I’ve come to appreciate the reality that GOD DOES NOT answer all my prayers with a YES. Sometimes, He says NO or… NOT RIGHT NOW. It’s important for Believes to understand that God knows the ‘Beginning-from-the-End and The-End-from-the-Beginning’. If He were to grant all of our requests, some experiences in our life would turn out poorly. I’m reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Peter 5: 7… Jesus encourages us to ‘Cast all of our cares and anxieties upon Him, as He cares for us’. 

Well, if I truly want what God Wants, I need to be patient and let God do what He does best… keep me from harming or destroying myself. God instinctively understands the needs of those that love Him. And just as our own children will at times disregard our advice, God can become annoyed to the point that once His Holy Spirit has tried and failed to nudge us in the right direction, God will let us have our own way, and suffer the consequences. Trust me, I know from experience how that works.  

In the final analysis, God knows what’s best for me; He loves me and doesn’t want to see me needlessly suffer. In Luke 11, when asked by His Disciples how they ought to Pray, Jesus taught them what we refer to as the ‘Model Prayer’. It begins with Jesus’ awareness of the Father’s Lordship and His delight in His Father. Jesus always assumes an attitude of respect and reverence towards His Father; IS JESUS NOT THE PERFECT EXAMPLE FOR US TO FOLLOW?... think about that for a moment.

I’m convinced that God and Christ are the most powerful names in the Universe; even satan and demons recognize them as being so. They shake in fear when they come before them. In Luke 8: 28, the demons exclaimed… ‘what do you want with us Jesus, Son of the Most-High-God? We beg of you, do not torture us.’ That level of power and authority does command great honor and respect. The Scriptures tell us that God is always listening to the prayers of His Children. And for those of you that are not yet Saved, be advised that you do have a direct line to God through His Holy Spirit.  

A note of caution; if you DO NOT YET KNOW JESUS PERSONALLY, you should take care of that as quickly as possible. And for those who are Saved, and not quite sure of what God’s plan is for your life; find a quiet place and have a meaningful conversation with your Heavenly Father… He’s always ready to talk with you. It’s interesting to note that the more we want to be like Jesus, God encourages us to do just that. During my times in prayer, I can feel myself being drawn closer to Christ. I find myself weeping at times. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, a warm feeling of closeness comes over me; it does brighten the day.   

And sometimes, it can be confusing when The Lord brings us through ‘Rough Wates’ in life; In retrospect, He’s redirecting me to better understand what He’s doing on our behalf. Remember when Joseph was sold into slavery and wound up saving his family from destruction in Egypt, or when Boaz married Ruth, and she wound up saving her Jewish brethren? It wasn’t until much later, that they all understood what God was doing for them; our lives are no different.

I like what God has done and what He is doing in my life; I find myself in a very comfortable state of mind. When you find this to be true in your life, it’s because you’re living the way God wants you to live… it’s not really complicated. And, when we consider His unchanging nature; if we continue to live under His tutelage, we can be assured that His blessings will continue to flow our way.   

And for those of you that are still on the fence, please read Paul’s comments in Philippians 2: 10, ‘In the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, of those in Heaven, on the Earth, and under the Earth; every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God-the-Father’.