1 John 5:14-15 - And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
Today is the National Day of Prayer. It is such an honor to live in a nation that still allows us to pray without fear of reprisal. There are those among us who would like any mention of God forbidden but I am thankful that, at least for now, we can still pray openly. I saw a T-shirt once that said "as long as there are tests, there will be prayer in schools." It seems somewhat funny but the saying bodes much truth. We humans have a way of calling on God when we need him and pretty much ignoring him at other times.
Now on to my daily thought:
We so often hold to the fact that God will answer "if we have faith" or "if two of three agree it will be done". The Apostle John gives us some oft overlooked instruction in the above verse. If we ask according to his will, he hears us. The word hear means "to pay attention to"; it can be translated as "to have respect for". So God has respect for our prayers when we pray according to his will.
Many times we are frustrated when we think that our prayers are not being heard. But God simply will not give us something that goes against his will no matter how hard we beg. He does know what is best for us, but in the end he is also sovereign. He is a king, and though he is approachable, we must remember that he owes no man anything. It is only through his grace that sinful man is allowed to approach unto a Holy God.
The quickest way to get our prayers answered is to pray for the will of God no matter what it is. I have been guilty so many times of praying for the will of God but holding out for what I wanted. When the will of God turned out to be something other than what I wanted, I was upset. The good news is that if we pray earnestly for the will of God we can have peace that God's will is going to be done. I once heard a man of God say, "if you pray for the will of God, then whatever happens is the will of God."
Now, we know that people can do things that are against God's will because of free choice. But I am convinced that if I pray for the will of God, he will turn everything for my good. He has a way of intervening when we give him permission to do so. He is sovereign but I am thankful that he is also merciful. Will you join me today, instead of bringing your want list to God, to thank him for the privilege of prayer. Ask him to have mercy on our country and forgive us of our sins. Ask him to let his will be done in our country. I believe that will move his heart. Who knows? He may just be moved enough to give us something that we wanted but didn't really need all because we sought his will first.
Prayerfully,
Sullivan Jones
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