“This
is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know
that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15
It’s interesting to me how people seem to think that
anything they ask of God will be done for them.
Many times these requests involve material wants. This is not at all what scripture tells us
however. There is a key phrase in these two verses that spells out the one
requirement for all requests we make of God.
The thing we ask needs to be “according
to His will”. Now if we are
insistent God may give us exactly what we ask for to prove a point. We see that in the Old Testament when Israel
insists on having an earthly king like all the other nations surrounding
them. God was their King and Lord, but
they felt they knew better and insisted upon having a mortal man rule over
them. God told Samuel, His prophet at
this time, to give them what they wanted and the rest is history. They prospered under Godly kings, yet also
suffered greatly under ungodly ones (1 Samuel 8).
What we ask for is tied to trust. Do we trust God enough to do that which He
has promised to do? He’s not a genie in
a bottle, dispensing wishes to whosoever.
He is our Heavenly Father who knows us better then we know ourselves and
also knows exactly what we need and when we need it. Our lack of patience and trust cause us to make
knee jerk reactions that can tend to make a mess of things at times.
If we truly love God and are not simply giving Him lip
service we will determine to become more like His Son. In so doing we will begin to have our will line up with His. Then we
will be able to ask what we will and receive that which we request, because it
will invariably line up with His perfect will for our lives. It’s simple.
God knows exactly what He’s doing at all times, we do not. He knows what we need, we know what we want. Do you see the disconnect? Knowing the Lord entails much more than just
mouthing His name from time to time or when you’re in a bind. Knowing the Lord is to spend time with
Him. That is the key component to asking things in His will for you. Invest your time in knowing God more each
day. Until next time, walk with the King
and be a blessing!
