Have you ever found yourself in a dark place in desperate need of answers? The prophet Jeremiah would understand. It was when he was in prison, while his city was under siege, that God said to him: “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3). In this uplifting message, Dr. Stanley assures us that God is just as poised to answer our prayers as He was Jeremiah’s. In hard times, call on God. He’s ready to answer. This message is Part 1 of the series: How to Talk With God – Volume 1 CD Series: https://store.intouch.org/purchase/ho…
Part 1: Unveiling The Hidden Part 2: Praying With Authority – Releasing 2/14 Part 3: Praying And Fasting – Releasing 2/21 Part 4: A Prayer Burden – Releasing 2/28 Part 5: Answered Prayer – Releasing Soon Part 6: When It’s Spiritual Warfare – Releasing Soon How to Talk With God – Volume 2 CD Series: https://store.intouch.org/purchase/ho…
Part 1: Why Our Prayers Are Unanswered – Releasing Soon Part 2: How To Pray In The Will Of God – Releasing Soon Part 3: A Time To Stop Waiting In Prayer – Releasing Soon Part 4: The Power Of Your Prayer Life – Releasing Soon Part 5: Praying For Others – Releasing Soon Part 6: Praying Is Where The Action Is – Releasing Soon For more messages from Charles Stanley, including this week’s broadcast, go to https://intouch.org/tv
[Music]
with a message from God’s word here’s
Charles
Stanley the title of the message
today unveiling the hidden and this is
the first in a series of sermons on
prayer how to talk with God and if
you’ll notice I didn’t say how to talk
to him but how to talk with God in the
scripture Jeremiah 33 veres 1-3 and if
you’ll turn there and let’s read
together
Jeremiah chapter 33 the first three
verses moreover the word of the Lord
came unto Jeremiah the second time while
he was yet shut up in the court of the
prison saying thus sayith the Lord the
maker thereof the Lord that formed it to
establish it the Lord is his name call
unto me and I will answer thee and show
thee Great and Mighty things which thou
knowest
not everybody
ought to learn how to talk with God and
if you’ll notice I didn’t say talk to
him I said to learn to talk with God
Communications is one of the biggest
problems we face today and in industry
in the home in Social relationships we
have a problem communicating with each
other and expressing what we really feel
what we want to say and so often times
we say what we don’t mean we fail to say
what we feel we leave people with
misunderstanding and broken
relationships and lack of Harmony
because we’re unable to say what we
really want to communicate to someone
else and so whether it’s in the family
or in business there are all kinds of
seminars and all kind of books on how to
communicate with each other and people
are spending their time learning how to
talk on a whole entirely different basis
now it’s one thing to be able to
communicate with each other but more
important than learning how to talk with
each other is learning how to talk with
God now nobody simply likes to be talked
to so what I want to ask you is this do
you really know how to talk with
God when you talk with him are you
comfortable with what you’re saying and
what you believe he’s hearing do you
really feel that God has heard what you
said do you really feel comfortable in
the fact that when you walk away from a
time of talking with him that you
believe he heard you and that you’re
going to receive what you ask him or is
it that you’re confused and frustrated
about your relationship with him or
you’re talking with him and so you’re
not ever quite sure exactly what’s going
on well for the next few weeks what I’d
like to do is to deal with a series of
messages on how to talk with God and I
want to tell you first of all I’m not
going to give you all the answers this
morning I’m not going to give you here’s
how to talk with God a b CDE e for the
simple reason that that’s not the way to
learn to do it but what I want to do is
to begin sharing with you some
principles some basic principles that
will affect your attitude about God your
attitude about prayer your attitude
about yourself so that the end result
will be you will begin to learn how to
talk with him now let me just brief you
on the background of the scripture for
just a moment Jeremiah the prophet is in
prison the Babylonians are coming from
the East they’ve defeated the Assyrians
the Egyptians are in the South and so
Jeremiah’s in prison because he refused
to agree with the leaders of Jerusalem
that they ought to align themselves with
the Egyptians in the South and he says
to the leaders and to the king God says
you’re going into
captivity what you really ought to do is
just go out there and submit to the
Babylonians they said we’re not going to
