If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. ~ John 15:7-8
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me;
my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. ~ Acts 20:24
Daily Bible Reading: Acts 15
Those of us who are Seahawks fans had a great opportunity to live out Pastor Ben’s message yesterday in regards to Overcoming Obstacles and Believing in Big Outcomes. My fervent prayers for a Seahawks victory seemed most appropriate since the Bible tells us pray about everything and to ask for whatever we wish. Like so many other times when my request went unanswered, I was left to wonder what it means to really believe…to believe in God’s promises and to trust great things will happen.
Now I understand it is normal to have obstacles and for things to get difficult at times, but I kept trusting. It seemed as though the Lord was directly answering my faithful prayers (if nothing else I am sure He enjoyed the fact that me, and so many others, were thinking of Him through the entire game). After much discussion with the Lord, I was shown that in fact God had shown grace for the other team today and that He did in fact answer my prayers if they began or ended with “If it is Your Will”! So often in our lives we believe we know what God should do and that He should give us what we are asking for. I don't know about your experiences, but what I do know is that I am so grateful that God so often has NOT given me what I prayed or begged for. There have been more occasions than not that in retrospect I would have regretted getting what I asked for. As time would show, it would have been a worse outcome for me and what He did give me was best for His kingdom.
Have you been thankful for an unanswered prayer? Can you trust Jesus with all your heart, regardless of the outcome?
Prayer: Dear Jesus, Thank you for reminding us that you are Lord over our lives and that your amazing outcomes aren’t always the ones sought by us, but are the best for us. I pray that You are glorified by our trust in you. I ask that you keep my heart open to your will and empty me of mine. Thank you for all our gifts and most of all for saving us. Amen.
Timberlake Church Daily Devotionals are written each week by a team of volunteers. Our hope is to give you a little bit of inspiration and a brush with God's Word to encourage you as you go about your day.