“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1st John 1:8-9)
“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13)
I have asked, sometimes He replies and answers my desires, at other times He does not.
Hit or miss.
Why does the Almighty decide at times to not only hear us, but answer us in accordance to our desires, granting us by His mercies that which we have asked of Him? Was it because at that time, that season of our lives, we had no sin, our faith was strong enough to believe?
What of those other times when it is as if He has stopped His ears to us, when whatever it is we have asked in His name is withheld, are our sins hindering our request, were we wavering like the waves of the sea? Was our faith not strong enough to believe? Were they for selfish reasons only?
Hit or miss?
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2nd Cor. 12:9)
Who would be foolish enough to believe that the Lord of Glory wants His children to be weak and infirmed, sick and poor, so that His strength would be mighty in us?
Some believe that we must pray perfectly, that not only the heart must be totally subservient to the will of the Father, but that there must be absolutely no manner of sin within us when we ask. Only then will God not only hear, but answer in accordance to our desires.
“Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” (James 4:2)
Others believe that because of our sinful nature it is always and only up to the Most High to determine if He will grant our request, that since we will always have some form of sin within ourselves until we are glorified that no matter the faith we have it is solely up to the Lord to answer us in like manner to our prayers or not.
Hit or miss.
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10)
“Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42)
I will pray, earnestly and fervently, I will search my heart and mind first, determining to the best of my ability that I have no current or ongoing sins against the Lord God, against my brother, within myself, then I will ask, believing firmly in my soul that he will answer me, without doubts. And when He does not, I will say, “Nevertheless, Thy will be done.”
Defeatism or acceptance?
It was for His glory, it was not for selfish reasons, yet He did not answer as we would have had Him reply.
Here is where many who have been born-again reside, asking and not receiving, saying, “Thy will be done nevertheless,” not in a form of acceptance of His will, but instead in a form of defeatism. “I guess it wasn’t His will.”
A sure way to watch the weaker brother or sister in Christ begin to doubt, or any whose faith in the Almighty’s desires for our lives to be questioned, is to tell them that if they ask anything in His name, as He spoke, then we will receive what we asked for. And then having to come to the knowledge that that is not going to happen every time.
They will search for known and unknown sins in their life, they will contemplate if their faith was strong enough to believe or not, and if they can find no lack or assurance of either of those, they will question why the Lord would say that, but not answer them as they desired. They will say, “Oh well, I guess it wasn’t in His will for me.”
Hit or miss.
One or the other. The Almighty does what He wants to do in our lives, and we accept His will for us. Can you live with that “Nevertheless?”
