By Miguel Alonso
“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” James 4:3
Do you feel like God doesn’t answer your prayers? Or is it just that He doesn’t answer the way you want? What did Jesus do in these situations?
“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will,” (Matthew 26:39) Jesus prayed in agony. He didn’t want to go through the cruel torture that He saw ahead of Him. He saw beatings, disrespect, and a cross ahead of Him. Drops of blood dripped from His brow from mental anguish. He pleaded with God to take the cup of agony away from Him. Thankfully, this prayer wasn’t granted, and I was saved from eternal death. Jesus could have asked, “Why me? Why do You let all these things happen to me? I’m a good Person.” However, Jesus submitted to God and let Him work out the divine plan.
The point of prayer is to allow God to work. Prayer isn’t something that we use to force God to do something we want Him to t. Rather, it is “to enable us to receive Him” SC 93.2 and His will. We don’t have to inform God of the situation that we are facing — He already knows. Prayer doesn’t bring God down to us, it brings us up toward God. Jesus says, “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. If you are abiding in Jesus you will be asking for things that are according to His will. The apostle John says, “this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” I John 5:14
A relationship is key. Prayer is more for our sake than for God’s. God has “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11. He knows what we need more than we do. He has better plans than we do. Let’s pray like we want God to work out His plan in our lives.