submit to the Babylonians and so they
didn’t want to hear God’s prophecy so
they threw Jeremiah in prison and he is
in prison simply because the king and
the leaders of Jerusalem some of whom
are already in prison are already in
Babylonian captivity uh one of whom may
be by this time Daniel and if not by
this time very soon thereafter because
he was one of those who was taken into
captivity when you read the ninth
chapter of Daniel and Daniel is fasting
and praying and trying to find out the
message of God what he is seeking is
understanding of this very prophecy that
Jeremiah’s giving us and Jeremiah said
that God showed him that Judah would go
into Babylonian captivity they’d stay
for 70 years and at the end of 70 years
they would be released and be able to
come back to rebuild the walls of the
city and rebuild the city of Jerusalem
so Jeremiah is saying to the people of
his day it’s too late it’s all over in
the process of being thrown in prison
and persecuted by uh his captives he
gives us a verse here that has a
tremendous message for us in
understanding how to talk with God there
three things in this one verse I want
you to get so I hope you’ll get a pencil
and paper out and listen to what he says
verse three call unto me and I will
answer thee and show thee Great and
Mighty things which thou knowest not so
the first thing he does here is he
enjoins us to Prayer by saying call unto
me now Jeremiah is in prison I don’t
know a better place for B catch up on
his prayer life than being in prison and
some of you have never been behind bars
but God’s put you in circumstances and
situations where I believe that God
wanted to teach you something or say
something specifically to you or maybe
teach you how to talk to him and the
only prayer you knew how to pray is
while you were rattling the bars you
were saying God get me out of here when
that may not be the prayer God wanted
you to pray after all you see we’re so
prone to want everything to go our way
not to have any suffering not to have
any difficulty any heartache when we
come along and stump our big toe or fall
into some difficulty the first prayer is
God where are you get me out of here so
I can love you more and serve you more
and pray
better nothing could be further from the
truth in that he said to Jeremiah in
prison listen he didn’t say Jeremiah I’m
going to get you out of there he doesn’t
even mention that and nor does Jeremiah
even mention God getting him out he
comes to jere Mighty says
Jeremiah call unto me I will answer thee
and show thee Great and Mighty things
which thou know it’s not I wonder how
many of us are more intent on getting
out of our circumstances than we are on
finding out what God what great things
God wants to show us and you see
sometimes when he puts us in
circumstances that we cannot understand
and we have difficulties and heartaches
what is he doing he’s teaching us some
things now you remember this the next
time the bottom drops out and you’re
confronted with a problem or decision
and you don’t have a solution you
remember this one thing the shortest
distance between the problem you’re
facing whatever it may be and the
solution to that problem is what the
shortest distance between the problem
and the solution is the distance between
your knees and the floor prayer is
always the shortest distance between the
problem and the solution the difficulty
and the answer it’s always that way now
what we usually do after we’ve read some
books and after we’ve talked to some
friends and after we’ve exhausted all
possible resources then we come to God
and we say Lord now that I can’t do it
myself can you help me he wants us to
come to him on a basis of father and son
or daughter relationship not after we’ve
exhausted our resources but he wants us
to come to him first and here’s what
you’ll recall if you’ll think about it
for a
moment he has never given you a busy
signal when you began to pray when you
think of three or four billions of
people that might be legitimate but you
and I have the right to talk to him
anytime anywhere on any circumstance and
here’s what he says call unto me and I
will answer thee and show thee Great and
Mighty things which thou knowest not he
enjoins us to pray because God knows
that you and I are often times in
prisons made by our own not prisons of
bars but intellectual prisons emotional
prisons relational prisons all kinds of
difficulties heartaches troubles and
trials and he knows that the quickest
solution is on our knees before him God
always without question has an answer
the second thing I want you to notice he
says here call unto me and I will answer
thee he not only enjoins us to prayer
but he encourages us in our prayer he
says I will answer thee now let’s think
