Our Plea – His Plan

Perhaps the two most misunderstood verses in the Bible are found in I John 5:14-15. “And 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 we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”

When we are in distress, we might read those verses and send up a prayer to God asking for answers in our situation. If you think about it, in doing that, we’re acting like we are the authority figure and God should be our servant. When the answer we’re seeking doesn’t come, or it’s one we don’t like, we can easily feel upset, angry or like God doesn’t care. “Can’t He be counted on to meet my need? I’m not asking for too much – just a logical, sensible understanding of the most profound hurt I’ve known.” We hurt, we grieve, we ask; but then we can easily end up going down a path that can be very destructive to our faith, and, thus, to not even coming CLOSE to meeting the need we have.

Let’s take another look at the passage. It’s easy to miss this piece of it: “…if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us…” (Emphasis mine.) We might think we know what His will includes. Our limited, hurting minds have it all worked out. Certain things are logical, after all. “If I were God, this is how I would handle it!”

But, wait a moment! Think back to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Son of God pleaded with His Father as He contemplated the upcoming agony of the cross. He asked, “Father…remove this cup from me.” It was a reasonable request to avoid the physical and emotional agony He was about to face.  It’s something you and I would feel is a logical request for Jesus to make.

But, that wasn’t all He said. He added, “…yet not my will, but Thine be done.”

At that moment in time, the will of God partnered with the love of God – and, aren’t you glad for that? God’s perfect plan for the redemption of mankind would not, could not be diverted. God, the Father, wanted to redeem you and me from the punishment for our sins. And, He knew best how that would be accomplished.

And His Son? His Son was willing for what His Father’s best would be.

Dear one, the same God Who lovingly refused the plea of His own Son doesn’t always answer your pleas. He still knows best. His purpose in your pain is not always revealed at the moment we ask, if ever. However, that does not mean His love and care for you is diminished. He hurts with you and invites you to accept His will, by faith, just as Jesus did. You can lay your requests at His feet and exchange them, even unanswered, for His grace, strength and plan.

The cost is great. He knows that – just as He knew it about Jesus’ death.