So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. Matthew 7:11 NLT
Just hearing that prayer is aligning my will with God’s will is a negative for some of us. That’s not what we want prayer to be. We want prayer to be helping God see the good sense in why I want what I want, then bending His will to meet mine. Often our experiences in life lead us to feel that if I want life to be good, I’m going to have to make it happen myself.
When aligning ourselves with what someone else wants has hurt us and not helped us, it becomes a challenge to trust. But Jesus is talking to people whose values revolved around wanting their children to thrive. He knew they had a strong desire to do all they could for their children. So, He asked a rhetorical question: “If you know you are sinful and flawed, far from a perfect parent, but you have the knowledge and desire to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to His children who ask Him?”
Jesus points to the kind of Father who welcomes us to directly share our needs, desires, and dreams. He is perfect and infinitely good and loving. He wants us to come with confidence, knowing that as we cooperate with Him, He will do what is absolutely best for us, even if we don’t immediately recognize it as such. It is His deep desire to bless us. The better we get to know Him, the more we realize His character is complete love, and all of His will for us is good.
Many years back when I was a young wife and mother, I was also a woman in ministry, trying to accomplish many goals and dreams. I knew what I desired, but the conflicting opinions of others who shared with me what my roles should be and how I should handle them caused me to pray for God’s will with trepidation. I assumed His will for me would be something I didn’t want. But God led me to a definition of His will that was so liberating and confidence-building, it permanently changed my perspective: God’s will is exactly what I would choose if I had all the information He has.
Taking the truth to heart that my good, good Father’s will for me is better than I can ever choose for myself, and that He loves me so much it is His delight to give me the best makes trusting Him my wisest, most fulfilling decision. When I pray, I am able to say with faith, “Your will be done. I will trust You because I want what You know is best.” He has never let me down.
- Write this where you can read it every day: “God’s will is exactly what I would choose if I had all the information He has.” Your perspective will change, and your trust will grow.