And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.
Mathew 21v22
If ever a verse of Scripture has been misused and misunderstood it is this one! Several generations of Christians have been given misguided teaching (at best) or heretical teaching (at worst) on the meaning and application of this verse. Any verse that is taken out of context or that is not balanced with all the other scriptures relating to the same topic can lead to a false belief and a false hope in a false God. Scripture warns us that the last days will be the days of greatest deception. If Eve, in her pre-fallen state, in a perfect sin free world could be deceived over what God said, shouldn’t we be ever so much more careful that we are not being deceived about The Word of God and what it means.
Taken at face value, this is the worldly Christian’s dream verse. Nothing appeals more to the lust of the flesh (desire for enjoyment in physical pleasure) the lust of the eyes (desire for what we see) and the pride of life (desire to be seen as successful, popular, in control and recognised as someone of importance), than the thought that we can use Scripture to get what we want from God.
The crucial building block for Christian faith is the acceptance that God is Sovereign in all matters and will not be manipulated by man. That is the foundation stone and the absolute bedrock of Christian belief. But in case you think that implies that God is impersonal and detached from us, the very next block of the building is that God is our loving Heavenly Father who wants to be involved in every area of our lives, and has compassion on us in our weaknesses and failures. When these two concepts are firmly imbedded in our hearts and minds, we will have The Faith that will not be shaken when troubles and trials, suffering and sickness come our way. We will be able to pray with the power and confidence that comes from knowing that God’s perfect will, will be done no matter what our personal outcome is. It is a very unstable and shaky faith that loses confidence and belief in God when our prayers do not result in what we wanted. I have heard many people exclaim that God has let them down, or doesn’t listen to them, or that He doesn’t really love or care for them because they prayed for a certain outcome, but received a different one.
Abraham is known as the father of the faithful, but he did not get the desired outcome of his prayers. When Ishmael, Hagar’s son was born, it seemed like God had answered Abraham’s prayers and longings for a son and heir. He had 13 wonderful years of fatherhood with this longed-for son. I can imagine that Abraham spent the majority of his time with Ishmael, teaching him all that he knew and preparing him to be the head of the family and inheritor of all of Abraham’s accumulated wealth. In Genesis 17v23-26 there is a passage that implies a very intimate relationship between Abraham and Ishmael. 3 times this passage talks about Abraham and his son, linking their names and position of father and son together, implying a deep and personal relationship.
Yet when Abraham asked that Ishmael be the son and heir that would inherit, not only his natural wealth but his spiritual pedigree, God said no. It was a gentle rebuke. God promised that he would bless Ishmael as well, but His Perfect Will was that the lineage of Christ would come through the union of Abraham and Sarah, not Abraham and Hagar. God’s Sovereignty ruled, but it was enforced in a gentle and fatherly manner that shows that God understood the relationship that had developed between Abraham and Ishmael.
King David, whom God Himself declared to be “a man after my own heart” 1 Samuel 13v14 and Acts 13v22, did not get what he fervently prayed for in faith. 2 Samuel 12v16 tells us how David fasted, prayed and lay prostrate before the Lord, pleading for the life of his innocent baby son. He had repented of his sin, was in close fellowship with the Lord again, yet God did not give him the answer he wanted, even though he was a man of immense faith. God is sovereign, yet He also comforted both David and Bathsheba and promised that their next son would be the heir to the throne.
God is sovereign, but He is also a tender loving Father. He will not be manipulated through prayer or fasting, or so called “positive confession”. His will, His plan, His purpose will always prevail. This should give us a firm and immovable foundation to stand and live upon. His purpose is not to harm us, ignore us, or depress us. His purpose is to raise us up to that place of confident faith in Him that allows us to be truly settled in our heart and spirit in knowing that “Thy Will (will) be done” and that His Perfect Will is the Perfect Will for me.
