1 JOHN 5:13-15 – My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion. And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening. And if  we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours. 

God has never been a vending machine. Does that sound like an odd statement? Sometimes we treat Him as if all we need to do is pay the price of a prayer and He’ll have to answer our request in the way we want it answered.

Since God knows everything, He’s aware of what’s good for us and what will cause us harm. Wouldn’t God be irresponsible if He let us have things He knew would harm us?

When we invite God to fuse His will with our request, the answer we receive will be perfect. Does that mean God will give us what we want? It means we learn to desire God’s will over our request.

Dear God, help me always ask for Your best. Help me remember that when I leave the decision to You, I’ll always get something much better than I planned. Amen.