Prayer Answerer || Thankfulness || Part 1

I’m thankful you’re here. I’m thankful you’re reading this. I’m thankful you’ve checked out this blog. I’m thankful you’re joining us for our new blog series on thankfulness.

Starting off November with a 5-part series on thankfulness makes sense to me. We’ll talk about five ways we can be thankful for God, including:

• Answering our prayers.
• Providing for our needs.
• Receiving his blessings.
• His character and wonderful works.
• For our brothers and sisters in Christ.

My goal for this series is to help you cultivate a mindset of gratitude as we enter the seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Part 1 will be about how we can be thankful that God answers our prayers.

John 11:41

NASB	NLT	VOICE
41 So they removed the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes, and said: “Father, I thank you that You have heard Me.”	41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me.	41 They removed the stone, and Jesus lifted His eyes toward heaven. Jesus: Father, I am grateful that You have heard me.

John 11 is all about raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus had a friend named who was sick and later died. Jesus knew this sickness would not end Lazarus, but Lazarus’s sisters and the disciples thought differently. Jesus waited for days before he would end up traveling to see Lazarus. His sisters were hurt that he didn’t come sooner but knew that God would give whatever Jesus asked. It led to a conversation about resurrection and how Martha (Lazarus’ sister) believes that resurrection will happen because she believes that Jesus is the Messiah. Mary (Lazarus’ other sister) fell at Jesus’ feet and cried at her grief. Afterward, they went to Lazarus’ grave, and Jesus even wept.

Then, Jesus did the impossible. They rolled the stone aside. Jesus affirmed that Lazarus’ death would be used for God’s glory. Jesus exclaimed that to all people seeing him. Jesus called into the tomb and said, “Lazarus, come out!” he did! Jesus knew this would happen and was happy that God had heard his teaching from him earlier. He had affirmed who he was to all around him and doubted him. Jesus knew that God would respond and showed the world that this happened.

Matthew 11:25

NASB	NLT	VOICE
25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to infants.	25 At that Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of ehaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike.	25 And then Jesus began to pray: Jesus: I praise You, Father – Lord of heaven and earth. You have revealed Your truths to the lowly and the ignorant, the children and the crippled, the lame and the mute. You have hidden wisdom from those who pride themselves on being so wise and learned.

Jesus mentioned two kinds of people in this prayer: the wise and clever, who were arrogant in their own knowledge, and the childlike, who was humbly open to receiving the truth of God’s Word. Jesus knew that God trusted everything to Jesus and that all who came to him would receive his own Father. The idea is to receive and learn the ways of Jesus, and our commitment to those ways will show us what it means to know who God is. Jesus closes his prayer with the words we’ve all heard before.

The ways of Jesus will be ways to rest. A way to lay down all the problems, evils, and chaos we face in our lives. The ways of Jesus are easy to manage, and the responsibilities that come with following Christ are lighter than the responsibilities we often face. Jesus wants us to teach us his ways because he is humble and gentle. When we tell our God our fears and concerns, we know his responses will be light and easy to manage. We need to go to him, though. God promises these things to us, but we will receive these gifts when we pray to him and share our positive and negative things with him.

Isaiah 65:24

NASB	NLT	VOICE
24 It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will listen.	24 I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers.	24 I’ll anticipate their prayers and respond before they know it; even as they speak, I will hear.

God knows what we will pray about before we even say or think about it. “So, why do we need to pray then?” Think about it this way. When you were a child and were hungry, did you ask your parents/guardians to make you something to eat, or did they just know you were hungry and made something? Did you have to tell them what you wanted, or did they just know? You probably had to tell them you were hungry and ask them what you wanted to eat. Sometimes, they might tell you you couldn’t have candy for lunch but needed something healthy. You asked for something you wanted, but the person who cared for you knew there was something better for you. That’s the idea of prayer. You can ask for anything you want with God, sharing your concerns and needs with him, and sometimes God will guide you to the path needed to get you what you want. Sometimes, God will not guide you to the path you hoped for, but instead towards the best path for you. God’s path is the best for you, so the refusal to follow your hoped path could be a way to spare you from the hurt, discomfort, and chaos of life.

God answers our prayers. We are thankful to have an Almighty God with whom we can celebrate life, who listens to our concerns and problems and will lead us on the right path to living the life we were created to live. In Part 2, we’ll talk about how God will provide for our needs.