Question:
I have a stupid question.
I was a believer until something happened to make me question the word. I prayed for something (I don't pray for anything unless I think I need it.) I prayed according to Matthew 21.22 ("Whatsoever ye shall ask for in prayer, believing, ye shall receive").
You guessed it, nothing happened. Why? What constitutes faith? What constitutes prayer? I thought I had faith, and I thought I knew how to pray, and the exact opposite of what I prayed for happened. Where was the catch? Where was God's loophole?
Answer:
First I would like to say that your question is not stupid. It is a question a lot of folks would like to ask but don't. I will try to share with you what I feel the Word of God has to say.
Let me start by saying the God is not... "A Genie In A Bottle" He is not someone waiting for us to say the magic words and... POOF!! He pops out to grant us our every desire.
Let's look at a couple of verses and what they might mean. I do not claim to have all the right answers, but I know that if you are sincere and ask God, He will let you know the truth.
OK!. Look at Psalms 37:4-5
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: (NIV)
I used to think that if I "Delighted" myself in the Lord I would get the car I wanted or desired, the girl I desired, the job, etc.,etc. Make Sense?
The only problem is that is not what this verse says. The word "GIVE" in this verse in Hebrew is ('naw-than'), which means; 'to put, or place within, to appoint or assign'
What this verse is saying is that if we will delight ourselves in the Lord, He will (place within us the desires we should have). Then, if we commit our ways unto Him, He will bring those desires to pass.
Now look at 1st John 5:14
"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. (NIV)
The key here is: '...according to His will." So many times we ask for things we know really are not His will. Sometimes He doesn't answer our requests because of His love for us. He knows that the request might be either detrimental to us or harmful to our relationship with Him.
Remember the song, I don't know the Title but one of the main lines was: " I thank God for unanswered prayers." Many times after I have prayed for something and didn't get it.... I found out later how fortunate I was that God didn't give me what I had asked for.
NOTE! IF YOU ASK GOD FOR SOMETHING, AND YOU ASK IN FAITH, THEN YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT GOD ANSWERS YOU. PERIOD. EVEN WHEN YOU DON'T GET WHAT YOU ASK FOR, WHEN YOU ASKED FOR IT. THAT WAS AN ANSWER.(Sometimes the answer is 'NO'. Sometimes it is, 'not right now'.
Now the verse you mentioned: Matthew 21.22
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." (NIV)
Let's think back on the verses we have already look at. We know that if we ask according to His will that those things will come to pass. We also have read that if we will delight ourselves in the Lord He will give us (place within us) the desires of our heart. So it only makes sense that if we have done these two things then Matthew 21:22 is a given.
Why God doesn't answer all our prayers. I don't know. But this I do know. God loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to did a horrible death so that we could have eternal life. That alone is more than anyone else I know would do, even if they could.
As far as asking for things in this life. I believe God wants us to ask and I believe He wants us to have many of those things we ask for. But more than that He wants us to desire His will and to lay up treasures in Heaven that will last forever.
Matt 6:19-20 19
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal". (NIV)
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