Ask in My name and it will be done
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
Matthew 21:21,22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to this fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
John 14:14, 15 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
Now isn’t that powerful? Initially, hearing these verses, I believed things would happen right away, my life would be changed, I would receive the desire of my heart….immediately. That certainly (and thank goodness!) did not always come about, and although many, in fact most, of what I’ve asked for over the years, has been given, not all has. And I realize, like any spoiled child, I’ve asked for things my Father may know is not good for me, or I was not ready to have.
I’ve lost, misplaced many things that I cared about, or did not want to lose. There is only one thing that has not been returned. Some things are found later, others have been shown in my mind for easy location within several hours. In fact about a month ago, I lost the checks I was using. I had the register, but looking everywhere I could, I could not locate the actual checks. I checked my house for hours, and would recheck again and again. I finally got the next bunch of checks, disappointed there would be a huge gap in the numbers, but resigned I needed to pay bills which sometimes required a check to be written.
As I was writing my blogs, I opened one of my Bibles. (I normally keep three nearby, and check one or the other with a verse that is unclear to me, that I may have found in a devotional or elsewhere and want further clarification.) There sat the “lost” checks. I could do nothing except smile and thank Him for finding them and answering the questions of ‘what did I do with them, where did I lose them, how could I be so careless as to lose them so totally within my own house…’
But I asked for them to be found and returned, and He answered. Even though it took a while, but I had to smile, and thank Him. And God does have a sense of humor!
It is not always on my time frame that answers come, but I have come to learn that as selfish as I am, God answers my prayers and requests in His time. I don’t always understand His timing, but I have come to learn it is delivered when it is best for me, and after I have PATIENTLY waited. I have learned (and tried) to develop (some) patience–and certainly desire more. The development of patience, among other things, is a fruit from the Spirit.
As we walk and trust Him further and further, we develop more of His fruits in our life. We resist our base impatience, selfishness, and need for immediate gratification which can get us into trouble. And by thus developing the fruits we become more intimate and knowledgeable of Him.
My walk has been such a growth and development for ‘mybellaviews.’
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