“This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

— 1 John 5:14

In dealing with unanswered prayer, note that all of Jesus’ prayers were answered. “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me” (John 11:41), Jesus said. Now why was this? It was not simply because of His divine nature, but because like a good Son, He was committed to His Father. He is the one who could say, “…for I always do those things that please Him” (John 8:29). “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17), said His Father. In effect, His prayers were the desires of His Father, and so they were answered.

Consider any parent and child. All parents have some ideal or idea in mind about what they want their child to grow up to be. They have some ideal for their child’s education, morality, safety, and physical well-being. Consequently, when a child comes to a parent and makes a request, it is filtered through the ideal the parent has in mind, consciously or subconsciously.

If it is contrary to what the parent feels is ideal for that child, (if the parent has any backbone at all) it will be denied. Since God has no lack of backbone, those requests made to Him that are contrary to His ideal for us are invariably denied. When we submit ourselves to His ideal and His plan for our lives, it can be nothing other than that which is good. Mercifully, God does not answer all of our prayers. In retrospect, we can be glad for that.

Father, help us to pray more effectively. Forgive us that often we just hasten into Your presence with a “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme” attitude. Help us to praise You, to confess our sins, to thank You, and to lay our concerns before You. Thank You for Your care for us…

BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE ARE ADOPTED CHILDREN
WHO BRING OUR REQUESTS TO OUR FATHER.