“Don’t give up on your doctor . . . but don’t forget to pray.”

Steve Brown: Don't give up on your doctor, but don't forget to pray. Let's talk on K-Life.
Matthew Porter: That was Steve Brown and this is K-Life. We're dedicated to the teaching that the only people who get any better are those who know that if they don't get any better, God will still love them anyway. Steve is an author, seminary professor, and our teacher on K-Life.
Steve Brown: Thank you, Matthew. Um I've been telling you about some supernatural things that I've seen in my own life and suggested that most of the time we Christians have given up on that, and we shouldn't because we worship a supernatural God. Um Now, am I suggesting you give up on physicians and psychiatrists? Do you think that modern medication should be withdrawn or that medicine is irrelevant? Are you crazy? Of course not. Why does God say yes to some prayers and no to others? I don't have the foggiest idea. I suspect that it has to do with a far greater and good purpose about which I'm not aware, or that God's answer is wait, or that God in his wisdom recognizes the downside and the upside of answered and unanswered prayer. But one thing about which I am absolutely sure is that God is good. He is sovereign, and we can trust him. As a friend of mine says, God is large and in charge. And knowing him, I would rather put things in his hands than in the hands of those who have no idea what they're doing. God always does as he pleases, and he always does it right well. Okay, I'd given you that text in James who said that you don't have because you don't ask, and then you ask for the wrong uh with the wrong motives to spend it on your passions. So, let's deal with uh God not answering our prayers because of wrong motives that you may spend what you get on your pleasures, James said. For the first thing we should notice is that James prefaces that passage with a description of those to whom he's talking. These are not upstanding citizens you would elect to be your pastor or an elder in your church. James says you desire, but you do not have, so you kill. You covet, but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. And these are not people you want to marry your son or your daughter. I read a funny statement about Psalm 23. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil cuz I'm the meanest guy uh in the valley. God doesn't pay attention very often to the meanest guy in the valley. And that's the person to whom James is talking. Also, don't forget what Jesus said. It is unconscionable to make one verse the basis of one's belief system or the way one wins a debate. Scripture's far bigger than that. And the whole council of God should always be the commentary on one verse. In one case, Jesus said a lot about prayer. For instance, he said for everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and the one who knocks it will be open. Or which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father who is in heaven give good things to ask him? Those who ask him. That's Matthew 7 8 through 11. What are those good things? That, of course, includes asking to be forgiven, erasing your shame, dealing with our fear and loneliness, ameliorating the memory of those things, regret, uh living a close walk with Christ, loving those who are hard to love, being more compassionate and merciful. But it also includes asking for a better job, getting married, wanting children, and maybe getting a Mercedes. Uh yes, even a Mercedes. Uh while I'm when I'm eating in a restaurant, I will often say to the server, before uh you leave, we're going to pray. Do you want anything? And the waitress or waiter will sometimes get really serious and sometimes kid back and say, would you pray for me to get a Mercedes? But other times they say, would you pray for my mom who's sick? She just found out she had cancer. On one occasion when I asked a waiter if there was anything he wanted, he quickly replied, as I said, a Mercedes. So, when we thanked our father for the food, I added, oh yes, it'd be so cool if you gave that young man a Mercedes. I haven't checked, but I wouldn't be surprised if he were driving around in a Mercedes. As a aside, I've been asking God for a Mercedes, too. Frankly, I'm getting tired of my Honda. I'm still driving the Honda. Sometimes God says no, but I'm still sure he likes me. And you don't know what could happen tomorrow. Maybe there's a Mercedes in my future. So, God says no sometimes, but he says yes a lot, too. And to things that really, really spiritual people say you shouldn't ask about. And then there's one more thing. And then we're going to turn to another lie. When we're talking about the supernatural, not only should we expect it, but we need to be aware of when it happens. There's a story about a famous general who after a major battle told a military colleague who had not been there, it was a glorious victory, and you missed it. I'm convinced that every day we encounter God's supernatural actions in our lives. Uh we see it in the surprising actions of our children and friends, the answered prayers of the lonely and afraid, the unexpected check that came in the mail, the tears that turned to laughter, the broken hearts that are healed, and the way something turns out that you didn't expect. If you want to call it coincidence, feel free. But missing what God has done will cost you. It's a principle. When God does something supernatural, we are given the choice to decide whether it was God or coincidence. If we choose to give God God the credit, our faith grows. And even more supernatural things happen. If we choose to laugh and call it a coincidence, our faith shrinks. God still likes us. He still loves us. He's not going to kick us out, but it 's a good way to see your faith begin to dissipate. Someone has said that if a Bubba asks you to hold his beer and says watch this, you should start running away as fast as you can. Sometimes God says, actually, he says it a lot. Be still. Wait. Watch this. When God says get out of the way, something supernatural, astonishing and incredible is about to happen. Uh there is a whole lot more going on in our world than you think. And if you take the first step, God will take the second step. And by the time you get to the third step, you'll know it was God who takes the first step. So, when they lie to you and say God doesn't care enough to act, you're not that important. You're not faithful enough or good enough or obedient or not. I just taught you that's a lie. And you need to get on your knees and say God, remind me of the truth. It's dark here, and I'm scared. I'm lonely, and I need a friend. My kid is sick, and he needs to be healed. My husband is angry and I can't fix it. My day is long, and I'm tired. I'm worried. Father, do something. And he does. You think about that. I'm in.
Matthew Porter: Thank you, Steve. Hope you're enjoying our special teaching series about confronting the lies of guilt, shame, fear, and regret. Remember, all of these teaching episodes are now streaming for free at klife.org/notmad. Tomorrow on Friday Q&A, Steve and Pete will answer a question about how to make a young person care. That is a great question, and I know you'll want to hear their answer, so do join us. Well, we live in dark days, and while that statement is fairly obvious, what often is less obvious is how we're to operate in such a world. What are believers to do? Where do we get the energy and perseverance to love? Well, Steve spoke about this in a message called We Will Be Restored. And with your permission, we'll send you that sermon on CD for free. Just call us right now at 1-800-KLIFE. That's 1-800-539-5433. You can also email Steve at klife.org to ask for that CD or to mail your request, go to klife.org/contact to find our mailing addresses. Again, ask for the free CD called We Will Be Restored. By the way, if you value the work of K-Life, would you join us in that work through your financial support? You can charge a gift on your credit card or include a gift in your envelope. And of course now you can give safely and securely by text. Just take out your phone and text K-Life to 28950, then follow the instructions. K-Life is a member of ECFA in the States and 4C in Canada, and K-Life is a listener-supported production of K-Life Network.