Prayer Investigator: Finding Faith When God Says No with Dr. Nancy Meyer

Join Linda Evans Shepherd, 'The Prayer Investigator,' as she discusses with Dr. Nancy Meyer, also known as the Fear Defier, the profound insights and experiences she gained when God seemingly rejected a desperate prayer for her mother's health. Dr. Nancy shares how this pivotal moment led her to a deeper, more fulfilling relationship with God, offering a message of hope and faith amid disappointment. Don't miss this enlightening conversation about understanding God's greater purposes, especially when our prayers are not answered as expected. Watch, subscribe, and be inspired by the power of faith and the beauty of trusting God's plan.

00:00 Introduction: When God Says No

00:40 Dr. Nancy's Story: A Miraculous Turn of Events

02:16 Dealing with Anger Towards God

03:29 Finding Purpose in Loss

06:39 Faith Beyond Circumstances

08:27 A Prayer for Healing and Peace

11:02 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Linda Evans Shepherd is an international speaker and a best-selling author of 38 books including Praying Through the Hard Times. She is the CEO and founder of Right to the Heart Ministries which includes the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Arise Esther Movement, Leading Hearts Magazine, and the Arise Daily Devotionals.
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Transcript

 Have you ever felt like God just let you down?  What do you do with that? Stay tuned and find out what happened when my friend, Dr. Nancy, had a big no from God. Welcome to The Prayer Investigator. I'm Linda Evans Shepard. My guest today is Dr. Nancy Meyer, also known as the Fear Defier, and she has some insights to share with us.

About what to do when God says no. Welcome to the show, Dr. Nancy. Thank you. I'm so excited to be here. And I'm really interested in the topic today. You had a desperate prayer and God did not answer it the way you asked him to, yet something miraculous happened.  Can you tell us your story? Yes. So I was 15 years old and my mom had A mole on her back,  and they thought it might be malignant melanoma, and I prayed full, wholeheartedly.

I knew for sure that it would not be cancer, no doubt in my mind,  but you know what?  It was cancer. It was a malignant  melanoma, and I was 15, so just a couple years ago,  about 40, 40 some years ago,  and when it came back, cancer, I didn't understand. I was like, why God? I prayed. I was like 100 percent sure you would answer my prayer, but then I realized that It was cancer.

We didn't know if it spread throughout her whole body, but she actually was healed from that. Nothing ever came up of it. It was gone. They took out a section, no chemo, anything. But he answered more than that. We actually realized life wasn't forever. You couldn't count on it being forever, that we were mortal, and that going to church and having that personal relationship,  we became saved.

And so he did answer my prayer, but not how I wanted him to or expected him to. So, this situation with your mom brought you even greater life. Is this what brought you to a relationship with the Lord? I always knew God existed and knew that having that personal relationship, which is what really matters.

I just love the process here. So you ask for a miracle and God said, no, shock. I mean, a lot of people would get really angry here and say, well, God, I told you to do this for me and you didn't. And people are secretly, furiously angry at God for unanswered prayer, but yet God had a greater miracle in bringing your whole family back to church.

And you came to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ because you went back to church. And that is a greater miracle. And I just want your thoughts on this story. So, I knew a woman. And she was secretly very angry at God  because her dog died. She prayed really hard. And this is not a joke because she loved her dog and it died.

And she said, God, if you're going to be like that, then I cannot have a relationship with you. And she turned her back on God. What would you say to her? It is hard when you lose an animal. I just lost, a couple years ago, I had to put my dog down. And, so upsetting. Just heartbreaking.  But I look at it as,  our life on Earth  is very short.

Mm hmm. For us, even if you live a hundred years, we would do anything for a millionth of a second.  And God is on forever. He's on eternity.  So the millionth of a second is really what our life is like. It's just simple. So to live five years, ten years, twenty years, a hundred years,  it's all the same, if you think of eternity. 

But when I look at that whole thing with  losing the dog and praying for it, and like my mom, what is the bigger picture? What is God teaching you? I know there's a bigger purpose. And we have to realize that whatever that purpose is, God will show us and we'll get more out of it. Like my mom going through that, I was like, why would you let this happen?

I prayed. I was a hundred percent sure it wasn't going to be cancer, and it was,  but the bigger picture came out of it was even better.  With your dog dying, that, that's a tough one, but I will say that experiencing the joy that you had with that dog is what you grasp and then realize that God's going to give us that even more in eternity in heaven.

Amen. That's right, and what I told her is, a dog's lifespan is only 15, 16 years at the most. So, at some point, you are going to lose your dog. And I think that may be true for a lot of the treasures that we hold on so tightly. Even our relationships and the lives of our friends and family.  Everyone has an expiration date.

Even Lazarus died a second time. He didn't continue. He's still not alive out there in Jerusalem today.  I said your faith was only gonna be two to ten years. And is that how you want to be? You want to live your life without God because your faith was so small?  So your faith is based on what God gives me?

So I'm retired now, but as a chiropractor,  I used to tell people, they're like, well this made me better, and I was like, it helped, but I guarantee one thing, you're still gonna die. Hopefully, you'll be better, but you will. People think there's no cure for everything. If there was, we wouldn't need God. You're blessed if you get 15 years out of a dog, 10 years. 

