God Answers Prayers

God’s Answers to Prayer.
John 11: 1 – 44


I. Introduction.

I would like to begin with a kind of commercial—or at least an invitation for you to join us on Wednesday nights. We offer something for everyone on Wednesday nights. We begin with supper in the Family Life Center at 5:30. Then, at 6:30, we divide into groups. We have childcare for babies, mission activities for preschool and children, youth worship service for teens, adult choir practice, and Bible study and prayer meeting for adults who don’t sing in the choir.

On Wednesday nights, I am teaching through the Book of Ephesians. I started Ephesians two weeks ago, but it’s not too late to join us. I have only made it through the first 14 verses!

One of the remarkable things about the Book of Ephesians is the way Paul devotes so much of his time to pray for the churches of Ephesus. He is not talking about the churches of Ephesus. He is not talking to the churches of Ephesus. He is praying for the churches of Ephesus. There is a big difference between talking about someone, talking to someone and praying for someone. I think we would see a big improvement in all our relationships if we follow Paul’s example and pray for others instead of talking about them or even talking to them.

I once heard a comment about how to resolve church issues. “If you want a better pastor, pray for the one you have.” We could probably apply the same reasoning to just about any relationship. If you want a better Sunday School teacher; If you want a better youth minister, children’s minister, music minister, education minister, senior adult minister; If you want a better husband…If you want a better wife… Pray for the one you have.

There are many places we could turn in Scripture to look at the ways God answers prayer. Today, I want to look at the story how Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. In this story, we listen to Jesus as he prays, and we listen to several of Jesus’ disciples make requests of Jesus. Since Jesus is the One and Only Son of God—fully divine and fully human—I think we can listen to the disciples’ requests in the context of prayer.


The story begins with Jesus and his disciples spending some quiet time together in an isolated region of Palestine near the Jordan River…The disciples were probably relieved to finally get out of Jerusalem, because of the dangers they faced there.

The last time Jesus was in Jerusalem he had to go in a disguise, because the Jewish leaders already wanted to kill him…He had taught in their Temple, claiming to have been sent directly from God…Then he claimed that he was actually God’s Son…When confronted by the Jewish leaders, claiming they too were sons of God, Jesus told them they were actually sons of the devil, because they could not recognize him as the Son of God…Then, the Jewish leaders ran Jesus out of the Temple and collected rocks to stone him…As Jesus left the Temple, he spotted a man who had been blind from birth. . .Jesus spit on the ground, mixed up mud, placed on the man’s eyes and healed his blindness…There was a catch to this. . .Jesus was in the Temple. . .on the Sabbath.

Therefore, I believe it is safe to say, the disciples were enjoying a little time alone with Jesus, outside of Jerusalem, where it seemed like everyone wanted to kill them…Then they received a message that none of the disciples wanted to hear…Jesus was needed in Bethany.

Now, Bethany & Jerusalem are not the same city, but if you will look on your maps at the back of your Bible, you will discover. . .Bethany and Jerusalem are like Hudson and Lufkin…It would be virtually impossible for a person of Jesus’ status to go into Bethany unnoticed by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem…And the disciples did not want to go…But Jesus insisted that they travel to Bethany to see about Lazarus and his worried sisters.

An interesting part of this passage informs us that Jesus did not rush immediately to Lazarus’ aid…Rather, he waited an extra 2 days before even leaving…Jesus explained this to his disciples when he told them “Lazarus is dead, but I am glad for your sake so that you might believe.”

When they arrived in Bethany, the disciples discovered that Jesus was right...Lazarus had been dead for over four days…This is a significant part of the story…In the Jewish belief, the human spirit hovered over the body of a dead person for three days…After the third day, the belief was that the spirit would leave and the decaying process would begin…Jesus waited beyond what anyone would have expected, then performed his miracle of raising his friend from the dead.


II. Sometimes, God Answers, “No.”.

The 1st character I want to look at is one of Lazarus’ sisters, Mary.

Read John 11: 32 – 37.

32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
34 "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36 Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"
37 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"(NIV)



Notice the response of Mary and the Jews in this passage…Their response sounds so final. . .like there is no hope…“If you had been here”…“Surely he could have done something. . .”

You and I have a certain luxury as we read this text. . .we know how it ends. . .We know that Jesus walked to the tomb and called Lazarus to come out of that tomb…But Mary and the Jewish mourners do not know how it will end…All they know is that a message was sent to Jesus that Lazarus was sick, and Jesus did not come to help…From their perspective, God had answered, “No,” to their prayer…In fact, thru 20 centuries of interpretation, I would still say God’s answer to their request was, “No.”…They asked that God heal Lazarus, and God did not do it.

Why did God answer, “No,” to this request?…Very simply, it was not God’s will…There are times in our lives that we cry out to God in desperation…“God, Heal me.”…“God, Make it all stop.”…“God, I can’t take it anymore. Solve this problem.”… There are times when we cry out, God hears us, God understands our cries for help, yet God answers, “No.”

