Lies We Believe #3: If God Loved Me, He Would Give Me What I Want Now!
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”—Mark 11:24
Will God give us whatever we want, whenever we want it? Doesn’t the Scripture say, “whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”? Isn’t this a sure sign that God has offered to give us whatever we want? Or consider other verses like Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask of think according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” God can do more abundantly than we could ask or imagine, and has offered to give us whatever we want in prayer. But, these requests and God’s ability don’t apply to our every whim, sinful and selfish desire, or an excuse for laziness, disobedience, or a desire to avoid responsibility. It does mean that He hears our requests, will answer them when they are in accordance with His Word and His will, and when it brings glory to Him. Even when our requests are in conjunction with His will and His Word, God still may choose to say yes or no to our request. There is no magic formula in having God’s blessing, there is only obedience and faith—obeying God’s Word and believing in Him.
One of the lies that many Christians believe is if God loves us, then He will give us whatever we want. But, that lie could be an excuse to harbor selfish and sinful desires. God cares for us and will answer us when we call, but simply because God withholds something from us, does not mean that He does not care for us. On the contrary, a parent that gives their child whatever they want is not showing love because in life we cannot have whatever we want whenever we want it. Any parent that gives without ever withholding is not instilling the discipline and restraint necessary that each and every person must exercise to live within society.
Some people believe that God wants our best life now, but that is completely antithetical to the Scriptures. Our Lord and Savior did not experience a world without pain and suffering. He had no place to lay His head, He had friends die, He was unjustly and illegally arrested, tried, found guilty, and killed on a cross. We are to follow His example, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps”—1 Peter 2:21.
This world is fallen, violent, perverse, and under God’s judgment. God does bless us and will bless us for a life devoted to Him, but our desires and requests will not be void of sinful or selfish motives entirely. We must continually ask God to help us clarify our motives when we pray and make our requests known. While we will never be entirely free from the presence and power of sin in this world, we eagerly await the day when we will be free, seeing Him face to face and are satisfied forever. Rest in the fact that God does want what is best for us in this fallen world, but our best life is not now, it is still to come. Amen.
Will God give us whatever we want, whenever we want it? Doesn’t the Scripture say, “whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”? Isn’t this a sure sign that God has offered to give us whatever we want? Or consider other verses like Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask of think according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” God can do more abundantly than we could ask or imagine, and has offered to give us whatever we want in prayer. But, these requests and God’s ability don’t apply to our every whim, sinful and selfish desire, or an excuse for laziness, disobedience, or a desire to avoid responsibility. It does mean that He hears our requests, will answer them when they are in accordance with His Word and His will, and when it brings glory to Him. Even when our requests are in conjunction with His will and His Word, God still may choose to say yes or no to our request. There is no magic formula in having God’s blessing, there is only obedience and faith—obeying God’s Word and believing in Him.
One of the lies that many Christians believe is if God loves us, then He will give us whatever we want. But, that lie could be an excuse to harbor selfish and sinful desires. God cares for us and will answer us when we call, but simply because God withholds something from us, does not mean that He does not care for us. On the contrary, a parent that gives their child whatever they want is not showing love because in life we cannot have whatever we want whenever we want it. Any parent that gives without ever withholding is not instilling the discipline and restraint necessary that each and every person must exercise to live within society.
Some people believe that God wants our best life now, but that is completely antithetical to the Scriptures. Our Lord and Savior did not experience a world without pain and suffering. He had no place to lay His head, He had friends die, He was unjustly and illegally arrested, tried, found guilty, and killed on a cross. We are to follow His example, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps”—1 Peter 2:21.
This world is fallen, violent, perverse, and under God’s judgment. God does bless us and will bless us for a life devoted to Him, but our desires and requests will not be void of sinful or selfish motives entirely. We must continually ask God to help us clarify our motives when we pray and make our requests known. While we will never be entirely free from the presence and power of sin in this world, we eagerly await the day when we will be free, seeing Him face to face and are satisfied forever. Rest in the fact that God does want what is best for us in this fallen world, but our best life is not now, it is still to come. Amen.
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