I Rest My Case

 

grandboy tonka race
June, 2020

"Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen." (Jeremiah 29:12)

Because two of the past four family vacations were dampened by tropical storms, we've prayed for months that next week's beach trip will be storm free. Guess what's brewing: "Potential gulf tropical depression or storm to pose heavy rain threat to U.S. Gulf Coast."

Yesterday, an offspring and I got into a theological debate. 

I said: 

"God has good reasons for saying no to our prayers." 

He said: 

"God didn't say no; storms are just part of life."

The Bible said:

"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears . . . " (Psalm 34:17)

"This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and all are justified freely by His grace through redemption that came by Jesus Christ." (Romans 3:22-24)

"The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears attentive to their prayers; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." (1 Peter 3:12)

Charles Spurgeon said: 

"Every prayer of the Christian, whether for temporal or spiritual blessing, will be fully answered if it meets certain biblical requirements: prayed in faith, prayed in accordance with God's will, prayed in the name of Jesus, and prayed under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Delayed answers to prayer are not only trials of faith; they also give us opportunities to honor God through our steadfast confidence in Him even when facing the apparent denial of our request."

My conclusion: 

God listens to the prayers of the righteous. 

Who are the righteous? Those who have received the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ. 

God answers every one of His children's prayers with YES, NO, or WAIT by His will, wisdom, and good purposes. 

(Out of Tropical Storm Cindy in 2017, came the Christian children's book: Sea Billows.)

I rest my case.