Why Pray if God Does as He Pleases Anyway?

Why pray to God to ask Him for the desires of your heart if God does as He pleases anyway? 

Aha! A hard hitting question very early in the exhortation, very early in the programme and very early in the week! 

I ask it again, as many of you would have missed it, or you’re still shocked by the question.

Why pray to God to ask Him for the desires of your heart if God does as He pleases anyway? 

Luke 11:9-13, reading from The Amplified version, ”“So I say to you, ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking [persistently], receives; and he who keeps on seeking [persistently], finds; and to him who keeps on knocking [persistently], the door will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you, then, being evil [that is, sinful by nature], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!”“

So essentially, the Bible tells us if we have a need, ask God for it and if we persist, He will grant it to us. 

But in life, we find that there’s a little difficulty with that. Because we pray for example and ask God to heal someone, yet the sickness doesn’t go away and they die. We ask God to help us to get a particular job, yet we are rejected. We ask God for safe travels, yet  some careless driver comes out of nowhere and causes an accident. 

So how do we justify that? Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. 

What we have to understand as believers, Family, is that God, in His wisdom, created us. God, in His wisdom, knows the end from the beginning. And God, in His wisdom, knows what’s best for us. 

So while we are encouraged to ask for what we want or think we need, we have to trust God to give us what He knows that we need. And ultimately, we have to understand that God does what He pleases.

There are at least two places in the Bible that I’ve come across that makes this bold statement. I first came across it when studying with a sister sometime ago and I was stunned. We stayed on that for a good couple of minutes.

It was Isaiah 46:10 ”Declaring the end and the result from the beginning, And from ancient times the things which have not [yet] been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will do all that pleases Me and fulfills My purpose,’“

I later found Psalm 115:3 ”But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.“

Basically, scripture tells us that God is sovereign. He is omnipotent and He acts according to His will and purposes. His supreme power and authority is not limited by time or circumstance. 

So back to my original question: why should we pray, why should we believe for a miracle, why should we expect things to turn around for us? If God really loves us, we wouldn’t be suffering like this. Should we assume that our current state of affairs is what God is pleased to see happening to us? 

Questions that need answers.

Might I suggest to us today, Family, that as Christians, as believers, these questions should not linger in our thoughts. We do not think like unbelievers do. 

It is important for us to understand that God created a perfect world. It is important for us to understand that it was man who made the choice to disobey God, thereby introducing sin and suffering into this world.

It is important for us to understand that prayer is more about expressing gratitude to God for His blessings, prayer is about asking God for His guidance, prayer is more about getting in line with God’s will for our lives, and finding peace, rather than trying to get God to do what we want. 

With all that in mind, it is important for us to understand, Family, that we must surrender to God's sovereignty. He is in charge.

Revelation 4:11 ”“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they exist, and were created and brought into being.” 

So God is not subject to our whims and fancies or what we think should happen, when and how. Rather, He acts according to His own will, which is perfect and just. 

I do it sometimes. It is human. To question why things happen the way they do, or why certain prayers don’t seem to be answered. 

But again, what is important also for us to understand, is that we only see what’s before us. And truth be told, sometimes, even if it hits us in the face, we still can’t see present danger.

So we have to put our trust in The One who sees beyond the present moment, The One who declares that His purpose will stand, regardless of human endeavors or circumstances. 

Psalm 33:11 ”The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The thoughts and plans of His heart through all generations.“

Family, once we understand who God is, that He is in control, that He knows best and that He does what He pleases, we will find peace in trusting His plans. And we know that His plans are better than anything we could ever imagine.

In this world filled with uncertainty, fear and chaos, it is comforting to know that we can find assurance in God’s unchanging character and His ability to fulfill His plans.

It would do us well to surrender our will to His, knowing that His ways are higher than ours. 

Isaiah 55:8-9 ”“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts higher than your thoughts.“

So then we should be pleased that God does as He pleases, not so?!

Family, today, may we find peace in trusting the plans that God has for us, even when we don’t understand, even when we don’t think they align with our own desires. 

May we truly surrender our will to God, especially when we are tempted to doubt because of the difficult circumstances we face. 

May we rest in the assurance that He is faithful to fulfill His purpose, and that His will ultimately leads to our good.

Romans 8:28 ”And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.“

6May2024

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