about that for a moment I will answer
thee many times you and I will say to
someone else I will be there I will do
this and so you can count on me we may
want to do it we may mean to do it we
may attempt to do it we may try to do it
but we can’t but let me tell you
something when God omnipotent God
Almighty says I will you can bet your
life on this the God who says I will is
the god who can follow that by saying I
always can and you see sometime we’d
like to and can’t sometime we desire to
but we just can’t do it God says I will
hear and answer your prayer does God
always hear and answer our prayer and
the answer is how does God answer prayer
when God answers our prayer he either
says yes no or what wait one of those
three they’re all three answers now you
know why we don’t say God answers our
prayer in three ways in fact if God
answers your prayer you walk around and
say praise the Lord let me tell you what
I ask God I ask God about so and so what
do you think he did he did exactly what
I asked him to do so you ask the Lord to
do something and he doesn’t do it you
don’t say let me tell you what happened
praise God I answered my prayer and he
said
no you know why you don’t say no because
you’re going to think think your friends
are going to say man you got sin in your
life God didn’t answer your prayer
because if you’d have been living right
God would have said yes there’s anything
in this Bible that says he’s going to
say yes because you’re living right
listen some of his answers are no no no
never that’s it never what do we do we
just sort of curl up and we say oh God
what’s the matter and we look around we
think we’ve got to have sinned we we
can’t be walking in the spirit we blame
all of these things when listen doesn’t
God have the legitimate right to say
no we won’t even give him the privilege
of saying no what do we do we say Lord
if the answer is not yes then there’s
something
wrong God’s answer can be no and be
absolutely and totally from God if he
says wait he’s saying wait for a very
definite reason why do you suppose that
God says no and
wait God always has our best interest at
heart when he says no he says no in
order to protect us when he says wait
he’s waiting to protect us there’s some
things God wants us to have that we ask
him for but the timing’s not right for
example here comes a couple and they
want to get married and and um they come
to me and they say what do you think and
I may say well now let me tell you on
the basis of what you’ve said to me and
how you respond to each other what I
know about you I think you’re hurrying
this thing oh no no we’re not heuring
this thing at all now listen if God
wants you to marry somebody I can tell
you this if you can trust him to get you
to the right person can’t you trust him
to do it at the right time you see we
don’t want to wait we don’t want to hear
any nose and we don’t hear any weights
the only thing we want to hear is yes
yes yes yes yes yes yes from heaven and
we want him to say yes when deep down
inside we even have a sneaking suspicion
it’s not right and you know what people
do people say well I want to on the word
of God so they ask the Lord about answer
the prayer and he says no they said hm
I’m going to get in the word and find me
an
answer and what they’re really saying is
I didn’t like God’s first answer and I’m
going to show him why he’s got to answer
my prayer so I’m going to get me a
scripture and I’m just going to stand on
the word and claim the word listen when
God says no you can’t give him his word
back and misinterpreted to him and you
think you’re going to fool God you can’t
fool god with his own word he says say
no the answer is no if he says wait the
answer is wait because God is more
interested in your good fortune he’s
more interested in your future he’s more
interested in your peace he’s more
interested in your faith he’s more
interested in growing you up he’s more
interested in your character he’s more
interested in your obedience than he is
pleasing you for the moment you may get
an instant answer but it may not be the
answer you want but you remember this
whenever God says no he’s loving you
whenever God says wait he’s loving you
it’s always the motivation of love so he
says call unto me and I will answer thee
and show thee Great and Mighty things
which thou knoweth not now watch
this however oh we all know how we
respond to yes oh praise the Lord
hallelujah amen God’s answered my prayer
and we strut around like God answers
everything we ask it and all of us know
that God has never for anybody except
Jesus Christ ever answered every single
prayer the way he prayed
it because he was in Perfect Harmony and
had perfect knowledge and wisdom before
the father but we don’t we don’t have
