Pastor Tim Keller calls it the “Prayer Paradox.” Jesus seems to offer a blank check in John 14:14. Ask anything in My name, and I will do it. Yet we also read that there is a limit to what God will do in response to our prayers…“If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14). Which is it? Can we expect answered prayer, or are we at the mercy of His whims?
Herein lies the paradox. Both are true. If you have only the first statement, then you don’t have the God of the Bible. You have Aladdin’s Genie, a being with incredible power but no wisdom to guide its use. If you have only the second statement, then you don’t have the God of the Bible. You have the Greek’s Zeus, a being who is as fickle as he is powerful. The Bible affirms both truths about prayer and in so doing reveals the nature of the One to whom we pray.
God is powerful, wise…and good. It is not enough that God be powerful enough to answer our prayers or wise enough to direct all facets of the universe. For God to be the God described in the Bible, then He must also be good, utilizing His power and wisdom for the best outcome for all of this creation. Like a wise and loving parent, God sometimes answers prayer with a simple, “no.” Even His “no” is an opportunity to know Him more deeply. Especially His “no” is an opportunity to know Him more deeply.
Want proof? Don’t look to me. Look to the “no” He gave Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. “Take this cup away from Me…” (Luke 22:42). Why did the Father say, “no” to His Son? He knew the greater good that would come to His Son through obedient, faith-filled suffering.
How should we pray in light of the “Prayer Paradox”? Try this out…“Father, here is my prayer…but give me what I would have asked for if I knew all that You know.” Or just follow Jesus’ example, “…not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).
Think These Things 