When this happens, it does not indicate that prayers do not work…It does not mean that we have weak faith…It simply means we have asked for something that is not God’s will.

In Mary’s case, she asked that her brother be healed. God answered, “No,” but gave her something far better. God gave her a testimony that God can do the impossible. . .He can raise the dead.


III. Sometimes, God Answers, “Grow.”

I also want you to look at the answer the disciples received from Jesus.


Read John 11: 7 – 15.

7 Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."
8 "But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?"
9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light.
10 It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light."
11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."
12 His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better."
13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14 So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead,
15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."(NIV)


The disciples made a different kind of request of Jesus…They were not praying that Lazarus be healed of his sickness…They were worried for their lives and did not want to return to Jerusalem or Judea…I would paraphrase their request like this, “Lord, please don’t make us go back to Judea. We could be killed there.”…Jesus answered their request as only Jesus could answer it…He was not as concerned about their lives as he was concerned that they have faith in him.

Have you ever received this answer from God?…Perhaps you prayed that God would heal you. . .or that God would take away some personal problems and frustrations you were facing…Sometimes, God will answer our prayers just like he answered the disciples’ prayer…I am not so much concerned with you physical condition as I am concerned with your spiritual condition…Do you really trust me? Do you really rely on me for your strength to make it through each day? Is your relationship with me the most important thing in your life?

I recently read a quote by author and minister Tim Hansel that I believe captures the essence of this answer…“I have prayed hundreds, if not thousands, of times for the Lord to heal me. . .and he finally healed me of the need to be healed.”

Sometimes, God answers, “Grow”…Because he is more interested in our spiritual condition.


IV. Sometimes, God Answers, “Slow.”

The 3rd character I want you to see is Martha. . .


Read John 11: 17 – 22.

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.
18 Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,
19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."(NIV)


Did that passage surprise you a little? It surprised me…We are so accustomed to the story of Jesus visiting in the house of Mary and Martha, that we generalize Mary into the spiritual sister and Martha as the one who worked in the kitchen with no interest in the presence of Jesus…This story pictures the 2 sisters in the opposite light…Mary is the one who looked at the problem of her brother’s sickness and death as a hopeless situation that even Jesus could not solve…Martha, on the other hand, made 2 very spiritual comments.

1. In v. 27, Martha confessed that Jesus was the Christ… Some believe this was the 1st confession of faith, even earlier than Peter’s similar confession.

2. In v. 22, Martha confessed her faith that Jesus could do whatever he wanted, even raise dead.

Martha made a different request of Jesus…Her faith allowed her to look beyond the physical problems of sickness and death…Martha looked toward the spiritual…I would paraphrase Martha’s request like this, “Jesus, I would like to see my brother again. If you want to raise him from the dead, I know you can do it. If you do not want to raise him, then I will look forward to seeing him in the end times, at the final resurrection.”

Martha’s request differed from her sister’s request in one major area…Martha asked for what was already God’s will, but it was not the right time…Therefore, Jesus answered, “Slow”…In other words, Martha would receive what she asked, she would just have to wait on it. . .for God’s timing.

This is a hard lesson for many of us to learn…We often interpret a “No” when God really said, “Slow.”…We like things to come instantly…We would rather cook our dinners in the microwave, not in the crock pot…This is the same as what happened in the life of Abraham…Abraham asked God for a son who could be his heir…This was God’s will…But God’s time was for Abraham to wait until he was 100 years old.

As we pray, we have to learn to trust God’s will. . .But we must also trust God’s time.


V. Sometimes, God Answers, “Go.”

The last character I want you to look at is Jesus himself.


Read John 11: 38 – 44.

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
39 "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."
40 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."(NIV)


When Jesus prayed to the Father, God said, “Go”…God answered his prayer just as he prayed it…Because Jesus had all three things in place in order for God to answer his prayer. . .

1. He asked God to do what was already in his will.

2. He asked God to work on God’s own time schedule.

3. Jesus’ spiritual condition was just where God wanted him.


Don’t get me wrong, God will not give you what you want just because you are spiritual…But there are certain spiritual objectives that God wants to accomplish in your life that are far more important than any other request you could ever make.


VI. Conclusion.

I recently ran across a prayer attributed to my favorite author, Anonymous. . .

AND GOD SAID NO (Anonymous)

I asked God to take away my pride,
And God said "NO"
He said it was not for him to take away
But for me to give up
I asked God to make my
handicapped child whole,
And God said "NO"
He said her spirit is whole
Her body is only temporary.
I asked God to grant me patience,
And God said "NO".
He said that patience is a byproduct of tribulation,
It isn't granted, it is earned.
I asked God to give me happiness,
And God said "No"
He said He gives blessings,
Happiness is up to me.
I asked God to spare me pain,
And God said "NO"
He said, "Suffering draws you apart from worldly
cares and brings you closer to me.

... ... ...

I asked God to help me love others
As much as He loves me,
And God said, "Ah, finally you have the idea."[1]

[1] http://www.bvbcministries.org/Poems.htm, “And God Said No.”