“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”      Matthew 7:7-8 NIV

Too often, we can view the Lord as a great cosmic Santa Claus in the sky: we think of our prayers not as petitions, but as demands. If He does not grant our request, we’re thrown into a faith crisis, believing He no longer answers us. The real problem, however, is that we misunderstand the Lord’s three answers to prayer. Yes. We love this response! There’s nothing more exhilarating or faith-inspiring than watching the Lord move mountains to provide what we once saw as impossible. No. Here is where the problems begin for us. But we must accept the fact that God says “no” to some of our requests. This is certainly not because He’s uncaring, on the contrary, He is generous, loving, and concerned about us. No, means that He doesn’t agree to things He knows are wrong for us. Wait. This answer can be even harder than a flat-out “no.” Yet some things that are good and right and godly may still be wrong for us today. Remember, He is eternal; He sees all time at the same time. If He regards tomorrow’s blessing as a curse today, He’ll withhold it for a season until we’re ready to receive it. Let us not be misled if His response is not what we expected. Let us praise the Lord for answering our requests the way He knows they should be answered!

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord, we praise You for answering our requests in the best way You know.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, we choose not to be misled if Your response to our requests is not what we expected. Lord, we praise You for answering our requests the way You know they should be answered! AMEN

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Romans 15:14-21

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