Do you feel disappointed with prayer? Perhaps you have persistently asked, sought, and knocked, but the Lord has not answered your request. If you find yourself in such a situation, you might be wondering why so many Christians speak about the power of prayer when it appears ineffective in your life.
Matthew 7:9-11* helps us understand the bigger picture: “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!” The Lord Jesus draws a parallel between an earthly father and the heavenly Father. He notes that an earthly father, who is imperfect and limited, can give good things to his children. Thus, it is understandable that our heavenly Father, who is almighty and all-knowing, would give good things to His children.
However, sometimes we are like spiritual infants. In our limited understanding, we do not realize that our requests may not align with what God considers best for us. Prayer holds power when it is according to God’s will, not ours: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: 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 what we asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15*).
It is incredible that God uses the prayers of His children to accomplish His purposes. He is entirely self-sufficient, but through prayer, He teaches us humility, dependence, obedience, and trust. Personal relationships with God are built when we approach Him with our praise, thanksgiving, confession, and requests. The benefit of prayer lies not in what we can receive, but in the opportunity to speak with the One who provides for all our needs.
For reflection: How do you view prayer? Do you primarily pray to receive something?
Link to the original article: https://www.intouch.org/read/daily-devotions
*Biblical quotes are from Bible, new translation from the original languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013