“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.”
(1 John 14-15)
This week, we’re focusing especially on reasons to be thankful in all circumstances. Today I am giving thanks to God that He answers prayer.
A very helpful spiritual growth exercise is to keep a prayer journal. The purpose of the prayer journal is to write down what you are praying for. But the real exciting part is to review what you have been praying for and to note how God has answered your prayers. I’ve heard from people over the years what confirms my own experience: Surprise at how many prayers are answered and how they are answered.
But sometimes the answers seem slow in coming. God promises to hear our prayers and to answer according to His will. I like how Tim Keller describes this. God answers are prayers according to what we would have asked if we knew everything that He knows. In other words, God answers our prayers in His time at His way.
There are numerous verses like the one above that encourage us to be confident in prayer. God would have us pray in faith, trusting that once we have turned a matter over to Him, He will act according to His will. This is a great blessing in hard times, and one for which we can readily give thanks.
What are you thankful for today?
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