The Bible is full of instructions on how we should live as Christians. For example, in John 15:7, Jesus said, "But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!" The word "remain" means to dwell, reside, or live. In other words, Jesus is telling us that if we live in Him and live in His words, we may ask for anything we want, and it will be given to us. Living in Him means to live according to His Word. It means that everything who we are, such as the way we think, behave, and act, must align with what our Bible is teaching. When we begin to live in Him and His Word, our desires and wants begin to line up with God's will. As a result, when we ask anything from Him, our requests are the same as His will; therefore, He will grant us what we ask of Him.
God does not grant many prayer requests because they do not align with His will. Unfortunately, many bad or false teachers teach John 15:7 to get whatever they want from God. As a result, those who believe in their false teaching become disappointed with God because their prayer requests have not been granted. They don't understand that God only grants prayer requests that align with His will. The reason God doesn't grant us our prayer requests that are not according to His will is because He has a better plan for us. We may think that our prayer requests are the best for us, but God sees the future and knows what is best for us. God only wants what is best for us. If God knows that what we are asking Him will not fulfill His perfect plan for us, will jeopardize our relationship with Him, or will eventually destroy us, God will certainly not grant what we are asking of Him. He loves us so much that He wants to bless us to the fullest.
We may not fully understand why God doesn't grant certain of our prayer requests, but let us be assured that God is good to us and only wants what is best for us. Let us continue to live according to His Word so that our desires and wants will be aligned with His. As our prayer requests are aligned with God's will, He will grant us whatever we ask of Him.
Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Why is it important to live according to the Word of God? What happens when my prayer requests do not align with God's will? What happens when my prayer requests align with God's will?
Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.
Prayer:
Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for teaching me today that you only grant prayer requests that are according to your perfect will. Please help me to live in you by living according to your Word. Please help me to obey you in everything that I do. Please continue to clean my heart and renew my mind so that my will becomes aligned with your will. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Komentáře