June 28 - 1 John 5:13-15. Ask.

June 28 - 1 John 5:13-15. Ask.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

I was pretty young when I figured out that God wasn’t a vending machine. No matter how much I desired that bicycle … even down deep in my heart … that wasn’t what was meant in Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

You see, this is the passage that needs to be used as a follow-up.

If we ask anything … according to his will … he hears us.  That whole ‘according to his will’ clarifies the process.

More than anything, I wanted that bicycle to be mine and I wanted it to be according to God’s will, but I had to finally admit, it was all about my selfishness.  Oh, for heaven’s sake, I already had a bike.  It was just no longer the coolest bike around.  It was a little kid’s bike.  I wanted something a little older.

In the impatience of my childish life, I couldn’t see any sense in waiting for that bicycle. I prayed and prayed and prayed.

Funny thing, though.  I look back right now and realize that I actually got the bike of my dreams.  It didn’t happen right away. In fact, I have no idea what the timing is on all of this.  But, the day came when Mom, Dad and I drove to the Schwinn shop in Iowa City and I got a brand new ten-speed bicycle. (The rest of that story is that because my legs were so short, the only bike that fit me was their display bike … the salesman got a good laugh at that one.)

You know. It is as I sit here contemplating that experience, that I fully realize how God does hear us.  I’ve told the story over and over about not receiving a bike when I wanted it because I was being selfish and self-centered.  It never occurred to me until today that I really did get that bike!  It must have been a few years later and I’d forgotten all about my prayers.

But, God didn’t forget.  And when Dad could finally afford the bike and when I quit growing and when it made sense for me to have that bicycle, my prayers were answered.

That really changes the end of the story, doesn’t it!  We can have confidence that our prayers will be answered.  We just might need to have a longer view of the situation before we recognize the gifts we’ve been given.

Keep asking. Keep praying. Keep living within His will. God loves you and will hear your prayers.