Topic: WHEN PRAYERS ARE NO LONGER ANSWERED
Text: Luke 16:19-31
16:19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and [a]fared sumptuously every day.
16:20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,
16:21 desiring to be fed with [b]the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
16:22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
16:23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
16:24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’
16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.
16:26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.
16:27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house,
16:28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’
16:29Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’
16:30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
16:31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’
STUDY:
Our reading today shows a situation where prayers seemingly go unanswered as shown in two contrasting lives – one marked by wealth and indifference (the rich man), and another by suffering and the yearning for relief (Lazarus). While Lazarus made his prayers on earth while alive, the rich man made his only when he was dead. Lazarus’ prayer (desire) was in line with the pattern taught by Christ
. His desire was that the Lord would provide him his daily bread (Matt. 6:9-13). It appeared Lazarus’ prayer was not answered but at the end, he saw that God was working out his purposes for him. In contrast, the rich man apparently made no prayers while on earth because he lacked nothing except that he had no connection with God. His only prayers were after death, and the timing and content of his prayers were wrong. He was praying about salvation and relief from hell in eternity, a matter he should have settled earlier. He received an instant response, yet it was an unfavourable answer.
Beloved, we must remember that effective prayer is built first on our relationship with God, as “our Father.” Second, it is only in time (our earthly life) that we need to pray and settle the issues of salvation and eternity. The best liturgical prayers at a funeral, cannot change the destiny of the deceased. All prayers after death are like the prayers of the rich man. They fail in content and in time.
Prayer:
Lord, while I yet live, help me to pray; and may I pray according to your will.
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