English Radio Program

09 October 2008

YOU BET GOD ANSWERS PRAYER

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea, and it will be done” (Matthew 21:21).

Doug Coe not only believes that God answers prayer. He is so sure of it that he bet $500 on it. Here's how it happened. Bob Hunter, a friend of his and a baby Christian, was searching to find out how prayer works. One day he asked his friend, Doug, “Do you really believe what the Bible says about moving mountains when we pray?” Doug thought about it and then answered, “Sure.” “Do you mean to say that you believe that if I prayed for a mountain to move, that it would move?” asked Bob. The conversation went back and forth. But finally Doug challenged his friend to begin praying for Africa for 45 days, and at the end of that time, he could be the one to decide if his prayers had been answered.

If Hunter felt that praying had been a waste of time, Coe agreed to give him $500. On the other hand, if he felt that praying for Africa had resulted in any significant changes or results, Hunter would give Coe the same amount of money for his ministry.

And what happened? First, Bob Hunter began praying daily for Africa. “God, help Africa,” he prayed. What happened? First, he was invited to a dinner and just happened to sit next to a woman who ran an orphanage in Uganda. As she told him about the needs of the children there, he told her about his strange bet and his prayers for that great continent.

She, in turn, invited him to Uganda and to visit the orphanage. And that is how he found himself on a plane loaded with gifts for the children in the orphanage. While he was there, the Ugandan President, having heard of his interest in the work, telephoned to express personal appreciation. This resulted in an invitation to stop by for a personal meeting.

Here's how, Doug Nichols tells it, “When Bob arrived that afternoon for his appointment, the President was just in the middle of rushing out of his office. He apologized that he had to go off to some appointment, but invited Bob to come along, so they could get acquainted in the car. Bob accepted. Along the way, at one of the stops, Bob looked out the window to see what appeared to be a stockyard; only this was a stockyard not filled with cattle, but with men. Bob asked the President what he was seeing. The president responded that it was a political prison and those men were his political enemies…. “But Mr. President, that's not right to have men living in such horrible conditions,” he commented.

He, of course, was a guest in that country. It was really not his business to comment, but without thinking, he compassionately shared the feelings of his heart.

After Hunter returned to the U.S., he received a request from the American Undersecretary for African Affairs to meet with him. Was he in trouble? What had he done? But instead of a reproof, the government official wanted to thank him for procuring the release of the political prisoners. “What exactly did you say to him?” he was asked. He was stunned. Then he remembered the conversation. The Ugandan president wasn't accustomed to having men candidly and honestly assess his actions, and rather than respond in anger, he accepted honest reproof.

Yes, Bob Hunter followed through with his bet and sent Doug Coe the check he had promised for his ministry, but going far beyond that, he began to understand how prayer changes things and people. It is the hand that moves the hand of God who works through mortal men.

Would you be willing to bet on the fact that God answers prayer? Though I am not a gambling man, I can tell you one thing for sure. You will never, ever have the odds stacked in your favor as you would when you commit to the certainty that God hears and answers prayer.

Resource reading : Matthew 21