Answers

Questions

Right now in our society and culture we are filled with all kinds of questions. Questions about what should happen in light of what has happened. Questions about what will happen both good and bad. Questions about God’s will and His sovereign purposes in the world. I will readily admit that I do not have the answers to all of these types of questions or maybe even any of these types of questions. However, in this post I want to point us to the hope and assurance of real answers not only to our questions but also to our deepest desires, longing, and needs. 

Asking

James, the brother of our Lord Jesus, explains to us that sometimes we lack things because we are asking wrongly and for the wrong things. But he also informs us that on many occasions we do not have it because we do not ask (James 4:1-3). God is a God who gives good gifts and blessings to his people and he does good and gracious things for us (James 1:16-18). But we are commanded by God to bring our requests to Him. We are given by God access to His throne of grace and yet we so often wallow in self pity and doubt because we are either too proud, too foolish, or too faithless to ask (Hebrews 4:14-16).

The Lord Jesus also taught us that we should ask, saying that when we ask it will be given to us and assuring us that everyone who asks receives (Matthew 7:7-11). So often as a reaction to the false teaching of the prosperity gospel our interpretation of this text dies the death of a thousand qualifications. But what if we came to our Father with simple childlike faith. He won’t give us those things that will harm us so we can come with freedom and boldness knowing that we really can trust His grace and wisdom. 

Sometimes, I think that our theology of God’s sovereignty quenches our prayers. But Jesus addressed this also. Just a few verses before this encouragement to ask according to His will, Jesus tells the crowds to lay aside their anxiety and seek first His kingdom because God already knows their needs. It is out of this firm faith in both God’s knowledge and power that we freely and boldly ask for all that we need from Him (Matthew 6:25-34).

Hope

The Apostle Paul, when discussing the present suffering being experienced by the Christians through the Roman empire in the first century, calls the Romans to remember the hope of redemption and salvation. He points out that hope depends on faith because to hope for what is seen is not hope, but to hope for what you cannot yet see is the faithful hope of the true believers (Romans 8:18-25). God is faithful and Paul goes on to tell us that if God has given us Jesus and not spared His own Son then why would we not expect for God to graciously give us all things (Romans 8:31-32)?

Since by faith we know these things to be ultimately true. We also should be quick to count our blessings, recognize God’s answers to our requests, and praise King Jesus for all His benefits that we experience as His people (Psalm 103:1-2)! Praise the Lord!

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