Let’s face it. Some things in the Bible are not very easy to understand. If everything was easy to understand, I suspect there would be little variance from what people believed. And what seems simple for us to understand today may be entirely different from how we understand it tomorrow.
One thing along these lines is what the Bible says about God answering our prayers. There are some wonderful promises that make us excited or give us comfort. Consider this uplifting message from God’s Word:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7-11 ESV).
This is a wonderful promise from the lips of Jesus Himself. But I can almost hear the collective, “Yeah, buts...” How many of us have been in the position of believing this, only to be caught off guard when we ask but it isn’t given; when we seek but don’t find what we are looking for; when we knock but the door slams shut in our face?
As Christians who believe in the inerrant Word of God, this can pose a problem for us, can’t it? Now, I don’t think there is a contradiction, but I think that we often grasp at the wind when we try to explain these things.
I have even heard Gospel preachers who are much smarter and wiser than I am tie everything up like a pretzel, trying to explain things that are not easy to explain. At the end of the day, they end up neutering what should be a tremendous blessing and a source of comfort for us.
I take Jesus at face value when He says what He says in the Sermon on the Mount.
But how do we handle it when God says, “No?” Paul asked, and it wasn’t given to him.
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:8-9 ESV).
And then James seems to say all of this in one passage, doesn’t he?
“You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:2-3 ESV).
You don’t have, because you do not ask.
You do ask, but you don’t have because you ask wrongly.
So far, we’ve read that you ask and you will receive. You don’t have because you don’t ask. And when you do ask, you don’t get because you don’t ask the right way.
Crystal clear?
Sometimes it is for me, and honestly, sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes, I fight the urge to have faith when I ask while tempering my expectations because God might say, “No.” Sometimes, I fight the urge to hedge my bets on the outcome of my prayers. I wish I didn’t, but this is my reality. And in talking with others, I know I am not the only one who walks this tightrope of faithful expectation and resting in the will of God.
The will of God. This is another aspect of praying that preachers like to talk about. And I understand why. The Bible tells us that we must pray according to the will of God:
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” (1 John 5:14-15 ESV).
But sometimes, I think people bring out the idea of praying in the will of God as a catch-all to explain all the things that we find difficult to explain. While not everyone believes this, it seems that some speak as though God’s will is set for everything, and as long as we only pray what He will already do, then all of our prayers will be answered.
And I have a tough time believing that we can only pray for what God will already do. It kind of neuters what prayer is supposed to be about. Asking and receiving. Persuading God to answer us (think the persistent widow and James’ reminder that sometimes we don’t get because we simply don’t ask).
These are some of the things I wrestle with. For those who have it all figured out, I envy you. But I have yet to hear an explanation that doesn’t leave some unanswered questions. But maybe it’s just me.
One thing I recently began thinking about has helped me see the whole idea of asking for things from God in a different light. It has helped me to bridge the gap between asking in faith and getting an answer that says, “No.” It’s helped me understand a little better the difference between God’s encouragement for us to ask what we will from Him while accepting His will for us. And I bet it’s not something most of us often think about when we pray.
It’s all centered around the fact that God owns everything. He owns the world, the things in it, and even the things we claim ownership of. It is all His. At best, we are stewards of God’s stuff. He owns our homes, our cars, our jobs, our money, our families, and even our very lives. It is all His stuff.
The Psalmist says,
“For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.” (Psalm 50:10-12 ESV).
And so everything we ask from God is His to give. Whether it is the job we want, the spouse we’re waiting for, or the health of a loved one we seek. It is all God’s to give. Job knew this. He knew this when it was a hard lesson to understand. He had lost everything, and yet he said to his wife, who urged him to curse God and die,
“You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:10b ESV).
Job knew it all belonged to God. God could give and take away however He wished. The parables of the laborers who worked from 1 hour to 12 hours in the man’s field teach us that God can give as generously as He pleases. The parables of the talents and the minas teach us that God can give what He wants to people and redistribute it in whatever way He chooses.
If we can stop thinking about stuff belonging to us and see it all as His stuff, it might help us better understand how these lessons on praying work together. When we see ourselves as stewards of God’s stuff, then it never becomes what we get from God vs what He withholds from us. It is all about what God chooses to place into our hands as the talents He wishes us to be stewards of.
One question I began to force myself to answer when I pray for things is this: “If God grants my petition, what will I do with His stuff He blesses me with?”
That’s a powerful question to ask. It reframes everything for us. No longer are prayers about something to gain or lose. It’s all about what we will do if God gives us His stuff to use.
If God grants my petition for the health of a loved one, what will I do with that blessing? Will I glorify His name for the gift? Will I serve that person better than I had in the past? Will I teach that person about the King I love?
If God gives me the job I ask for, what will I do with it? How will I be a faithful steward of that gift? Will I honor God and share the fruits of my labor with those in need, or will I be miserly with God’s gifts and consume them on myself? Sounds a little like James, doesn’t it? “You don’t get because you don’t ask the right way.”
Perhaps God is making His decisions on what He will distribute, not based on what we want but on what will best bring glory to Him.
When we ask, “What will I do with God’s stuff if He answers my prayer?” it makes asking in God’s will much easier. We let God answer the prayer the way He wishes, because He determines how to distribute His stuff. It is never mine. It will never be mine. It is always the Lord’s.
