ANSWERED PRAYER AND THE GLORY OF GOD

John 15:7,8 – If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Those of you that know me know that I have prayed for a great move of God that would shake Southeast Louisiana for many years. I have lived to see an unmistakeable move of God here for almost five decades. If I am completely honest, there have been many times that I have become discouraged and wondered if that would ever happen. Over the last several days I feel a release and a new expectancy that the day of God’s visitation at the mouth of the Mississippi River is inevitable and may be upon us. What has changed for me? I have come to the realization that it is not my reputation that is at stake and it is not my efforts or anyone else’s efforts that are important, the Lord will act suddenly for the sake of His Name. Revival is all about the glory of God and not about the works and plans of man. Jesus said it very clearly in today’s verses, He said that answered prayer and the fruit displayed through His disciples is about His glory. God will have His way and His Name will be glorified. Here is how Jonathan Edwards describes our prayers and the glory of God.

“Now our last and highest end is doubtless what should be first in our desires, and consequently first in our prayers, and therefore we may argue that since Christ directs that God’s glory should be first in our prayers, that therefore this is our last end. This is further confirmed by the conclusion of the Lord’s prayer, For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, which, as it stands in connection with the rest of the prayer, implies that we desire and ask all the things mentioned in each petition, with a sub-ordination and in subservience to the dominion and glory of God; in which all our desires ultimately terminate, as their last end. God’s glory and dominion are the two first things mentioned in the prayer, and are the subject of the first half of the prayer; and they are the two last things mentioned in the same prayer in its conclusion. God’s glory is the Alpha and Omega in the prayer. From these things we may argue, according to the eighth position, that God’s glory is the last end of the creation.”

So what is my response and what has changed? Well really nothing has changed but in a sense everything has changed. We will keep on praying, worshipping, preaching, teaching, and doing our best to win the lost, all of that is still the same. What has changed is this, we will press on in joy and expectation knowing that at the end of the day it is all about the glory of His Name and not about the reputation of a man or ministry.