Words of Life: An Enduring Legacyනියැදිය

People should always pray.

Yesterday, we considered what might be seen as unanswered prayer. As we go a little deeper today, we see the words of Jesus and his reminder that if an earthly father wants to give good gifts to his son, how much more God wants to give good things. To use Jesus’ illustration, there are times when a straight ‘yes’ answer to our prayers and petitions would actually bring us the snake rather than the fish. That would neither be good for us nor helpful. And so our Lord, in his infinite knowledge, gives us something different from our request. It is often painful to receive, and it challenges our trust in God.

Difficult as it is to accept, God is the one who knows us better than we know ourselves, and he does know what is best for us and what we can carry. When he withholds his response to our prayers, and when his answer conflicts with our desire, he does not do so to cause us pain. A loving God has the capacity to provide a loving answer to our prayers, even when it is not what we long for.

Jesus reminds us that God wants us to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking on the door of Heaven, even when our prayers don’t seem to be answered. He is Creator of the universe, but he is also our loving Father who wants to give good gifts to his children. We must not confuse the fish with the snake. If earthly fathers want to give good things to their children, God desires this so much more, even when our prayers seem to go unanswered.

Reflect on this:

‘Our heavenly Father is far too wise and loves us far too much to give us everything we ask for.’

- Mark Batterson