“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
Have you ever felt buyer’s remorse? You know, when you buy something and later wish you hadn’t spent the money, or you find something else that would have been better. Could our prayers be the same? We ask God to remove something difficult from our lives and later find that it was precisely that challenge that we needed for our growth.
Humans are not always the best at determining what is best for themselves. We have a tendency to eat unhealthy food because it tastes good, or we sit around because it feels good. We know that eating healthy and exercising is far better for us in the long run, but we often choose cheaper, faster pleasures over the long-lasting joy of health.
There have been moments in my life when I looked back and was grateful that God did not give me what I was asking for. Perhaps that is one of the reasons God wants us to pray for things persistently. The time and long-term commitment to ask and seek God often provide us the perspective we need to see that our requests are not what we actually want.
Take a moment to think about the various prayer requests that you have on your heart right now. Ask God to give you a new perspective. Ask him to show you if there is a different answer to prayer that he wants more for you then what you are asking for. In all of it, remember that his primary answer to prayer will always be his presence through all things.
by Aaron Bjorklund
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