The God Of Specifies - Part 1 of 2

John 11:22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

Last year my son asked for a basketball hoop at our house as his birthday present. We went shopping and found one at a good deal and had it installed next to our driveway. My son was thrilled about it.

I am sure that we all want to experience the same thrill when we pray to our Living God and hope that we will get our answers to our prayers. However, we all seem to be praying but our prayers never seem to be getting answered. I believe that we are not getting the thrill that my son got because we always seem to be approaching God with vague petitions. God please bless me; please take care of my needs….. We think that since God knows our needs, so we can ask our petitions vaguely rather than specifically. I believe that we tend to do this only because we do not understand how God works and answers prayers. To understand God’s pattern of operation, we need to see through the lives of thousands of people as mentioned in the Bible and the lives of Christian believers.

When God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he specifically told them not to eat the fruit from a particular tree. When God told Noah to build an ark, he gave him the exact height, length and width. He gave him all the detailed specifications that he needed to build the ark and to be prepared for the flood. In the New Testament, we can see a similar pattern. God specifically defined the path for salvation, that is, only when we accept Jesus and the work that he did on the cross would we be able to receive eternal life. The God of the Old Testament is still the same God of the New Testament. His nature has not changed; his mode of operation has not changed. He is the same unchanging God. If God operates with specifics, then why do we make general vague prayer petitions?

I am reminded of the story of Paul Yonggi Cho, the pastor of the largest church in South Korea and in the world. In the beginning of his ministry, he was very poor; he would often fast because he did not have anything to eat. One day he was reading the Bible when suddenly he was really encouraged to ask for and expect to receive what he needed from God by faith. At that time the greatest necessities in his life were a table, a chair and a bicycle. So he knelt down and asked God to give him those three things in great faith. Then he waited for God to supply them. Day after day, month after month, he waited, expecting. But nothing happened."

Eventually he was completely frustrated and discouraged, he cried out to the Lord. Then God began to speak to him. God said, 'My son, don't cry. I have heard your prayer, and I have given you a table, a chair and a bicycle.'" "So I said, 'Father, you're kidding me. I don't have a table, a chair or a bicycle, although I have been expecting them day after day.'" "'Yes,' God said, 'I have given them to you potentially. But you have been asking them of me in such vague terms that I cannot fulfill your request. Don't you know there are a dozen kinds of tables, chairs and bicycles? Which ones do you want? Be very clear. Make your request very specific, and then I'll answer.'"

Cho asked God to prove this idea to him by the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit told him to begin reading Hebrews 11 - "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for . . ." And the Spirit said to him "Without having a clear-cut goal of the 'things,' or a clear-cut vision of the objects, how can you hope? How do you have faith?" As Cho searched the Scriptures, he found that time after time God did His miracles in response to clear-cut requests with specific goals in mind. So Pastor Cho began to make very specific requests in prayer. He described the size and type of table he wanted, made of mahogany; he prayed for an iron-framed chair on casters so he could roll around; he asked for an American-made bike with a gearshift on the side. Cho believed, and in a few months received all of those things exactly as requested.

Today I want to encourage you to pray to God with specifics. The only caveat to such prayer is that all petitions and prayer must be in sync with God’s will. Don’t expect a Mercedes Benz to be on your doorstep, just because you ask. However, it might be the answer you may receive today if it is truly God’s will for you.


Stanley Samuel
Associate
India International Church

Reference: “The Fourth Dimension” by Paul Yonggie Cho

Terms Of worship

And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. Genesis 4:3-4

Few stories have stirred up hearts and permeated the consciousness of peoples of all times as the story of Cain and Abel. It has inspired songs, led to creation of comic characters, and the very names evoke an image of certain character. Very soon after Adam & Eve’s disobedience, the Bible gives us a window into the sin-stricken nature of man, and the description of the first fratricide. Without a lot of detail the Bible tells us that the two brothers come to worship God and bring Him sacrifices. Abel, the shepherd, brings the firstborn of his flock; Cain, the agrarian, brings the fruits of his fields. We are not told specifically why, but the Bible tells us, “the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering.”
I read someone describe this as a very capricious act on God’s part. They reasoned that Cain and Abel, both made an effort, and therefore were deserving of acknowledgement and praise. In other words, God ought to have been more understanding of Cain. On the surface, notwithstanding the excellent reasons for God’s rejection that can be easily understood from the proper reading of the Bible, the argument appeals to the modern mind. We are a culture where “good intentions” count for something. After all is it not the thought that counts? We realize our infirmities, and therefore also realize the effort in doing good. We can see why we ought to applaud Cain for trying. He, at least showed up with a gift! We want to side with the under-dog because we often are one ourselves. We rate “sincerity”, especially in our spiritual pursuits, very high. I think Cain did too. Cain’s countenance fell because God rejected his worship, and God gently reminds him that “if he will do well, will he not be accepted?” In other words, offer me worship on my terms, not on yours, and it will be accepted. And, instead of responding with humility to this revelation, Cain is angered, and instead kills his brother. I can imagine Cain reasoning, “Abel is a bigot. Why do I have to worship like he does? That offering works for him, and this works for me. Why should God just not accept it?” All this while not realizing that it is not because of Abel, his worship is acceptable, it is simply Abel’s obedience to God’s prescription for worship that made him acceptable. Abel is worshipping God on God’s terms; Cain, on his terms. Cain does not mind God, as long as he gets to say what sort of God he ought to be, and what he ought to accept.

The under girding belief of the modern mind is not much different than Cain’s - “I am not perfect, but God ought to accept me because I am at least sincere.” What is really being said is “I want to worship God on my terms.” In fact, it is the most insincere thing to say. Sincerity, in this case is simply a guise for pride. A sincere heart is first a humble heart that yearns for God’s revelation and wants to worship God on God’s terms. Christians insist that we cannot approach God apart from Christ, not because they are bigoted, it is simply because they believe God has revealed Himself, and has revealed the terms of approaching Him. Jesus says, “No one can come to the Father, except through Me” and saying that, He gave Himself up on the cross for our sins, rose again, and we simply believe Him. Like Abel we have done nothing to deserve the acceptance any more than Cain, except that we are willing to worship God on His terms.

Friend, I pray that we become sincere enough to approach God as He desires. The Bible says, “we are to God the fragrance of Christ.” May I invite you to trust in Christ, and He promises that “whosoever believes in Me I will in no wise cast out,” and “if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.” In Christ, our worship is acceptable.

Danesh Manik