Is This Why Your Prayer Is Still Unanswered?

The Bible says, “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me. Where I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:26).

Often, people have said to me over the years of my life, whether it’s been in my congregation or when I’ve been travelling internationally as an itinerant evangelist, that I always seem to be very excited and confident that the God I serve will answer my prayers. This is true; I am. I have a slogan I captured many years ago, one I’ve repeated at our church, Living Faith Community Church (LFCC) (#wheretheimpossiblebecomespossible) many times: “If you look after God’s backyard, He will look after your backyard.”

I think there is a kind of presumption, where many people think, If I come to church and do certain things, if I look after certain matters, I expect God will look after us. But let me make it very clear. I want to let you know that with God it’s always two-way traffic; it’s not one-way traffic.

People often come to me and say “Pastor Reg, I’m not sure why my prayers haven’t been answered.” Or “Pastor Reg, I’m not too sure why I haven’t received my healing” or “Pastor Reg, I’m not too sure why my child is still in the same condition.” My heartfelt response is and has always been this: “Are you serving God?”

I often repeat this slogan: “If you look after God’s backyard, He will look after yours.” Jesus Himself says in the Bible that when you serve Him, the Father will honor you (see John 12:26).

I remember the first time I gave my heart to Jesus in 1982. I felt very strongly that I wanted to do something in the church, anything, even worship leading. Do you know what? I couldn’t get any ministry roles; there was no opening in the church I grew up in. One day, I saw a small opening for me to have a wedding planning ministry. It consisted of rolling out the red carpet, vacuuming and mopping the entire church. On the day of the wedding, I would place a flower, a daisy, on every chair, so that when the couple arrived, everything was ready. I did that faithfully for a number of years in my church because it was the only thing my pastors gave me. I had a ministry to see and believe in couples who were getting married, and the whole time, I was actually honoring God. It was God I was serving.

Then one day, God said to me, “You will no longer live in Singapore. Pack up your bags; I want you to come to a great country called Australia.” Twenty years later, I’m still here, with many churches God has given me. I have great partners and great people who have come to join this church. I’m only here because I started my ministry at the very low level where God called me to be. So, can I encourage you today that if you want to use the pulpit, before you do, look at doing something as basic as rolling out the carpet for God, because you see, “If you look after God’s backyard, He will look after your backyard.”

I am married to a wonderful, beautiful wife, and we have two boys. I know I’ve got a lot of needs, but regardless of every need I have right now, I will often be found in the church doing something for God. I do realize that in the back of my mind, there is something bugging me, something I am not too sure about. For example, I’m not too sure what is going on with my son Jesse; I’m not sure what’s going on with my wife; or I’m not sure what’s going on with my son Joshua. They are all dealing with their own warfare, so I will often say, “Let me serve Your people, God, and as I serve Your people, I know You will take care of my people in my backyard.” Again, I want to encourage you that if you look after God’s backyard, He will look after your backyard. I think there are often times as Christians when we decide to not put God first. Instead, we keep coming back to church and see God as if He were a supermarket. We have become very consumer-oriented and say, “God, answer my prayers,” but in return, God will ask you, “What have you done for Me, where have you gone for Me, what ministry have you done for Me?”

It’s important to understand this truth. Many people have missed this blessing, this wonderful, powerful blessing of serving God. Can I encourage you to try to find something to do for God? In huge humility before you, I still park cars in this church with another three or four blokes every Sunday, after all these years of ministry, regardless of every qualification I have. I find a sense of joy doing this, because I like to have the cars parked nicely; it gives me a sense of satisfaction. While I’m doing that, I will also usher people into the church, where often I will have the opportunity to speak to them for three to five minutes, helping them out in their journey with God.

I just want to let you know now, that however big you are going to become, don’t forget the small things you could do for God. If you are faithful in the small things, God will raise you up to big things. My heartfelt prayer is just to make sure you understand this, because God does not work with one-way traffic, but he works with two-way traffic. You serve Him, you look after His kingdom, then the Father in heaven will honor your backyard, He will take care of your problems, your difficulties, your illnesses and your disease. God will heal you simply because you have put Him No. 1. As I have said, “If you look after God’s backyard, and He will look after yours.” {eoa}

Australian prophet and pastor Dr. Reg Morais teaches and demonstrates the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit, including the deliverance of demonic oppression and physical healings. In 28 years of ministry, he has founded not only Anoint the World Ministries: school of impartation, theological seminary and university, but also Living Faith Community Church (LFCC), running seven services a week. He is senior pastor of LFCC, based in Perth, Western Australia which incorporates over 500 churches globally.