Thinking on Prayer // 1 John 5:14

Today’s verse is one that deserves a little attention. We often approach prayer like rubbing a genie’s lamp 3 times — one for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We want to take things to God in prayer and have Him grant our desires. The Bible teaches that God always hears our prayers, but He answers according to His will. Pastor Rick Warren wrote that God answers prayers in one of four ways: no (the request isn’t right for you); slow (the request is right, but the timing is not); grow (the request is right, but you aren’t yet); and go (you and the timing are right). Trust God that His will, way, and timing is perfect. So when you take things to God in prayer, keep those things in mind. If God’s answer doesn’t align with your preferred outcomes, that doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love you or doesn’t care…no, it means there is something bigger and better out there than you’re aware of at the moment. As the great theologian, Garth Brooks, once sang, “Sometimes God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”