Paul and Job both learned to accept “No” from God because what they wanted took a back seat to what God wanted. God gave to each of them what He wished, and He withheld what He wished to withhold. In both cases, the men never saw God’s restraining hand against them as a loss. Rather, it was simply an understanding of how God chose to distribute His stuff, and they were okay with His decision.
I don’t know whether asking the question, “If God grants my petition, what will I do with His stuff?” answers all the questions we have about asking and receiving, but it has been a blessing to me. It has allowed me to ask in faith while having room in my faith to hear a “No” from God.
Perhaps my question is simplistic and insufficient, but for now, it has been a blessing for me to consider. If you have a good grasp on praying in faith versus accepting the no’s that may challenge your faith, I am genuinely happy for you. But if something happens in your life that rocks your faith to its core, and you have trouble understanding why God is or isn’t acting on your behalf when you pray, might I suggest you spend a little time prayerfully and honestly considering the question of how you will use the stewardship God places in your hands if He does answer your prayer.
If we can get into the habit of doing this, it won’t be long before we stop looking at anything as ours and seeing everything as His stuff we are simply stewards of. For me, this has been a comforting revelation that helps me keep things in proper perspective. I’m sure it will help you too.
I am in the book of Luke in my daily Bible reading. Jesus is speaking about those who were caught unprepared in the days of Noah and when God rained down fire and brimstone upon Sodom.
“Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot--they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building,
but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all--” (Luke 17:28-29 ESV).
When I read this, I thought of Lot's sons-in-law for some reason. Do you remember them?
“So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.” (Genesis 19:14 ESV).
Jesus is coming back. This time, it will be for judgment. The flood is coming. Fire is going to rain down. And we will tell many about the coming judgment. Yet not everyone will listen. Most will not.
Some will be like Lot's sons-in-law. They will laugh and continue sinning. They will refuse to prepare. And so, they will be swept away in judgment.
When people laugh at us when we preach the message Jesus has put into our hands, remember that they always laugh at God's messengers. But they laughed at their peril.
Let us remain faithful and not derail our faith when people scoff. And let us not fall victim to the sin of Lot's wife, constantly looking back at our sinful ways instead of looking forward to King Jesus.
Judgment is coming. But for the faithful, judgment must come to make way for the reward we seek. Let us all keep our eyes on that reward even while others continue to look at this life and its sinful pleasures.
One day, there will be no atheists.
I am in Isaiah in my daily Bible reading. Chapter 19 starts with a prophecy against Egypt, which says...
“An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.” (Isaiah 19:1 ESV).
The Lord, Yahweh, is riding on a swift cloud. This is language reserved for God. Daniel says of Yahweh,
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.” (Daniel 7:13 ESV).
And Jesus tells the High Priest at His trial before His crucifixion when asked if He was the Son of God:
“And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:62 ESV).
And when Jesus comes for His bride to bring each of us to His Father's house, John tells us,
“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.” (Revelation 1:7 ESV).
When we see Jesus come in the clouds, it's more than just how He chooses to return. Riding the clouds signifies His Deity, His Sonship, and His preeminence.
He will show to all who are living that He is, indeed, the one Who comes in the clouds of heaven. When we see it, we will know He is our God and King, the promised Messiah Who is coming in judgment upon the unrighteous.
The clouds He rides upon at His return will be marvelous to those who pledge their allegiance to Him but a terror to those who stand against Him as His enemy.
I am in Isaiah in my daily Bible reading. In his life, Isaiah prophesied during a tumultuous time in the days of Israel. Because much of Isaiah's life was during the reign of the good king, Hezekiah, the people could see amazing things as God demonstrated His sovereignty over the mighty nations of the earth.
In our days when mighty nations fight and we have the prospect of war at our doorsteps, it can be tempting to fret and forget that the God who demonstrated His power in the days of Isaiah is the same God who lives today.
Our God is still as powerful as He was in the days of Isaiah. Man has not evolved into a people too powerful for God to control. Our weapons of war, though awesome and fearful, are nothing to the God of heaven. And nothing can be done if God chooses to stand against it.
When we hear rumors of war, see terrifying images on television, and consider threats made by powerful men and nations, let us not forget that our God is still in control. Nothing will happen against God's sovereignty.
These words of Isaiah about God are still as relevant and true today as they were in his days:
“All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?” (Isaiah 40:17-18 ESV).
Even in the age when we harness the power of the sun in our weapons, the nations today are still nothing before God. We are still accounted as less than nothing to Him.
Let us not fall into the sin of lowering God's might and power because of our might and power. That is a phantom, an illusion. God's might over all nations is still absolute. We serve a King Whom the Father put all nations under His feet when He seated His son on the heavenly throne.
Godless people may war with each other and spread their violence over the earth. But they will not do so with impunity, nor will they do so in the presence of an impotent God.
When men terrify us with wars and threats of violence, let us not put our trust in our horses and chariots. Instead, let us do what Hezekiah did, spread it all before the Lord, and ask Him to exert His sovereignty for our benefit and protect us from the might and threats of powerful nations.
Let us be careful where we put our trust when things grow fearful in our world. The home we make for our hearts will be revealed in times like these.