perfect knowledge we don’t have perfect
wisdom so we may start out asking some
things that not his will and if we’re
listening he’s going to show us that’s
not of him and so we accept his KN and
move on the say all right Lord how shall
I pray about this now our response to
the nose and the weights watch this our
resp response to the Nos and the weights
the way we respond reveals one of two
things if I can accept his no or his
weight with a submissive spirit and say
all right Lord that’s not what I plan
that’s not what I particularly like but
I want to thank you that you’re wise
than I am and I want to submit to your
answer then I am serving and relating to
the Lord out of love but if he gives me
a no and a wait and I rebel against him
and I’m going to make it work somehow
and I’m going to manipulate things and
somehow work work it out and then say
look what God did and listen we we are
Past Masters of that aren’t we we work
it out manipulate say look what God did
God didn’t have anything to do with it
so if I rebel against his nose and
weights what’s really happening is that
I am refusing his answer so what’s
happening then my friend that is
evidence that our relationship to him
and our service to him is being
fulfilled out of Duty not out of love if
I respond submissively it’s love if I
respond rebelliously it is
Duty and not love the third thing I want
you to see here notice what he says call
unto me he enjoins us to pray to him in
all kinds of difficulty I will answer
thee is his encouragement to us in
prayer that he’s personally interested
in whatever concerns us then he
says I will answer thee and show thee
Great and Mighty things which thou
knowest not now I want you to see the
difference between these two words
because the English translation of one
of these words doesn’t really show us
what he’s saying to us here now listen
he says I will show thee Great and
Mighty things which thou knowest not all
of us have decisions to make and we
don’t have the answers we have decisions
that involve other people their home
decisions marital decisions CH decisions
about our children decisions in business
and finance and relationships with other
people all of us have decisions we’re
confronted with constantly he says here
if you will call unto me I will answer
thee and show thee Great and Mighty
things which thou knowest not and so
many of God’s people go all the way
through their life making decisions
based on listen their knowledge their
mundane understanding of things and
their experience when there are some
decisions that must be based on Divine
wisdom and illumination from God and
there’s some things that will not come
any other way for
example most any preacher can get up a
sermon he can get him an outline but
friend you can’t get a message from God
by reading books writing finagling
manipulating praying pleading doing
anything else unless God gives it you
won’t get it you can’t make God give you
anything and there are many times when
we make decisions that we never really
know if that’s what God wanted or not
and so many people are prone to flip a
coin spiritually speaking and say well
Lord here’s what I’m going to do if it’s
of you I know you’ll bless it if it’s
not then so what and how many times have
we jumped off the cliff the wrong Cliff
at the wrong time and said God bless
me going down into a pile and you see he
doesn’t he has no obligation to bless
anything that’s not of him he’s not
going to do it now what is he saying and
it’s very important you get this he says
I will do what I will show the Great and
Mighty things which thou knowest not now
two words first of all the great things
what does he mean when he says I will
show thee great things I believe watch
this I believe that every time you and I
come to him in
prayer seeking to know his will or his
mind about a thing that two things he
always wants to show us and these are
two great things he said call unto me
and I will answer thee and I will show
thee Great and Mighty things which thou
knowest not the one thing God always
wants to show me is
himself can you tell me anything greater
than seeing and knowing god when you and
I kneel to pray the first thing God
wants to show us always is how great he
is listen the way to begin to talk with
God is not saying Lord let me tell you
about my
needs we ought to begin our praying by
saying Lord thank you that you’re
omnipotent you have all power to meet
all of my needs thank you that you’re
omniscient that you know everything I’m
going to tell you about even before I
tell you thank you that you’re
omnipresent that you’re not up yonder
but you’re in my heart and I’m in your
presence and I bow my heart and my body
before your throne thank you that you’re
