September 25 – Taking His Word at face value

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. (1 John 5:14-15 NKJV)

In short, God is saying that whatever we ask He hears and grants – as long as it’s according to His will.  What throws off most believers is the question: how do I know His will?  Does He want me to pray for the healing of a painful relationship, or put an end to a lost cause?  Does He want me to stick with this job or move somewhere else?  There are plenty of details of our daily lives that the Bible doesn’t address directly, but the Bible is full of descriptions of who God is and what kind of character He has so that we can base our decisions very solidly on what we know He wants for us.  That begins first with a knowledge of Him based on His Word, and with time, based on personal experiences of the many times He has come through for us.

God’s character is deep and complex, and simple and straightforward all at the same time.  Basically, whatever is good and true and beneficial, whatever will glorify His name and whatever will put to shame the devil, is God’s will.  As we read the stories of victories and miracles in the Bible, we know that what God grants to His people in His Word, we can have faith to receive for ourselves.  (James 1:17)

God is not rigid and legalistic.  He often gives us the choice to choose.  If we have two good paths ahead of us, and no apparent sin or fleshliness is involved in either, God doesn’t want us to sit and agonize over our choice, waiting for handwriting to appear in the sky.  He would prefer that we step out in faith, go for what we believe in, and remain humble and flexible to be guided and corrected if necessary.  But no matter what, God prefers that we act rather than dither.  Gideon wasn’t given specific instructions on how to confront the Midianites – his plan of torches, trumpets and clay pots came from his own imagination.  But God was happy to see a man of action and revolt take a stand for what was right, so He honored Gideon’s initiative with a huge victory.

God is pleased when we believe in Him so much that we act as if His Word and His truths are rock solid.  He wouldn’t give us so many broad promises like this, if He didn’t mean them.  God doesn’t throw around empty words.  Everything He speaks is to be taken at face value.  

This promise is a great comfort to anyone who chooses to take God seriously.  Live for Him seriously, obey Him seriously, serve Him with all of your heart, and He promises to grant whatever you ask.  Though you may need to wait to see it materialize, don’t doubt that it is yours, because His Word never fails.