, and because He sees the end from the beginning, God's will is perfect and profits all His creation. Satan was not satisfied with God's will and attempted to set forth his own will - with disastrous results. Man has a will. The question was, would he align his will with God's or his own. He decided (still un-fallen) to go his way, with equally disastrous results. God sent His Son, Whose sole goal was to do His Father's will. Our Lord Jesus spent long hours praying. Why? Not so much as to make requests, for this is done relatively quickly (especially if you avoid vain repetitions), but to know the will of His Father so that He could align His prayers with it.

Man has legitimate requirements. Food, clothing, health and safety. God knows what a man needs, so He asks us to ask concerning His will, and He in turn will see that our needs are fulfilled (Matt.6:8, 32-33, Lk.12:30). So prayer is the search for God's speaking in us so that we may ask according to His will. John Chapters 14 to 17 are one discourse. They concern the Holy Spirit dwelling in man. And in these Chapter of the Spirit of God abiding in the spirit of man, are the multiple promises of having prayer answered. Let's take an example.

A man is hard-working and ambitious. He works hard and seeks promotion. Promotion means more fame, more money and more possessions. But promotion, though earned, is given to another. Can I ask God for promotion? Is it not legitimate? I worked for it and God says a man reaps what he sows? Why is it withheld? The answer is; I can ask God for this and it is not unreasonable. But will it serve the Christian's CHARACTER? God's enemy is the world. It supplies our needs and takes our allegiance to God away. The world is defined by God in 1st John 2:16 as; "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." So, the believer must first find out from God if the promotion will do him good. Will a loving Father give something that will hurt (Lk.11:9-13)? We have inherited a terrible nature from Adam and God has set in motion a process whereby "we are to be conformed to the image of Christ" (Rom.8:29). Could it be that the promotion would take us away from God? Could it be that the extra fame and money would make us arrogant? Could it be that the extra money will attract people who will lead us down a path of destruction? If so, do we think that God will grant it?

So, our prayer must first be; "is this promotion your will Father?" If you have the sense that God says yes, pray for it and it will be granted. If you sense in your spirit that it will harm you and your relationship with God, do not ask for it. When you have matured in your Christian life in five years time, maybe God will change the circumstances. The greatest example of prayer is our Lord Jesus in Gethsemane. He prayed first for the terrible cup to pass from Him. This was an absolutely legitimate prayer. How is righteousess served when the innocent must die for the guilty? Well, in this case it would enormously served. So our Lord Jesus, in fear and sweating blood, seeks the Father's will - TO HIS SEEMING DETRIMENT!

DETRIMENT? YES! From that day forth He is refused by His People, Israel. He becomes a laughing stock. His name used as a profanity by the very men He died for. Hebrews 12:2 says He suffered SHAME. But Hebrews 12:2 also says that He gladly suffered the shame and even "despised it". Why? Because two great things are set before Him by the Almighty. (1) Joy, and (2) the unique and only seat in His Father's Throne. Will other men have this pleasure? Well, some men will have the JOY of the Lord, but the right hand of the Father is reserved for Jesus alone. Those of us who achieve the standard to be co-kings with Christ do NOT sit in the Father's throne, but in Christ's throne (Rev.3:21). Just as Joseph ONLY was second to Pharaoh, so also is Jesus the only Man second to the Father. What fame! What authority! What reward! He is made HEIR of ALL things (Heb.1:2). Every knee will bow, and every tongue confess, even of those dead in Hades under the earth, that He is Lord. His enemies will have bow to the ground. No longer will His name be a curse. Rebels will be dealt with by a the rod of iron - quickly, painfully and commensurately.

Before you ask for anything, find out from God what His will is. Mostly it will be different to yours. Why? You can't see the future. You can't see the advantage that time will bring. You can't manipulate circumstances. You can't turn evil into good. But God can. Trust Him when He says; "NO. It is not my will."

