John 14:13
And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
How many times have we found ourselves in a moment of desperation, or perhaps an unbearable situation, that we want to force ourselves to put effort of self-medicating or self-resolve, only to find our efforts futile, and in the end we gain no ground in finding resolution?
I can attest to this time and time again. My wife endures great and severe pain daily. I am still battling with myself, and the lack of my ability to find any resolve by my own efforts to bring relief, or change to her situation.
Nighttime is especially hard on her (and me). There are days where the pain is so great, that she cannot rest or find any relief. If any relief comes, it is momentary, and it soon elevates. Or it is out of pure exhaustion. But when the pain comes it becomes so unbearable that she can only scream and cry out.
It is unbearable for me to see her go through this agony, and know in my heart, with all my faith, I am unable to physically help much, if at all. So, I rely on 2 things: the word of God, and prayer.
In prayer, I sometimes feel that my prayers are not getting past the ceiling, though I know it's not true. God hears our prayers. It is knowing that He not only hears, but He does answer the prayers of His children. The difficulty is in how He answers. Sometimes it a definite 'yes' and other times it may be 'no,' and other times it is 'wait.'
Our human nature is to ask and expect an immediate response. We may use phrases like, "In Jesus' name I ask,,," thinking by doing so will nudge the Lord to do something. Too many times when we become impatient, or highly expectant to receive an answer, we overlook the justice, and righteousness and the sovereignty of a holy God, and end up thinking we know more than Him.
Or worse yet, we have a greater tendency to humanize God to bring Him down to our level. This is dangerous as our intellect will want to overrule God's sovereignty.
Remember this, God is God - we are not! He is not a magic genie or wish dispenser. He is not subject to obey us. We are subject to obey Him and trust in Him. He knows us better than we know our own selves. He knows what we need, and asks us to trust Him in satisfying those needs. He knows our heart and our desires.
God will always answer our prayers one way or another. The question is, what are you asking Him, and what is the manner or motivation in how you ask. A better question is, will God be glorified in my asking?
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