On the one hand, we know that we "have not because we ask not" {James 4:2}. There are many goods that God will not give us unless we honor him and make our hearts safe to receive them through prayer. But on the other hand-what thoughtful persons, knowing the limits of their own wisdom, would dare to pray if they thought God would invariably give them their wishes? Endless stories of genies, lamps, and wishes illustrate the almost clichéd truth that our desires are, as we have seen, "discordantly arranged" and often fatally unwise. However, there is nothing to fear. God will not give us anything contrary to his will, and that will always include what is best for us in the long run {Rom 8:28}. We can, therefore, pray confidently because he won't give us everything we want. "He so tempers the outcome of events according to his incomprehensible plan that the prayers of the saints, which are a mixture of faith and error, are not nullified.
( Timothy J. Keller )
[ Prayer: Experiencing Awe and ]
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