 

[Blik]

Any prayer that is not God's will is asking amiss. In the universe there is only God's will, Satan's will and man's will. Because God is good, benign and righteous, and because He sees the end from the beginning, God's will is perfect and profits all His creation. Satan was not satisfied with God's will and attempted to set forth his own will - with disastrous results. Man has a will. The question was, would he align his will with God's or his own. He decided (still un-fallen) to go his way, with equally disastrous results. God sent His Son, Whose sole goal was to do His Father's will. Our Lord Jesus spent long hours praying. Why? Not so much as to make requests, for this is done relatively quickly (especially if you avoid vain repetitions), but to know the will of His Father so that He could align His prayers with it.

Man has legitimate requirements. Food, clothing, health and safety. God knows what a man needs, so He asks us to ask concerning His will, and He in turn will see that our needs are fulfilled (Matt.6:8, 32-33, Lk.12:30). So prayer is the search for God's speaking in us so that we may ask according to His will. John Chapters 14 to 17 are one discourse. They concern the Holy Spirit dwelling in man. And in these Chapter of the Spirit of God abiding in the spirit of man, are the multiple promises of having prayer answered. Let's take an example.

A man is hard-working and ambitious. He works hard and seeks promotion. Promotion means more fame, more money and more possessions. But promotion, though earned, is given to another. Can I ask God for promotion? Is it not legitimate? I worked for it and God says a man reaps what he sows? Why is it withheld? The answer is; I can ask God for this and it is not unreasonable. But will it serve the Christian's CHARACTER? God's enemy is the world. It supplies our needs and takes our allegiance to God away. The world is defined by God in 1st John 2:16 as; "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." So, the believer must first find out from God if the promotion will do him good. Will a loving Father give something that will hurt (Lk.11:9-13)? We have inherited a terrible nature from Adam and God has set in motion a process whereby "we are to be conformed to the image of Christ" (Rom.8:29). Could it be that the promotion would take us away from God? Could it be that the extra fame and money would make us arrogant? Could it be that the extra money will attract people who will lead us down a path of destruction? If so, do we think that God will grant it?

So, our prayer must first be; "is this promotion your will Father?" If you have the sense that God says yes, pray for it and it will be granted. If you sense in your spirit that it will harm you and your relationship with God, do not ask for it. When you have matured in your Christian life in five years time, maybe God will change the circumstances. The greatest example of prayer is our Lord Jesus in Gethsemane. He prayed first for the terrible cup to pass from Him. This was an absolutely legitimate prayer. How is righteousess served when the innocent must die for the guilty? Well, in this case it would enormously served. So our Lord Jesus, in fear and sweating blood, seeks the Father's will - TO HIS SEEMING DETRIMENT!

DETRIMENT? YES! From that day forth He is refused by His People, Israel. He becomes a laughing stock. His name used as a profanity by the very men He died for. Hebrews 12:2 says He suffered SHAME. But Hebrews 12:2 also says that He gladly suffered the shame and even "despised it". Why? Because two great things are set before Him by the Almighty. (1) Joy, and (2) the unique and only seat in His Father's Throne. Will other men have this pleasure? Well, some men will have the JOY of the Lord, but the right hand of the Father is reserved for Jesus alone. Those of us who achieve the standard to be co-kings with Christ do NOT sit in the Father's throne, but in Christ's throne (Rev.3:21). Just as Joseph ONLY was second to Pharaoh, so also is Jesus the only Man second to the Father. What fame! What authority! What reward! He is made HEIR of ALL things (Heb.1:2). Every knee will bow, and every tongue confess, even of those dead in Hades under the earth, that He is Lord. His enemies will have bow to the ground. No longer will His name be a curse. Rebels will be dealt with by a the rod of iron - quickly, painfully and commensurately.

Before you ask for anything, find out from God what His will is. Mostly it will be different to yours. Why? You can't see the future. You can't see the advantage that time will bring. You can't manipulate circumstances. You can't turn evil into good. But God can. Trust Him when He says; "NO. It is not my will."

Then do you think that to use God's power we must spend as much time learning of God's will as prayer? So a productive life would be one devoted to listening to God so we walk in His will. What if we pray that our children are saved and know God? Why is this prayer sometimes not answered with results following.

 

[Corban]

Then do you think that to use God's power we must spend as much time learning of God's will as prayer? So a productive life would be one devoted to listening to God so we walk in His will. What if we pray that our children are saved and know God? Why is this prayer sometimes not answered with results following.

