The Greater Good

“And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.” 1 John 5:14-15

I have been hearing a lot about the prosperity gospel lately (which is not the gospel at all, by the way). We have to be careful not to take this verse out of context and make God out to be some sort of cosmic genie waiting to grant our every wish. The gospel, after all, is not about us, it’s about Him. At the end of the day, God gets the glory.

The apostle John wanted us to know something important about biblical promises when it comes to prayer. In his first letter, John writes, “Whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.” Most translations say, “If we ask anything according to his will.” The answers to our prayers are in accordance with the will of God.

This is consistent even with the prayer life of Jesus Himself. Jesus, who was fully God and fully man, had a human nature. Human nature seeks self-preservation. This is what keeps us from jumping off of bridges or walking out into traffic. Jesus prayed in the garden, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me.” The human side of Jesus was seeking self-preservation. This was not an evil desire. Surely God would give His only Son whatever He asked for in prayer. But Jesus qualified his prayer when he said, “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

For the cup of suffering to be taken away would have meant the preservation of one man’s life. But for the cup of suffering to be allowed, opened the door for the preservation of all of humanity who would come to Him through faith. God’s will was for the greater good. 

Sometimes God’s plan is so much bigger than our narrow perspective will allow us to see. It’s okay to ask God for things you want or things you think you need, but remember that God sees things we cannot see. Ask for His will to be done because His will will always be for the greater good.