Our Perfectly Answered Prayers

Matthew 7:9

Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?

Prayer is an appointed means for obtaining what we need.  We are commanded in the Holy Word to pray often and to be persistent in praying for our needs.  Almighty God promises to hear our prayers in order to fulfill our needs in accordance with His will for our lives.  If this were not so, then we would not be instructed to make praying a daily habit.

We may become frustrated when it seems that God is not answering our prayers.  On the other hand, we have many examples in our daily lives that illustrate how "no" and "not now" are perfectly proper answers.  As parents, one of our most important tasks is to train our children to become highly functioning adults.  Thus, when our children reach the driving age and ask to start driving, we should be ready to take on the job of teaching them to drive.  If, however, we know they are not mature enough to handle the responsibility of driving, our answer should be "no" or "not now".   While our commitment to them is to train them in new life skills, our more pressing commitment is to insure their protection when they are vulnerable.

While the Lord promises to hear and answer all of our prayers of need, His promises are bound by the higher covenant of preparing us for our eternal life in heaven with Him.  So while He always hears our prayers, sometimes His answers will be "no" or "not now."  Each case will be determined by Him based on where we are on the path of sanctification and spiritual growth.  He will answer us perfectly, in perfect timing in accordance with His will for our lives.  He will apply the same principles in the lives of others when we are praying for what we perceive to be their needs.

Let us rebuke the need for immediate gratification in our lives.  Let us learn the value of waiting on the Lord.  As we wait, let us praise Him for His perfect answers and His perfect timing in all things.  

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for hearing and answering all of our prayers.  We thank You that You often protect us by not giving us what we ask for when it will take us off the path that You have set aside for our lives.  We pray for the strength to endure when the "nos" and the "not nows" seem so painful.  We ask, Lord, that You help us to keep seeking You so that our prayers will come into alignment with Your will for our lives.  We ask all these things in the name of our mighty and all sufficient provider, Jesus Christ.