Thank you for your reply and query. I'm not sure what you mean by "using God's power" as it was not part of my answer, so I'll just pass on that for now. Certainly, we should seek to walk in His will, but my posting was how to pray and get answered. And just so you know that I'm in agreement with you, I pray every day that my children come to the full knowledge of the gospel and the Kingdom. I also prayed for my father for about 15 years with no apparent result, so I know how you feel. If the quota of fulfilled requests is the measuring stick, I could be described as a rather unsuccessful prayer warrior. But I've come to learn that prayer is not just asking favors.

As I said in my posting, prayer is first the searching for God's will. From the smallest thing in life, to the biggest, we must ask God to reveal His will to us. Abraham must FIRST hear from God that He is about to destroy Sodom before he can pray. God must reveal what He is doing before we can pray about the matter. Then Abraham prays, not specifically for Lot, but he prays towards God's righteousness. And he prays this prayer until he reaches a number that Lot's total family is covered by - TEN. But the prayer is not answered. Why? Because Lot's sons love Sodom too much, and the number drops below ten to four. God knew all this, but provokes Abraham by first revealing His will. Abraham then prays but the answer turns out differently.

You pray for your children, as I did for mine. What is the status as of writing. My firstborn, a son, is 40 and is born again, studies the Word and tries to live righteously. But he is so quenched by the behavior of present-day Christianity that he refuses to go to an Assembly. But we are commanded by God, NOT to avoid the fallen meetings, but to OVERCOME IN the situation. So my son has a ways to go. My two daughters, age 38 and 36 are born again and go to meetings. But the standard of the meetings and the teaching is so poor that there is little spiritual growth. Added to this, they are both married to nice, but unbelieving husbands. They do not hinder my daughters in any way, but neither is there any encouragement in matters Christian. So what shall I pray for?

According to our doctrine I should pray for my son to go to a meeting. But which one? In every direction within a reasonable radius the Churches are apostate. Shall I ask that my son be inserted into something negative? According to doctrine I should pray for my in-law sons to become Christians - and I do. But what if the trial given to my daughter for maturing and being tested is a religiously indifferent husband? So you see, the matter seems at first simple, but as we study the matter, multiple ramifications rear up. And in all this, only the will of God counts. So that is what I have to find out so that I can pray effectively.

 

[JaumeJ]

What kind of prayer do you think is asking amiss? What do you think the Lord means by “consuming it on our lusts”?

Luke 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

This takes me to our Lord and Savior's prayer in the garden the eve os His crucifixion when He asked if it were possible for this cup to pass from Him. In so praying, He demonstrates that our Maker-s will was not in stone though Yeshua knew what His fate was...…......

No matter how much I have read the Word, and I do believe what little I have learned is only from the Holy Spirit, I do not believe I can ever know all of His will, perhaps a small part concerning my salvation but not all of His will during this horrid time of our excursion into this age and strange land.

 

[garee]

What kind of prayer do you think is asking amiss? What do you think the Lord means by “consuming it on our lusts”?

Luke 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Consume it upon your lusts (selfish pride, selfish ambition, self edification) The prayer without the fast (doing the work.)

The prayer Jesus answered of John. The kind that cast out demons, the spirit of lies.

Note..... metaphors ......to represent the true gospel in the parables

Luke 7:22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.

The true fast defined in Isaiah 58. Our spirits yoked with theirs making the burdens lighter.

Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward. Isaiah 58:

 

[Blain]

Maybe asking amiss doesn't always mean to ask for selfish things or selfish reasons, the word amiss represents to miss the mark or the point in this verse and one can ask for all the right reasons but not understand the point of what is being asked, or perhaps one can have good motives for what is being asked but not understand God's will in the situation

 

[DorothyMae]

What kind of prayer do you think is asking amiss? What do you think the Lord means by “consuming it on our lusts”?

Luke 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

One prays with wrong motives and God does not answer. The request is not granted and the reason is not given. That is unanswered prayer.

Don’t be fooled by the idea that there is no unanswered prayer? just “no” or “not yet.” If God doesn’t respond in an intelligent way, the prayer is no answered. An answer means to UNDERSTAND His response, not “silence means something.”

