An old saying goes, ‘It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. ‘I am talking about understanding what you pray for.
Most people use that phrase when referring to home, auto, and most other types of insurance. So, likewise, it’s good to have a prayer for a better day tomorrow than not having one. You should always pray; although your prayers sometimes may not be answered, you should still pray anyway.
A verse in the Bible, Isaiah 38:5, reads something like this: “A man named Hezekiah had been praying to live longer. A message appeared to Isaiah to go and tell Hezekiah that the Lord had heard his prayers and that 15 more years would be added to his life.
Hezekiah got 15 more years added to his life because he was faithful and prayed to live longer, but by the same token, he could have prayed but not lived any longer. It is up to God to answer your prayers and give you what he thinks is best for you.
Let’s say you have a loved one who is very ill or has been in a severe accident, and you pray for them to recover, but they do not recover and die. Don’t get mad at God, and don’t stop praying to God for what you need, even though he did not give you what you prayed for this time as you had expected him to.
We should let God know whenever we pray for anything if it is not in his will; we do not want whatever we pray for. Matthew 6:10 says, “Your kingdom comes, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We sometimes forget to say, “Your will be done, not mine.”
I strongly suggest you put that phrase back into your prayer. No matter what you pray for, your prayers will not be answered if it is not God’s will. We have reached the point where if we do not like what God said in one verse, we can replace that verse with another.
Have you ever prayed for something that did not come to pass? That is probably because what you prayed for was not God’s will for you. But while you were praying for whatever it was you were praying for, did you say to God, “If it is your will, let it be done?”
We good Christians started using this phrase: Luke 11:9, ‘Ask and you will get what you ask for,’ instead of Matthew 6:10. With this different phrase, it seems that whatever we pray for, we will receive it. But I say, if you do not receive what you asked God for, do not get angry at God.
It is sad to tell people this, but if you told them the truth, you probably would have an empty church building. These people go to Sunday worship services to learn more about God, but all they get are some out-of-context Bible verses. Maybe one day, we will wake up and pray for better days.
by: Staff
Christian Briefs 