1 John 3:22 (NLT) ” And we will receive from Him whatever we ask because we obey Him and do the things that please Him.”
There are several things in this one verse that I could concentrate on, but this is something God has been laying on me for a while now: Will God give us whatever we ask for, whatever we want? NO. Now before you quit reading or leave this page let me explain and hopefully by the end of this post, you’ll understand what I’m getting at. Even if you don’t agree it will give you something to think about, to research, and to pray about for wisdom and understanding. I have written before about how we sometimes take scripture out of context and how it helps to read what is said before and after the verse. It’s also helpful to look at the Bible as a whole because it will help us gain insight as to how the writer may have intended the verse. Let’s look at the prayers of Jesus and others. When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane His prayer was heartfelt, and you can feel the emotion in His words. It makes me think of the heartfelt prayers that we offer up for a loved one who is desperately ill. We will cry out to the Lord to heal this person whom we love so dearly, but unfortunately, they aren’t always healed. Jesus knew what was about to happen, He knew His death would be painful and He would suffer. Yet in Luke 22:42-44 He prayed “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done not mine. Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened Him. He prayed more fervently, and He was in such agony of spirit that His sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.” Who of us when we see someone we love, especially our own children, going through something painful, wish we were able to take on their pain and suffering and bring them peace and comfort? But the Father didn’t take “this cup” away from Jesus, why? Two key phrases which basically mean the same thing: “if you are willing” and “your will be done”. This is about the Fathers will being done, Jesus said “your will to be done, not mine”. It was not a selfish request, if Jesus had lived longer, he could have reached more people, he could have healed more, helped more and inspired more. But the Father had a plan, and it had to be carried out, it was His will. Jesus understood this. When Jesus healed the man with leprosy (Luke 5:12-13), the man said to Jesus “if you are willing”, in other words if it is your will. In those days it was understood that God was in charge, He was the creator of all, it was about what He wanted not what man wanted. In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus was teaching the disciples to pray, He said to pray “may your will be done”. It is about God’s will, not ours, and sometimes we read a verse like 1 John without acknowledging or possibly without understanding that He will give us what we ask for providing it is according to His will. You see, God owes us nothing, but we owe Him everything. He does not have to respond to our request in the way we want. We cannot demand that He fulfills our every prayer in the manner we want, and to think that He should indicates that we think we are on the same level as God! We are in no way, shape or form equal to Him. This is actually a dangerous way of thinking and is often referred to as the prosperity gospel, and those who preach it say if you speak it or pray for it you will receive it. What they leave out is the fact that it will happen if it is according to God’s will. Some believe this stems from the idea that positive thinking and speaking is all we need to get what we want, and that simply is not true. Don’t get me wrong, positive thinking and speaking can brighten your outlook. If you’ve ever been around someone who is constantly speaking negatively then you know this can be destructive. Living, thinking and speaking in a positive manner is good for us when we are living our lives in alignment with God’s word, and we acknowledge that it is about His will not ours. Prayer is powerful and when we REQUEST something in a humble manner and give him the honor and glory acknowledging it must be His will not ours, then we are submitting ourselves to Him instead of trying to become His equal. God wants to hear our heartfelt prayers, and yes, we should pray for healings and miracles but always keeping in mind that it has to be His will. His ways, His thoughts and His plans are not known to us, they are far above our own understanding, and we won’t always understand why some things happen. Remember, just as the angel appeared to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and strengthened Him, He will also strengthen us. Sometimes the answer to our prayers comes in the form of peace, comfort and strength. Continue pouring out your heart in prayer, continue making request to the Lord and continue to live your life in agreement with His word. Know that His love for us is so great that He paid the debt of our sins with His life. Until next time may God bless you and bring peace to your heart.