THE CATCH-22 ANSWERED PRAYER

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Written/Ministered by: Rosa Appling-Banks

Music: Robert Banks IV

Executive Producer: Robert Banks III

 

Welcome to Living Word of TRUTH! 11.8.2020

Today's message is titled: "The Catch-22 Answered Prayer"

Subtopic: When GOD Gives You What You Want

By: Rosa Appling-Banks

https://rosabanks.podbean.com/e/the-catch-22-answered-prayer/ 

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Greetings Truth seekers! I love you! This is the day that The LORD has made and despite all that is going on contrary to The Truth, we will still honor Him in our thoughts, with the fruit of our lips, and according to His word, will and way for our lives!

 

Once again it is a privilege and honor of The LORD to share with you the word of Truth that will fulfill what He has charged me to do according to Acts 26:18.

 

Now, Truth seekers, at our last gathering, 10.25.2020, we covered the message titled ‘The Unshakeable Kingdom’. If you missed it, you will be able to view it @ https://rosabanks.podbean.com/e/the-unshakeable-kingdom-1603635915/

 

As we proceed with our message titled, "The Catch-22 Answered Prayer" with the subtopic, “When GOD Gives You What You Want,” first, we will do so by giving an understanding of the secular meaning of ‘catch-22’. According to the Google search engine, the term ‘catch-22’ is:

 

(1) A paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations. The term was coined by Joseph Heller, who used it in his 1961 novel Catch-22.

 

(2) A dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions.

 

(3) A danger or difficulty that is hidden or not easily recognized.

 

Along with the above definitions of ‘catch-22’, which are based on its original terminology, we will proceed to define it from a Spiritualized topical-textual perspective, which is drawn out of the context of 2 Kings 20:1-19. The first scenario of today’s message is found within the passages of 2 Kings 20:1-6:

 

2 Kings 20:1-6(NLT), “...Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: “This is what The LORD says: “Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.” When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to The LORD, “Remember, O LORD, how I have always been faithful to You and have served You single-mindedly, always doing what pleases You.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly. But before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, this message came to him from The LORD: “Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of My people. Tell him, This is what The LORD, the GOD of your ancestor David, says: “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of The LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for My own honor and for the sake of My servant David.” Amen

 

King Hezekiah did not want to receive and concede to the perfect will of GOD as prophesied by the Prophet Isaiah. Rather than get his house in order, he told GOD what he wanted Him to do and GOD gave Hezekiah the will of his heart’s desire. GOD, out of His capacity of grace, permissively allowed Hezekiah’s will for his life to be done. However, in doing so, GOD did not change His mind about His initial will for Hezekiah. What Hezekiah did not know was that having his will done in the stead of GOD’S perfect will indirectly put his sons and the Kingdom in a catch-22 dilemma. What was the catch-22 dilemma? After GOD sent the Prophet Isaiah back to King Hezekiah to inform him that He had heard his cry and would heal him and give him an additional 15 years of life, GOD ended up giving Hezekiah another word of prophecy through the Prophet Isaiah that caused Hezekiah to come to the realization that because of him choosing his will instead of the will of GOD, it was at the expense of the wellbeing and future inheritances of his sons, and the Kingdom’s heirloom treasures. It is written according to 2 Kings 20:7-19:

 

2 Kings 20:7-19(NLT) reveals, "...Isaiah said, “Make an ointment from figs.” So Hezekiah’s servants spread the ointment over the boil, and Hezekiah recovered! Meanwhile, Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, “What sign will The LORD give to prove that He will heal me and that I will go to the Temple of The LORD three days from now?” Isaiah replied, “This is the sign from The LORD to prove that He will do as He promised. Would you like the shadow on the sundial to go forward ten steps or backward ten steps?” “The shadow always moves forward,” Hezekiah replied, “so that would be easy. Make it go ten steps backward instead.” So Isaiah the prophet asked The LORD to do this, and He caused the shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz! Soon after this, Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent Hezekiah his best wishes and a gift, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been very sick. Hezekiah received the Babylonian envoys and showed them everything in his treasure-houses—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the aromatic oils. He also took them to see his armory and showed them everything in his royal treasuries! There was nothing in his palace or kingdom that Hezekiah did not show them. Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did those men want? Where were they from?” Hezekiah replied, “They came from the distant land of Babylon.” “What did they see in your palace?” Isaiah asked. “They saw everything,” Hezekiah replied. “I showed them everything I own—all my royal treasuries.” Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from The LORD: The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says The LORD. Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.” Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “This message you have given me from The LORD is good.” For the king was thinking, “At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.” Amen.

