A Nugget from New Life Network
(by Dr. Larry Ollison)
Scripture for the Day – July 2, 2019
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. (Acts 10:38)
Several weeks ago, a man told me that he had been praying for something for years and that God had not answered his prayer. He went on to say that every time he asks God for the answer to his prayer, nothing seems to happen. He said, “I guess you just never know what to expect from God.”
Well, that statement may sound holy and humble, but it’s wrong. You can know what to expect from God because He has told us exactly what He will do over and over again. God has told us through His Word, the Holy Bible, what He will do. There should be no surprises when we pray. We have been given all the information needed. We have been told what to ask for and how to ask. God has provided all the instructions necessary for us to make the Word of God come alive and work in our daily lives.
For example, according to the Bible, when we pray, we must pray the will of God. First John 5:14 says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” The next verse goes on to say, “And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of
Him.”
So, we can see from this scripture passage that if we pray the will of God, He hears us. Likewise, the implication is that if we do not pray the will of God, then He does not hear us. And logic would dictate that if He does not hear a petition, then He cannot answer it.
Last week I met a man who had a kidney problem. He asked me to pray for his healing, and I did. After praying he looked at me and said, “I guess if God put this illness on me then He can take it away. I sure hope it’s His will to heal me. I’m tired of being sick.”
This man not only suffered from a kidney problem, but he suffered from poor teaching. And he’s not alone. Many good Christians believe that God makes them sick to teach them something. Then they turn around and ask Him to make them well. I guess maybe they’re just tired of learning!
We must know the will of God when we pray. Keep in mind that we know His will through His Word. God’s Word, the Holy Bible, tells us the nature of God and what He wants for us. If your problem is a health-related problem, Psalm 103:3 says that God is the one “who heals all your diseases.” If your problem is finances, in Isaiah 48:17 God said, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.” Would God teach you to do something that was a sin? No, of course He wouldn’t. God does want his children to profit. He wants us to prosper. If your problem is your children, Proverbs 11:21 says, “The seed [children] of the righteous will be delivered.” It is God’s will that your children be set free.
So, when we pray, we must pray God’s will. And, we find His will in His Word. Remember, anything we ask for that’s according to His will, He hears us (1 John 5:14).