holy you hate sin thank you that you’re
merciful and loving and forgiving thank
you Father for being the great Creator
the great sustainer the great lover of
mankind father I’m coming to you great
as Thou Art recognizing thy greatness
recognizing thy Holiness bowing before
you as one of your children and knowing
that you’re more than sufficient to meet
our needs you talking about listen
friend that’s the way to talk to God and
to talk with him not hop on my knees
dear Lord you know my need today I’m on
my way down the expressway hurry up Lord
and on my way now listen some of you are
faster than that you just think it and
keep going you never stop to recognize
that God always wants to show us himself
in prayer the second great thing he
wants to show us is what he’s able and
ready to do calling to me and I will
answer thee and show thee Great and
Mighty things which thou knowest
not how does he show us what he’s
willing to do he shows us in his word he
reminds us of what he’s done in the past
he shows us in other people’s lives and
other circumstances what holy Almighty
omnipotent God is willing and ready to
do so he says call unto me and I will
answer thee and show thee great things
that thou knowest not but now here’s the
key look at this next word call unto me
and I will answer thee and show thee
Great and Mighty things now listen the
word mighty does not mean what it
implies yet the word mighty means the
hidden things listen the things that are
fenced in it is the word used for
fortified cities that is cities that are
garrisoned about that you can’t get in
he’s talking about unveiling for us
those things that listen that are
inaccessible to us any other way except
through God In
Prayer listen has it ever dawned on you
that God wants to show you some things
that you won’t ever find talking to
anybody else he wants the unveil truth
to you and answers to you that you’re
not going to ever find with confidence
reading somebody’s book God is willing
he says call unto me and I will answer
thee and show thee great and hidden
inaccessible things that will never be
known any other way you see we don’t
want to take the time we don’t want to
take the time to wait upon God In Prayer
he says I’ll show you and many of you
are making decisions in the process of
making him you saying I’ll tell you I
just don’t know what in the world to do
listen if you don’t know what in the
world to do I can tell you what to do
stop ringing your hands and get on your
knees before God the promise he made
listen the promise he made to Jeremiah
is accessible as the promise to us call
unto me I will answer thee and show thee
Great and Mighty things which thou
knowest not he says when we come to
him and we’re willing to see him as he
is you see listen God isn’t going to
show us something that’s
inaccessible something that’s
hidden something we’d like to
know something we need to know listen
until first of all I have settled that I
know who he is listen if I want to
bypass who he is and bypass
understanding what he’s able to do and
just get in and get my answer and get
out forget
it until I recognize who he is and until
I am all in the presence of God and
standing a at the omnipotence of God how
will I ever be impressed to believe that
God is willing to show little old
me something that I could never know any
other
way now as a pastor there are many times
when I have to go to God and ask him for
things that there’s no other place for
me to get him there’s no other way in
God’s name for me to find out what I
want to know and sometimes he’ll show me
something for the day there have been
times when he showed me something that
will’ll happen next week next month or
whatever it might be but I’ve never been
to God and met met his requirements and
talk with him about a problem that I had
to face or a solution that I needed that
God did not give an answer now listen he
didn’t always give it just like that
because sometimes he has to get us ready
but what he’s promising here is this
here you are in the throws of making a
decision or trying to find something in
your own life or maybe you’re in a
circumstance and you’re just covered
with circumstance in fact you just don’t
know what in the world you’re going to
do I want to tell you something there is
no knowledge you and I ever need to know
that is not easily accessible Before the
Throne of the loving living holy
righteous God who has said call unto me
I I will answer thee and show Thee the
great the hidden the inaccessible the
garrisoned about things that you’ll
never that you’ll never be able to
understand any other way and you see
look if you will in Deuteronomy chapter
29:29 and here’s a passage that you need
to underline in your Bible Deuteronomy
