His Joy

If you never had a problem again, if you never had an unpaid bill, if you or a family member never had a single sickness, a single conflict, or a single problem, and if you always knew the right decision to make, would you still pray?

God will allow certain circumstances in our lives to keep us dependent on Him. We call out to Him because we need His help. That’s why God doesn’t give us all of His glorious gifts in one lump sum.

And know this: God wants to answer our prayers. Jesus said, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32 NKJV).

Your Father in Heaven loves to lavish blessings on you. It’s His joy. So He effectively says, “I’ll give this to you, but you must come to Me.” Now, He won’t spoil you or give you things needlessly. And He certainly won’t give you things that would hurt you. But He loves to lavish His provision on you.

I heard a story about a very wise father whose son was leaving for college. He said, “Son, I’m going to pay all your bills. I’ll take care of everything, and I’ll give you a monthly check.”

Then he added, “But I’m not sending it to any address. If you want the check, you need to come home. When I see you, I’ll give you the check.”

His son came home every month.

In the same way, God says, “Yes, I’ll bless you. I’ll provide for you. But I want you to come to Me. I want fellowship with you.” He’s our Father, and He wants to hear from us.

We need answers to our prayers, and God wants to answer them. That sounds like a match made in Heaven, and indeed it is.