Asking With Confidence
There are times when she’ll ask to attend a particular party but will not be confident that we will let her attend.
Reference: v.6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (TNIV Bible)
Explore: As my teenage daughter is getting older I’m finding it more challenging to make decisions on her social outings. While I would still like to keep her wrapped up in cotton wool and safe at home I have to acknowledge that she’s nearly adult age and it’s healthy for her to go out with friends. There are times when she’ll ask to attend a particular party but will not be confident that we will let her attend. When I dig for more details about the party I will discover that it is at an over-age bar and I’ll automatically say no as she’s not yet 18. It’s no surprise that her confidence falters when she knows she is asking for the wrong thing.
Application: I find myself constantly asking God for things in my prayers. The times I am asking for healing of a loved one or assistance to keep my bad mood in check, I know I can go to God with confidence as this would be something He too would desire. But sometimes there are things I might ask God for that I know are more my desire than His, and that’s when I realize that my confidence in God’s response falters and I need to end my prayer with, ‘Your will be done.’ When we start to understand God’s heart then we have a greater knowledge of how He would have us live. That way, we can ask God for things with confidence, knowing they are already within His will.
Prayer: Ask God for something that is on your heart.
How confident are you about His response?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.