ASKING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL
- Olufunmilayo Adekusibe
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Today's reading:
I John 5:1-5, 13-21
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.” (I John 5:14)
It could be frustrating sometimes when we are making the same request to God for several years and answers are not coming. It will be more frustrating when people we believe are not serving God or righteous as we are, or are not committed to God’s work to the same degree as we are and share testimony, and ours seem withheld. Though we have prayed, fasted, visited correct prophets and all prophecies pointing to the same thing that God will do it, or rather God has done it. Can God or His Servants be lying? No, Numbers 23:19 says God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? One certain thing is that any word that proceeds from God will never return unto Him void without accomplishing what He sent the word.
If your request seems delayed or denied as a child of God, what should you do? The most important question you need to ask is this: Is my request according to His will? In the book of Luke 22:42, our Lord Jesus was at a critical point in fulfilling His mandate, and he prayed, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. It would have been the desire of Jesus to escape the cross, but he said the will of God should be done. Sometimes our requests are wonderful and they appear not to have any aorta of selfishness, but does it align with God’s will at that time? A typical example of a wonderful request is that of Hannah in the book of I Samuel. She needed a son, but God needed a successor, a priest and a prophet to take over after Eli. As long as Hannah was asking for a son, heaven wasn’t responding because her request hadn’t aligned with God’s will. But in verse 11 her request aligned with the vacancy in heaven “And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.” I Samuel 1:11.
Four things are germane in that verse 11, which made Hannah’s prayer a perfect will of God. One, she requested a male child. It takes a male child to be a priest who will take over from Eli, who will soon, or rather has missed it as far as God was concerned, and none of his children were eligible to take over from him. Two, she made a vow. Some prayers may go unanswered until they are backed up with vows. Have you been praying and yet answers are not coming? Listen to the Holy Spirit, peradventure He wants you to add a vow, then do the needful. Three, her vow was genuine and sincere. She said she would give him to the Lord. The male child God needed was the one who must be consecrated to him, just like he takes the firstborn among the Israelites. God will not struggle with us; rather, He wants the firstborn, not the secondborn. The one that opens the womb. In your prayer request, are you ready to give God the first place when the answer comes or not? If not, your request is not according to His will. Four, Hannah said no razor shall come upon him. That is a sign of consecration. This is set apart for God. Until your request meets the consecration requirement, answers may not come from above. If there’s a delay in getting answers to your prayers, check your requests in line with the four l have mentioned above. It is well with you in Jesus’ name.
JAMES ALADE
To surrender your life to Christ, say this prayer aloud. “Father, I acknowledge my sin against You. I repent and ask for forgiveness, in the name of Jesus. I surrender to the Lordship of Jesus. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, take control of my heart and lead me in Your path of righteousness. Thank you, Lord.”
If you said the prayer, Congratulations! You are welcome to the body of Christ. Prayerfully seek out a living church and meet the resident reverend, pastor, or priest.
Prayer:
Father l thank you for sending your word to me
May you help me, Lord, to pray according to your will in Jesus’ name
In your mercy, answer me speedily in Jesus’ name
Help will arise for me on all sides in Jesus’ name
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