I just loved reading this-- puts everything in perspective as I look toward going back to work next week... a desire to bear fruit and delight in the Lord, not to be burdened with what is beyond my control! Hope you enjoy!- Abbey
And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. – 1 John 5:14
Last week we looked at how we need to confidently speak with God as a father and friend, believing that He hears our prayers and answers us.
But does God hear and answer everything we pray? According to many Scriptures we often hear quoted regularly, it certainly seems that way. For instance in Mark 11:24, Jesus states,
“…whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
Yet the truth is, any promise in the Bible that God will answer our prayers means His answer will fall within the protective boundaries of His will. This week’s Scripture from 1 John tells us that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us.
So how can we know when our prayers fall within the will of God, and when they miss the mark? In John 15:7-8, Jesus tells us:
“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples.”
As you walk with God and live in Him, and as you allow His Word to guide you, the Holy Spirit will reveal to you the will of God and will help you pray so that you will bear much fruit. And as you do, you bring glory to God and experience the joy of a life filled with fruitfulness.
Psalms 37:4 reads,
Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
God wants you to delight yourself in Him… to abandon yourself to Him… and to approach Him in prayer. He will give you your heart’s desires, and He will also shape your heart’s desires to be more like His.