Yeah, it's not forever, and that's why, like with my mom, I realized life is not forever. You need to take action now to have that relationship.  And yes, you can wait till you're on your dying bed, but why not enjoy the pleasures of having that relationship with God?  Do you still have your mom today? I do, she's 80 now, and she's a firecracker.

My mom is 94, and we're very blessed that we still have our moms, but I've had many losses in my life. Seven years ago, I did lose my daughter, and if I had said to the Lord, Lord, if my daughter lives, then I will serve you, but if she dies, forget about it,  then where would I be today? What would you say to someone who is facing that battle in their thought life?

I know from Hebrews, God loves faith. And so if your faith is based on having this, whatever it is, then that's not really faith. That's not faith in him. I think that's part of society's issues is we don't have faith in the true thing. Is it in Facebook, social media, how many likes I get? Is it being able to go on vacation or is it having the perfect job or perfect clothes or perfect hair? 

No. Faith is in God. Believing in Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior and really trusting that not just saying if you do this I get that that's not faith That's like a demand. It's making you above God Exactly. He's our creator. He loves us. He's got greater purposes based on our Circumstances if we can just but trust him through the death the dying the accidents the disappointments You Then we can get a glimpse of those greater purposes, maybe in this life or maybe even in the life to come.

I agree. And also, I think it's okay to be upset and angry, like losing your daughter. It's not like, Oh yeah, that's great. No, it's not. It's awful. It's unbearable. You don't want that to happen. And it's okay. But God wants you to just be honest with him, but you still love the Lord and he'll give you the peace.

And find thankfulness. So you're upset about this, but find something to be thankful about, then you'll have that peace in your heart. Oh, well said. I know that there are people right now who have tears in their eyes, who are thinking about those disappointments and those losses. Can you just lead us in a little prayer that would specifically help those people give these losses to the Lord? 

Heavenly Father, I just thank you so much for being in control so we don't have to be.  Lord, I ask you, I know it hurts when you have a loss, but let people see that you're still faithful, that you're still there, you still love us, and you're ready to take us into your arms and give us the peace  that we can still experience even with loss. 

And it's okay to be angry,  but it's not okay to be stuck in that situation. And Lord, I just thank you for taking care of us and loving us, even with our anger and our frustration,  and that you're always consistent and always loving  in Jesus name. Beautiful prayer. And I'm going to add a little prayer to that. 

Lord, thank you so much that you are the God who can handle our losses and our disappointments. You can take them and even turn them into blessings and into greater purposes.  Lord, we just ask that you help us open our hands and say, Lord, you know how much this hurts, how hard it is for me to let go,  but if I could serve you, if I can experience more of your presence in my life,  I just open my hands and say, these things I give to you, these hurts, these disappointments, these losses,  I give them to you.

And I ask that you turn them into greater purposes,  because I love you, and I know that you love me, and you only want the best for me, even though it's different from what I thought was the best for me.  I lay it down at your feet, and I say, I am yours. Forgive me for my bitterness. I am yours.  In Jesus name, amen. 

That was  a release of a lot of burdens that people were carrying. I could feel that. So just know, everyone, that God's got it and his love for you has not stopped. What would you say to the person who just prayed with us that is feeling this new level of release? Life is hard, but by doing what you just did, you'll find so much joy.

Amen.  And also just release that you don't have to have it all under control. Just keep having the faith. When things are hard and you're trying to get through stuff, keep having the faith and God will shine through and lift you up. Oh, that's beautiful. And Nancy, what are your final thoughts? I think the biggest thing is the keeping the faith and it looks differently, but it's all the same at the same time.

And I think that sometimes. You'll keep going on, it might be, you're able to run a marathon, right? Some other times, it may be that you can barely take a step, but it's keep taking that step, keep taking that breath, just keep moving forward, and you'll find the peace from God within that.  Dr. Niasse, how can people get in touch with you?

They can go to my website, drnancymeyer, d r n a n c y m e y e r dot com,  and I'm there, social media, and also if you want to see if you're in the way as far as your self worth, I have free self worth quiz there too, and see what your true value is, your unshakable self worth through Christ.  And I love the title of your book, we can see it behind you, Defying Fear, and how can this book speak into their lives?

It's all based on true stories. Through the character Lila, and as she has victories, you feel the victory, as she has hurt, you feel the hurt. So you actually go through her different things that she's gone through, and it's about triumph, not about trauma. And it's seeing that if you persevere and have the faith, it's truly about faith. 

Where you can end up and that God has so much bigger plans than we ever imagined for yourself.  Wow, I love the idea of this book and I really think this book could help a lot of our viewers and listeners. Thank you so much for sharing about it. And Dr. Nancy, thank you so much for being here today. I know that you encouraged a lot of people. 

Thank you. It is my honor.  What a great discussion. If you enjoyed it, would you like, share, subscribe, comment? We would love to hear from you. And I have a gift for you. It is a beautiful blessing that you can play, pray, and print. Just go to  MyPrayerGift. com and remember God loves you and He wants you to talk to Him.

See you next time.