Selfish prayers

There are very diverse teachings around about prayer, and all are taught as if they are "The Gospel." We hear it taught that: if you say your prayers according to a certain formula, attach "the Name of Jesus" to the end, have "enough faith," pray pertinent Bible verses, pray "according to the will of God, etc., etc., ad infinitum, then God will answer your prayer. Others then qualify that with, "He can answer, 'yes, no, or, later.'"

I admit readily that I do not know it all, either in this area or any other. I do know that God looks on me as His child and, He, as my Father, will continue to teach me and answer my prayers in such a way that I am ultimately blessed and He is glorified. I would just like to take a few minutes and suggest something for you to think on in the area of, "selfish prayers."

Around this time Hezekiah became ill to the point of death. Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amos, came and said to him, "Here is what Jehovah says: 'Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not live.'" Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed to Jehovah: "I plead with you, Jehovah, remember how I have lived before you truly and wholeheartedly, and how I have done what You see as good." And he cried bitter tears. (the context shows he prayed this because he didn't want to die at that time; he wanted to stay on earth)

If you continue on and read the rest of chapter 38, plus chapter 39; you see that this good king had a love of the easy life. Because of what he did, as recorded in chapter 39 (which was after the point he would have been dead according to God's statement); God told him some very bad things were going to happen to Israel. God was going to bring terrible things on the land through the Babylonians, and; Hezekiah's own descendants were going to be carried off and suffer. After being told of these terrible things,chapter 39, verse 8 says: "Hezekiah said to Isaiah, 'The word of Jehovah which you have just told me is good;' because he thought, 'At least peace and truth will continue during my lifetime.'" It didn't bother him that these terrible things were going to come on his people and his family.

If you read through the Word, you encounter something interesting that results from Hezekiah's prayer for his life to be extended beyond what God had said. It involves putting some different passages together and doing a little arithmatic. The Bible records many good things that Hezekiah did in the Name of the LORD during his lifetime. The problem lies in the fact that all these good things were undone by his son, Manasseh, who took the throne at the age of 12, upon Hezekiah's death. Remember that Hezekiah's prayer for healing got him 15 more years of life. If Hezekiah did not love life here, so much that he didn't want to leave it, he would have gone on to Heaven 3 years before Manasseh was born. All the good and godly things he did would not have been torn down. All the terrible judgements God pronounced upon his people would not have come down, like-- "Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols; Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalam and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle............and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies." a few verses later we read that-- "Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD." (also see Jeremiah 15)

Some of you may disagree with what I have brought up. I told you at the first that I'm not the authority on prayer, but, He Who is, prayed His personal prayer request, and then finished it with; "Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine, be done." (Luke 22:42) In 1st John 5:14-15 , we're told we know He hears our prayer and we have what we're asking of Him, but it says that is true when we ask according to His will ( Greek- kata, literally- "down," or, under, ie: dominated by, or subservient to His will, meaning, in my words, "Father, I know I'm your child, and you're my loving Daddy. I'm asking this, but; if my fleshly will has crept in, then don't do it as I am asking, but answer it as your will dictates. For, as the show title said, my 'Father knows best!'"

We, as believers today, would probably think Hezekiah's prayer was good and proper, but study all these passages and see all the terrible things that resulted from his getting what he asked for. God knows our hearts and loves us even more than we love ourselves. You can trust Him to know and do what is the very best for you. Don't demand and insist on having your own way. A loving Father delights in hearing his child say, in effect; "this is what I'm asking for, but I know you love me and know what is best for me. Give me what you think is best. I trust you." That Father will go beyond what his child has asked. He will pour out in far above the measure his child has asked for.

The last thing I want to mention is a verse that some of you may be thinking of. Matthew 21:22 says, "whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Most teaching this verse stress that believing means, "you have enough 'faith' to believe God for it, so; God has to give it to you." This word translated "believing," is the same word used in connection with our receiving salvation. We know it means to: trust, believe, have faith in, and, upon. Those teachers put the emphasis from this verse on, "you get whatever you ask for." I see the emphasis as being on the believing, trusting, and relying upon God. As I said earlier, God loves you more than you love yourselves. Don't pray selfishly. You might get what you did and what you didn't ask for! Remember Hezekiah.