Asking for the Impossible
by Larry White  12/05/1990

   Is there anything too hard for God? Is there anything that he isn’t able to do? Most Christians acknowledge the teaching of the omnipotence of God. Yet in our prayers, we really don’t ask for much do we?

   Do you ever ask God for the impossible?

   We know God can do the impossible, but will he…for me?

   Sometimes our problem is we lack confidence before God.  Confidence comes from our base in the keeping of God’s word. 

    Our relationship of communion with God.

Jno.13:21-24
“He that has my commandments, and keeps them, it is he that loves me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” Judas says to him, not Iscariot, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself unto us, and not unto the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that does not love me does not keep my sayings: and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.”

 Our confidence in prayer.

1Jno.3:19-22; 5:13-15
 “And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, then we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”

   “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” 

   Our prayers can be effective when we have that clarity and confidence of God’s attention: To know God’s will according to his purpose; to know he hears when we ask; and to know we have God’s answer.  Without any doubt whatsoever – a confidence without any hint of doubt.

   This requires that we keep his word and obey his commandments. It is not a question of “which ones” to obey, but rather, having a heart abandoned to the world and giving yourself completely to God – submitting to his will and keeping his word.

            Can you pray with any confidence to God?

            Can you ask for the impossible?

LW

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