 

[Blik]

Thank you for your reply and query. I'm not sure what you mean by "using God's power" as it was not part of my answer, so I'll just pass on that for now. Certainly, we should seek to walk in His will, but my posting was how to pray and get answered. And just so you know that I'm in agreement with you, I pray every day that my children come to the full knowledge of the gospel and the Kingdom. I also prayed for my father for about 15 years with no apparent result, so I know how you feel. If the quota of fulfilled requests is the measuring stick, I could be described as a rather unsuccessful prayer warrior. But I've come to learn that prayer is not just asking favors.

As I said in my posting, prayer is first the searching for God's will. From the smallest thing in life, to the biggest, we must ask God to reveal His will to us. Abraham must FIRST hear from God that He is about to destroy Sodom before he can pray. God must reveal what He is doing before we can pray about the matter. Then Abraham prays, not specifically for Lot, but he prays towards God's righteousness. And he prays this prayer until he reaches a number that Lot's total family is covered by - TEN. But the prayer is not answered. Why? Because Lot's sons love Sodom too much, and the number drops below ten to four. God knew all this, but provokes Abraham by first revealing His will. Abraham then prays but the answer turns out differently.

You pray for your children, as I did for mine. What is the status as of writing. My firstborn, a son, is 40 and is born again, studies the Word and tries to live righteously. But he is so quenched by the behavior of present-day Christianity that he refuses to go to an Assembly. But we are commanded by God, NOT to avoid the fallen meetings, but to OVERCOME IN the situation. So my son has a ways to go. My two daughters, age 38 and 36 are born again and go to meetings. But the standard of the meetings and the teaching is so poor that there is little spiritual growth. Added to this, they are both married to nice, but unbelieving husbands. They do not hinder my daughters in any way, but neither is there any encouragement in matters Christian. So what shall I pray for?

According to our doctrine I should pray for my son to go to a meeting. But which one? In every direction within a reasonable radius the Churches are apostate. Shall I ask that my son be inserted into something negative? According to doctrine I should pray for my in-law sons to become Christians - and I do. But what if the trial given to my daughter for maturing and being tested is a religiously indifferent husband? So you see, the matter seems at first simple, but as we study the matter, multiple ramifications rear up. And in all this, only the will of God counts. So that is what I have to find out so that I can pray effectively.

The answer to your prayer for your children sounds like the one I have. We are so lucky, really, that they know Jesus! It seems to me that the Lord tells me that it is his will that they be given free choice. I am to just love them and let them be free to choose their way as God lets them free to choose. But I have wondered about it and still pray for God's guidance to reach them.

 

[Blik]

Thanks so much for all of your wonderful replies.

 

[Blain]

You know it has always confused me how prayer works for me, I believe fully in the power of prayer I believe it only takes one heart to pray in earnest to make a miracle in someones life but I am not a good prayer warrior it seems as everytime I pray for someone nothing ever happens while some people can simply pray for someone and their prayers are made evident. I have been told that I have recieved it by others or that it is according to God's timing and will or my sins are blocking it yet this doesn't seem to be the case when it comes to inercession prayer when it happens for me.
Honestly these things I have been told sound more like excuses ofor why I cannot have answered prayer when it comes to others.
It seems whenever I pray for myself it almost always happens but if I pray for someone else it is like there is no answer or power in it.It can be frustrating to want more than anything to help others and fully believing in the power of prayer yet being proven to not have that capability. I mean what is the point of having a heart like that but unable to do anything with it?

 

[Corban]

The answer to your prayer for your children sounds like the one I have. We are so lucky, really, that they know Jesus! It seems to me that the Lord tells me that it is his will that they be given free choice. I am to just love them and let them be free to choose their way as God lets them free to choose. But I have wondered about it and still pray for God's guidance to reach them.

