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