According to His will

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, 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 the petitions that we have asked of Him. - 1 John 5:14-15

I have said before that I really don’t understand how prayer works. I know it does ‘work’ and so I pray. I don’t pray nearly enough, but I do it because it gives me a chance to talk to my Father and communicate my thoughts and fears and frustrations and anxieties and joys and thanks.

There are a lot of prayers and commands to pray in scripture. Some folks get the idea that if we are really spiritually and really dredge up enough faith then we can get whatever we ask for. God is always bound to give me what I ask to when I pray.

The problem with that is that is makes God out to be a genie in a bottle and all I have to do is rub the bottle and my genie/god will pop out and do whatever I want.

Is that really the God I want? Do I want a God I can control?

Or do I want a God who always knows what I best and listens to my prayers and when we ask according to what He knows is best He acts?

Thank God for ‘according to His will.’ His will is always right and wise and perfect and it always works for the best. Thank God that He doesn’t submit to the caprices and the selfishness and fleshliness of my will.

I didn’t give my children everything they asked for. I don’t give my grandchildren everything they ask for. I have a much better understanding of what is good and what is not good for them. I love them too much to be their genie in a bottle.

How much more should we thank God that He answers according to His will?