29 verse 29 because he reminds us here
of some things that are kept secret only
for him and then he reminds us of what
he’s willing to do listen 29 929
Deuteronomy the secret things belong
unto the Lord Our God that is there some
things God’s not going to ever revealed
but those things which are revealed
belong unto us and to our children
forever that we may do all the words of
the law now watch this there’s some
things he go he’s going to show us in
order that we may know what to do and
then do it you know what the key is for
God to showing you the things that you
won’t ever find any other way you said
well I can go ask somebody else and the
Bible says there’s wisdom and counsel is
right but friend there’s some things
that you’re not going to find that any
other way I don’t mean that God’s going
to add to the Book of Revelation one
more chapter and give it to you but I’m
talking about showing you about you I’m
talking about illuminating your mind and
heart till you know that you’ve got the
mind of God and if everybody in the
world says no you’re going to say yes
because God has given to you clear
a word of wisdom and direction for your
life but there’s one
key and the key is
this are you submissive to him to the
point that whatever he says you’re going
to do now I’m not saying he’ll never
tell you the truth until you’re
submissive but I’m saying this if you
want and we can’t hurry God but you see
now watch this God doesn’t change his
mind he lays down principles if I follow
principles certain things happen if I
don’t follow them other things things
happen God doesn’t change his mind how
can he change his mind and knows
everything secondly we can’t hurry God
along now watch this carefully I can’t
make God tell me something before he’s
ready but I can get myself in a position
before God that will bring about God’s
answer quicker not hurrying God not
rushing him not putting pressure on him
if I stand over here and I say that’s
where I belong I’m going to get over
there one of these days when I get there
I’m going to get the answer so I take a
little step and I take it another step
but if I say I really want what God
wants and I want it now and God says for
me to get it that I’ll get it quicker if
I am totally submissive to his will and
whatever he says I want to do the
quicker I move from my will to his will
the quicker God’s going to show me and
unfold to me what I need to know God
doesn’t answer prayer out of curiosity
my friend you mark that down he’s not
going to show you anything out of
curiosity he’s going to show you in
order that you may obey him that’s the
reason God hears and answers our prayer
he wants us to obey him now let me ask
you
something are you facing a a decision in
your
life are you in the midst of something
that you feel like there’s no way for
you to get out of everything looks
hopeless or maybe you’re going through
some difficulty in your life and you
don’t have an answer for it right now
let me tell you what he says call unto
me and I will answer thee and show thee
great I’ll show you what I’m able to do
God says if you will see me and see me
and understand me as I am and then I
will take the lid
off and let you look in and see what I
want to do what I’m willing to do what
I’m going to do in your life I have the
solution God says I have the answer
answer and if you’re willing to call
unto me I will answer you and show you
my mighty power to do it and then I’ll
show you what I want to do and let me
ask you this is what you need the
solution you’re seeking worth your
submitting yourself totally to him that
whatever he requires you’re willing to
say yes Lord yes Lord yes
Lord let’s pray
together father we thank you for loving
us enough to provide for us not only
physical things and material things but
to provide wisdom and knowledge because
you’ve said in your word I will teach
thee in the way which Thou shalt go I
will guide thee with mine eye and all of
us need to know your will in decisions
that we make we need to know your sense
of direction maybe some college students
seeking your will about their major or
about their vocation maybe someone
contemplating marriage who really wants
to know Lord what would you have us to
do some man in business facing a real
dilemma does not know what to do would
you grant him the courage to say Lord my
answer to whatever you say is yes in
advance before you give the answer the
answer is yes Lord yes Lord yes Lord I
will obey you grant us the faith
heavenly father to be obedient to
whatever you require of us whatever the
solution may be and teach us how to talk
with you looking to you praising you
worshiping you and following you
whatever you command of us and this we
ask in jesus’ name and for his sake
amen