God Doesn’t Just Hear Us - Psalm 17
I call upon you, for you will answer me. - Psalm 17:6
Promises like “you will answer me” always evoke revealing thoughts and questions. There are other similar promises like, “whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:24).”
It’s easy to think that these promises have no context or put God in our control. When I was younger, I even thought that the Bible wasn’t dependable because God didn’t give me everything I wanted – like a red sports car – or because I had to endure pain.
Promises like this are real and true and given under the covering of other promises. God promises to keep you safe (Deut 20:4), to not give you more than you can handle (1 Cor 10:13), to work Christian character in you (2 Pet 1:4), and the list goes on and on.
God will give you exactly what you need to further his loving purposes and bring you home safely. While it is good to ask for anything, it would be great if our purposes aligned with God’s (see John 15:7).
Father, you are only good and kind. And you love your children so much that you came and died for them. I’m sorry for being shallow and self-centered. Thank you for not simply giving me everything I desire. Thank you for protecting me from myself. Please open my soul to your good purposes. I want to see how you are kind in every situation. Amen
Song: Jesus, thank you