Trusting God’s will versus asking for anything in his name

Consider these scriptures:

Isaiah 40:31 ‘they that wait upon the Lord shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint’.

Mathew 26:38-39 ‘Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

John 14: 13-14 ‘And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask for anything in my name and I will do it!’

Surely these scriptures contradict, expressing a very basic tension between trusting in God’s timing and will, and asking for anything in his name. We are instructed to submit to God’s plans and purposes, while at the same time we are also expected to pray with petitions that are acted upon by God in accordance with our wills. The messy upshot being that, even Jesus approaches God with his petition to have his cup of suffering taken away, only after which he then submits to the will of God that he will not do this. How are we supposed to make sense of all this? My answer below is in many ways far too quick, but is a formula that has become increasingly clear to me over the years, and after so many lessons from God!

First, we must assume (and spiritually digest) that whatever God does and allows in our lives is filled to the brim with his unconditional love for us, even if/when what is happening is extremely hard and difficult, and feels even as if we have been forsaken and abandoned by God. Second, however, once this reality of God’s perfect love (despite our circumstances often) settles into the centre of our being, we can properly contemplate God’s timing – that although his timing is often experienced as frustrating and even frightening, always provides the maximum amount of good for you and others – that is, in the long term and including eternity! Third, when, as a result of the first and second, we experience God’s peace which passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7), at this point we can then confidently turn to God and ask for anything in Jesus’ name. Not because we are confident in our own will but because we have first submitted our will to his, after which he will be pleased to then bless us as he does what we ask him to do.

In summary, by submitting to his will and timing we enter into a divine pact with God, as he too submits to our will, for his glory, for our benefit, and for the extension of his love-bound Kingdom.  

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