Will God Answer My Prayer if It’s Not His Will?
OCTOBER 30
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8
There’s nothing in life outside the reach of prayer. If it concerns you, it concerns God. We sometimes try to divide life into the “secular” and the “sacred,” saying “This is the sacred. We’ll pray about this. But this is the secular. I’ll handle it myself.” But for the child of God, everything that concerns us, concerns Him.
Many years ago when Dr. Charles Stanley was the new pastor of First Baptist Church, Atlanta, the deacons and finance committee were holding a meeting. The church had been through some turmoil, and they came to a halt over a financial problem. Charles said to those around the table, “Men, let’s pray.” One of them answered, “Preacher, this is business. We don’t need to pray about this.”
Can you imagine Jesus Christ dividing His life into the sacred and the secular? We don’t divide our lives into the secular and the sacred. So what do we pray about? Everything.
You ask, “Can I pray about small things? A parking space? That’s too small.” Can you think of anything too big or too small to God? There’s nothing “big” to God. Things aren’t either bog or small to Him. The biggest thing you can think of is small to God, and the smallest thing is important to God if it’s important to you. “…in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).
You may ask, “Suppose there’s something I want, and I know it’s not God’s will. Should I pray about that?” Absolutely. Pray: “Lord, there’s something wrong with me. I want something You don’t want. Fix my want-er.” Tell God about it. He already knows what you’re thinking anyway.
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