The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 2:41-43, “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.”

It all took place in a secular college classroom, in the midst of a Q & A situation. A girl in the class asked the professor, “Does prayer really work?” I have no recollection of the professor’s response. As best as I can remember, the class was divided on the question. Prayer, however, does not depend upon college students’ responses to the question.

Have you ever prayed fervently for something of vital importance, but wondered if your prayers would really be answered? If so, they probably weren’t. James tells us that “the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick…” (Jas. 5:15).

The New Testament alone mentions the word “prayer” over 330 times. Still, I’ve had people earnestly ask, “Why is God not answering my prayers?” Quite candidly, I don’t know; but there are some conditions to prayers we want answered.

One common condition is asking with the wrong motive. Let’s think of sickness. You pray for healing, yet it’s because without it, you won’t get to go on the trip you and the sick person had planned. Such a reason for praying is faulty.

Another factor is that it must be God’s will. You know your will, but you don’t know His. Had you gone on that trip, possibly you and your sick friend would have been seriously injured in a wreck. You couldn’t have known that, but the LORD did!

But we prayed about the trip because we were going to witness to people along the way. There’s an old song we used to sing in church: We’ll understand it better by and by. I suppose there are thousands of hypothetical reasons why things go wrong –sometimes in spite of our prayers. We have to leave all of that to the LORD.

The one absolute necessity to prayer is personally knowing the LORD! Remember in our verses above: “they who received His Word and were baptized”? Receiving the Word is by faith. You must be committed to Him by faith before you can ask anything –except to be saved. Baptism does not save, but it is the spiritual response to salvation. Immersion in water symbolizes Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. It also symbolizes ours. When we belong to Him –when we’re saved, He hears our prayers. We must then learn to trust His decisions as being better than “just what we want.” Just don’t give up praying!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom