Confidence in God

Today we finally made a trip with Sue and Sam (Debbie’s sister and her husband), to Estes Park. This end-of-summer, now fall drive was planned the end of August. At that time I was in the hospital. The good news looking back is that it has been two months and so far I have not come down with another infection, which means this is the longest stretch since coming home from the hospital last December that I have gone without a reoccurring UTI.

It was beautiful weather and scenery, but we failed to stop and get any pictures. We drove through Glen Haven to survey some of the worst damage from the flood over one year ago. Once again it is amazing to consider the destructive force of water. We are glad for the extensive recovery that has taken place, even as work of rebuilding roads and homes continues.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”    1 John 5:14,15

This can be of those verse that inspires faith but can at the same time solicit some inward reservation. Prayer is the way we cultivate our relationship with God and prayer is the avenue by which we see the hand of God intervene in the affairs of God’s people. One thing we know is that 100% of the prayers that are not prayed, go unanswered.

The simple connection is confidence before God is related to the fact that God hears us when we pray according to His will. John stretches the recesses of our faith by saying, “if we know that He hears us….we know that we have…that we have asked of him.”

The great and sometimes nagging question becomes, “what is God’s will?” I don’t believe we can be 100% of God’s will in every circumstance that confronts us, but we can pray in accordance to God’s will. Let me try to explain my perspective.

God’s will is for everyone to come to faith in Him.  “[Christ] wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.”       1 Timothy 2:4

God’s will for everyone to have confidence of their eternal destiny.  “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:13

God’s will is for us to be totally committed to Him. “God’s will is for you to be holy…” 1 Thessalonians 4:3

God will is for us to know the work of the Holy Spirit in our life.  “…though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”               Luke 11:13

God’s will is for us to pray for the sick. “They [Jesus’ followers] will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”  Mark 16:18  “…prayer of faith shall save him that is sick, and the Lord shall raise him up” James 5:15

God’s will is for us to know His will. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;and whatever we ask we receive from him…”                 1 John 3:19-22

At times our human desires can get in the way of understanding and praying God’s will. Even Jesus in the garden prayed, “…not my will, but thine be done.” Sometimes as John puts it “our hearts can condemn us” because we find our prayers are filled with our needs and our desires. We spend too much time treating the Lord as a cosmic Santa Claus instead of coming to Him to “learn of Him” to cultivate our relationship with Him and simply “abide in Him.”  Jesus said, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”              John 15:7

The foundational concept is “when we pray in agreement with God’s Word, we pray in agreement with God’s will.” As we learn God’s Word, as we “pray God’s Word” – as we learn of those who sought the Lord in the Bible it encourages our faith and empowers our confidence before the Lord. I have found that as I seek the Lord, He will always gives me what I need, even He doesn’t give me what I want.