Monday, March 19, 2012

God Always Answers Our Prayers

Then Jesus told them, “I assure you, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain. ‘May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,’ and it will happen. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” -- Matthew 21:21-22

Do you believe that God should grant every request you make of Him? Do you think that this passage of Scripture entitles you to whatever you want, whenever you want?

Sounds silly when we talk about it in this way but truthfully many people do believe just that. They get upset with God when He says no or when He doesn’t say anything. It’s like a spoiled child being denied his every whim.

Let me ask you another question: Do you really believe you can throw a mountain into the sea merely by calling on God in prayer? Now don’t misunderstand what I’m asking here. God can do anything -- including throwing mountains into the sea. But what about you? Can you do it?

Jesus frequently used what scholars call hyperbole when He told stories and parables. Hyperbole is an overstatement or exaggeration used to make a point.

Let’s look at an example. In Mark 10:25 Jesus tells us that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. Do we really believe that a camel can go through the eye of a needle? No. But that’s not the point of what Jesus is saying. He’s telling us that it’s so very difficult for a rich person to enter heaven because they place things -- their money and possessions -- before God.

So, when we look back at the Scripture in Matthew it’s easier to see that maybe, just maybe, Jesus wasn’t telling us we’d get everything we asked for. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have great faith and ask boldly for whatever it is we want. It just means that maybe God has something better planned for us. Maybe God has a better way planned to use us for His glory.

Answered prayers also aren’t about how “good” or “deserving” we are. Remember that God refused to take away the Apostle Paul’s “thorn,” instead telling Paul that His grace was sufficient for him. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

And let us also remember Jesus, as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus asked God to take the cup of suffering from Him. Then Jesus prayed something truly profound that we would do well to remember: “Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36b)

God’s will, not our own. Do we selfishly pray only for what we want or do we ask God what He wants? Do we present our requests to God, then bow down before Him and submit our will and requests to His wisdom?

God always hears us and answers our prayers. We may not always get the answer we want but we will always get the very best answer.