October 20 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

If we ask anything according to God's will, he hears us.

The text doesn't say that if our prayers happen to fit with God's plans, we'll get what we want. It does say that Christians can ask with confidence and boldness once they have learned to pray according to God's will. And you and I should know God's will.

Children know their parents' will. That's apparent when we hear them say to each other, "It's no use even asking," meaning that they know their parents cannot possibly allow what the children have in mind.

Asking "according to God's will" means that we are praying for that which God himself desires to give us.

Jesus expressed the same truth in these words: "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" (John 15:7). Jesus does not address the words "Ask whatever you wish" to everyone who wants to be healthy, wealthy, and successful. Instead he is speaking to everyone who has Christ's words in his or her heart. Such people will pray according to God's will and will receive what is asked for.

Prayer is not a means of getting what we want; it is a means of becoming what God wants us to be. And what God wants us to be is also the best we could ever be.

So when we have learned what is good for us and stand committed to God's name, God's kingdom, and God's will, we can also "ask according to God's will," and do so with confidence. When God's name is our chief concern, his kingdom our hope, and his will our wish, we may boldly go and ask for what God has promised. A father would sooner give his son a stone for bread than God would refuse the request of his children.

God wants us to be fully equipped to serve in his kingdom. If we are lacking in any such equipment, it is because we lacked the boldness to ask. To pray for such a thing is to pray according to his will. Ask, and you will receive!

REFLECTIONS

If you followed the advice in this Scripture and reading, would your prayers change? If so, how?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.