 

It was unfortunate that the future of King Hezekiah’s sons, the Kingdom he was given stewardship over, and its bounty of heirlooms, were utterly doomed to experience an unescapable, unjust catch-22 dilemma. King Hezekiah got what he wanted in prayer but did not want the answer that he ultimately got. In addition, what was more heartbreaking above everything that this true story entailed is Hezekiah’s response to the Prophet Isaiah, when he told Hezekiah the horrific details of the prophesied future of the Kingdom and his biologically kin sons. It is written according to 2 Kings 20:19, where Hezekiah replied, “At least there will be peace and security during my lifetime.” His statement reveals the type of king and father he was.

 

But, of course, it would not be fair to hold it against King Hezekiah to plead for healing and his days to be lengthened. Put in the same situation and circumstances, the request to be healed and given an extension of life would be the request of us all.

 

However, those of us who are living in this dispensation of time are not ignorant of the wisdom of Truth according to the word of GOD. We do not have to make the same mistakes of those who were not privy to Scriptural guidance via the illumination Holy Ghost bestows us with. Romans 15:4 tells us, “...For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” In other words, Scripture reveals to us ways of wisdom that not only help us to avoid experiencing devastating outcomes but also how to prepare for and appropriate situation and circumstances to achieve and experience good outcomes. Again, in other words, if King Hezekiah had known about Scriptures of wisdom pertaining to choosing the will of GOD versus his personal will to live past the will of GOD maybe things would have turned out different for all involved during his reign.

 

When it came to obeying the will of GOD, Jesus was adamant about it. He taught His disciples to seek the will of the Heavenly FATHER, even in prayer. It is written according to Matthew 6:9-10, Jesus said, “...In this manner, therefore, pray: Our FATHER in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven...”

 

Jesus not only taught His disciples to live their lives based on preferring the will of GOD rather than their own, but He also lived what He taught, even when He faced His inevitable, horrifically unimaginable torture and crucifixion suffering. It is written according to Matthew 26:36-42:

 

Matthew 26:36-42, “...Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My FATHER, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My FATHER, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done...”

 

During the most trying experiences and challenges that He faced during His 33 ½ years on Earth, our Chief Mentor, Saviour and LORD, Jesus the Christ, taught and exemplified, wisdom is to rather choose to live life according to the will of GOD. Even when the Jews sought all the more to kill Jesus because He broke the Sabbath..., because He said that GOD was His Father... Jesus also stood firm in truth about being in the will of GOD. According to John 5, Jesus declared, “...I do not seek My own will but the will of The FATHER who sent Me.” And likewise, we should do the same.

 

So, in closing, I will do so by stating that I believe if King Hezekiah would have known that wisdom was to choose to receive the will of GOD rather than his own willful desires to live according to his will, he would have chosen to get his house in order to be prepared to meet his Maker. In doing so, everything in his palace—and all the treasures that were stored up by his ancestors would not have been carried off to Babylon and his very own sons would have not been taken away into exile, made eunuchs, and made to serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.

 

We have already learned that whatever things were written before in Scripture were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Proverbs 13:22 declares, “...A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the Righteous.” In other words, in this message titled "The Catch-22 Prayer" with the subtopic “When GOD Gives You What You Want”, it is to encourage us all to choose to humbly accept the perfect will of GOD for our lives, despite what our will is, no matter how good it may seem. GOD is infinitely omniscient. We are finite in our capacity of thought and insight processes. However, as we choose to wholly obey the will of GOD for our lives, we could very well be avoiding a catch-22 situation or circumstance that could be detrimental to the future wellbeing of ourselves, our beloved ones, their ancestry heirlooms, and Divinely providential inheritances. GOD is faithful and He knows best. The best is yet to come, even in these perilous times, for those of us who choose, not our will, but the will of GOD be done.

 

Well my dear Truth Seekers, I must close for now. Thank you for spending your precious time partaking of this Sunday’s “Living Word of Truth.” It has been an honorable privilege of The LORD of Hosts to cover “The Catch-22 Answered Prayer” message. To all "Living Word of Truth" Truth seekers, if The LORD says the same, we will resume next Sunday, 11.15.2020, with a fresh message from Heaven’s Throne of GOD The FATHER, GOD The Word, and GOD The Holy Ghost!

 

Also, if you are reading this post and have a desire to receive Jesus as your Savior and LORD, please allow me to assist you in doing so! Click on this site for further information: https://rosabanks.com/index.html 

 

Let us pray. “Heavenly FATHER, we love You! Thank You for being who You are in our lives! All sacred praises, glory, sacred honor, and dominion in the Heavenlies, Earth, Seas, and beneath the seas, are all Yours. We thank You for the empowerment, favor, sound mentality, physical strength, Divine protection of Your angel armies around the clock, and the wherewithal to do all You have predestined us to do each day, to glorify You, according to Your will. Be glorified. In Jesus' name.” Amen

 

In Truth and with the love of Jesus,

Rosa Appling-Banks, Acts 26:18