Yeah ... small children - small worries. Big children - big worries. We never stop loving them and wanting the best for them. But there is a another Father Who loves them much more. Let's give Him the worries. My wife often testifies of the Father rebuking her. She was so worried about the world and that the modern child has to face a world with no innocence. THen, one day, she was reading about Israel at Kadesh-Barnea in Numbers 13. Ten of the twelve spies came back and said that the inhabitants of the Land that God wanted Israel to conquer, had walled cities and were giants. They reported that they were like grasshoppers and that the giants would eat them like bread. God was furious and He pronounced that while they would all die in the wilderness, the children who they said would be bread in the giants stomachs would enter and conquer the Land.

Let us a accord our MIGHTY Father His due. We cannot add a day to our lives, let alone regulate our children's. Let the Mighty Jehovah lead our children to His destiny for them. He is good.

 

[Blade]

Well Gods will is His word. To bring this home how many times do you pray and you KNOW He hears you? He said.. if you know He hears you then you know you have the petitions/prayers you asked for. If you doubt you won't get anything from Him.
"
"You ask and don't receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."

See God LOVES TO GIVE. He said to you ..what ever you want.. when you pray believe you receive it and you will have it. Nothing what so ever wrong with asking for personal needs. "your pleasures". Everything in that bible that HE promises you can have. Your a joint heir with Christ.

If you listen to some believers.. God wants you to just make it or be poor. Something He on this earth never was.

 

[Blain]

Well Gods will is His word. To bring this home how many times do you pray and you KNOW He hears you? He said.. if you know He hears you then you know you have the petitions/prayers you asked for. If you doubt you won't get anything from Him.
"
"You ask and don't receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."

See God LOVES TO GIVE. He said to you ..what ever you want.. when you pray believe you receive it and you will have it. Nothing what so ever wrong with asking for personal needs. "your pleasures". Everything in that bible that HE promises you can have. Your a joint heir with Christ.

If you listen to some believers.. God wants you to just make it or be poor. Something He on this earth never was.

Well there is one thing I ask for but never recieve and that is the gift of healing. He uses me to heal inner wounds but more than anything I want to heal both inner and outer woundsm inner sickness and body sickness.
This gift more than any other gift I treasure and covet and it is kind of ironic because it fits my nature and my heart so perfectly yet I never recieve it. I love nature and the beauty of it not just for the appearance but when I see it I see life I see him I see how it just seems to represent healing to me, as a believer a Christian and as a person in general I cannot stand to see others suffering I cannot stand seeing and knowing this yet unable to sooth or help heal them.

I don't care if I am ever healed as long as others can be healed, I will pay any cost to recieve this gift I will suffer if I must so that others don't have to.

Even tonight I poured my heart out to him telling him all this I even tried to bargain with him telling him to tell me what I must do what I must give up what I must go through whatever the cost or price I would pay it. With all my heart and soul I desire this gift but I have never been able to ask and simply believe I recieved it it just isn't in me I don't have faith like that. But he knows my heart he knows why I ask and my motives for it and even I can look past everything wrong with me every ill intention and see in my heart the reason why.

But I just cannot seem to receive it

 

[JaumeJ]

Although men call those who are used to heal, healers, it is in truth our Father using a willing vessel to channel His healing. Avail yourself and He may use you,, and when He does you will feel the hHoly Spirit enter into you and you will know you have been His servant, and faithful to Him All glory to our Father, amen.

 

[Blain]

Although men call those who are used to heal, healers, it is in truth our Father using a willing vessel to channel His healing. Avail yourself and He may use you,, and when He does you will feel the hHoly Spirit enter into you and you will know you have been His servant, and faithful to Him All glory to our Father, amen.

But that is just it though, daily I offer him my willingness because honestly I have nothing else to give him, I am not strong or wise I am certainly not holy by any means and I tell him this but I go one to say Though I may be lacking in all of this I do have my willingness so use my willingness for anything you desire no matter how big or small easy or hard.

He has used me in every other gift at one point or another but this one however I cannot seem to be used in.

 

[Ruby123]

Well the standard answer for prayer is that God's response is a) yes, b) no or c) wait. If he answers straight away or soon we know it to be yes. If he doesn't answer we are stuck on whether the answer is no or wait. So we wait awhile often for a long time and then assume the answer is no. My thoughts are sometimes God has already given us things but we are not believing it so we are continually asking him for things he has already given us. I am learning this myself at the moment.