He Always Hears Us

"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." 1 John 5:14-15

Andy and I have reached a point in our faith where we know that we can ask God for anything. And as a result, we do. We literally ask him for the desires of our heart. We've often been asked by people "but what if God doesn't answer, or God says no, will you love him less?" And all we can do is smile and say no, we'll love him even more, because his answer means that he truly knows what is best for us. The thing is, you never really know why he says no, but sometimes, it may come to light down the road. Here's an example.

When I was in grade school, my brother got chicken pox. We were getting very close to the week I was to go to summer camp, and I prayed and prayed that I wouldn't get the chicken pox. And of course, the day before I was to leave, the first poc mark showed up on my hand. I was so sad and disappointed, but there were many reasons to be grateful that I did get the chicken pox. The first being that had that mark not shown up when it did, I would have gone to camp and infected who knows how many people with the virus. Thank God he kept me home! And the second being that had I not gotten the chicken pox then, I could have instead gotten them later in life when it is much more dangerous to have the disease. I still have the scar on my left hand where that first poc showed up, and to me it's always a reminder that God truly does know best.

A number of years ago, we had an opportunity to buy the duplex we were living in. We wanted it so bad, and we prayed about it and prayed about it, and others were praying about it for us and with us. And it ended up that God told us no. We really were not in a position to buy a house, and God did not let that opportunity come to fruition. Instead, he blessed us with a home that had the room we so desperately needed. While we didn't know it at the time, had we bought that house, we likely would have had some serious trouble, as the last few years have seen ups and downs with Andy's job. Thank God for his answers of no! Had we bought that house...who knows what would have happened. God was looking out for us.

There are also the times that God says yes. A few years back we received a statement in the mail from the state government telling them that we owed them over $90,000 in back sales taxes from Andy's prior business. It was incorrect, but there was nothing we could do about it. We had no paperwork, no proof that we didn't owe it, so the state started taking a garnishment out of Andy's wages to pay it back. I remember I finally sent a desperate e-mail to someone in the state office, and praying as I wrote that e-mail. It was also during that time that Andy and I started feeling pressured to tithe. We really felt God calling us to tithe 10% of what little he was making, so we took that leap as well. A few weeks later, we received a statement in the mail saying that the error had been corrected, and that we had remitted what we owed the state. That $90,000 debt was gone, like magic, only we know it was heavenly magic. God gave us a miracle to show us his love for us.

So I guess the point is, that you can ask God for anything. Absolutely anything. Sometimes he says yes and gives you what you ask for, and sometimes he says no, but that means he has better plans- a better idea for you. Think of a child who asks "mom, can we go to the park today?" and Mom says no, not today, we have other plans. The child is crushed, because they wanted to go to the playground. But what that child doesn't know is that the family is spending the day at an amusement park, and those other plans are way better than what the child originally asked for. That's something to remember. When we're asking God for a playground, sometimes he gives us the playground. But sometimes, he wants us to have the amusement park instead.