Be in Expectation: Your answer is waiting for you!

I hope you are both encouraged and challenged by this word today… I was, and it has produced a confidence in the Lord, peace, hope, and the expected outcome!

The challenge and encouragement begins with 1 John 5:14,15:

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His

will, He hears us. And if (since) we (positively) know that He listens to us in whatever we

ask, we also know (with settled and absolute knowledge) that we have (granted us as our

present possessions) the requests made of Him.” (Amplified Version)

The first question may be, how do I know that I am praying according to His will? His Word is His will. Secondly, you may ask, but what about things not found in His Word, such as, should I take job A or job B? Since Jesus and the Father are the treasury of all wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3), the prayer is for wisdom to help make the decision; so, you are still praying according to God’s will. There may also be other Scriptures that you rely on for matters like these, that will guide you, such as don’t rely on your own understanding, but acknowledge God, and He will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5,6).

Now pause for a moment and consider what 1 John 5 is saying… you pray according to His will, asking anything; He hears you; therefore, you know with absolute confidence that what you prayed for is your present possession! WOW! But now you may be thinking, I don’t see or experience the answer to what I prayed for, so this must not be right; I must have misunderstood.

When you pray in this way, you are praying by faith. “Faith perceives as real fact what is not yet revealed to the senses” (Amplified: Hebrews 11:1). Praying by faith means that you are hoping for something based on what God has revealed to you by His Word; His Word being proof of what you are hoping for, but what you are not yet experiencing in this natural world.

Therefore, when you pray, according to 1 John 5, at that moment God has heard you, and He has granted this to you as your present possession, that which you prayed for. Human reason for hope regarding your prayer request may be gone, but you hope based on what God said; what He said is your present reality (Romans 4:18). There should be no wavering if you have based your hope on His Word. What God says is true. He is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19). Once He has blessed it cannot be reversed (Numbers 23:20-22). Every word that He has spoken, He is watching over it to perform; His Word is not empty and it won’t return to Him void without fulfilling its promise (Isaiah 55:11). No matter how things present themselves in the natural, the Word of God never changes! Romans 4:21 describes it well according to how Abraham tackled persistent problems or obstacles, despite what God told him: Abraham was “fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His Word and to do what He had promised.” Then, because you are fully assured based on God’s Word, your response is to give praise to God. This is not based on natural evidence of answered prayer, but based upon His Word, upon that which you hope for and are firmly planted. Essentially, you are not moved by what you see or experience, you are moved only by what God has said. And like Abraham, you will be strong and empowered by faith as you praise and give glory to God (Romans 4:20).

When you pray according to 1 John 5, and your prayer is answered, the Father is glorified. He gets the credit! Answered prayer honors Him; it brings attention to Him.

“And if you ask anything in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:13,14).

When you pray in this manor, you are agreeing with the Lord. You are agreeing with what He says. You are demonstrating your confidence in Him. This is what honors Him! You don’t evaluate your current circumstances by the persistence of what seems unchanged. Instead, you are evaluating your situation by the Word of God. This confidence gives you peace. You have assurance in the Father and His love for you. The compassion that Jesus showed to many, which is a demonstration of the Father’s heart toward you, is experienced. Scripture informs you of this compassion:

· Moved with compassion Jesus restored the life of the son of a grieving widow (Luke 7:11-15).

· Moved with compassion Jesus healed the great multitude (Matthew 14:14).

· Moved with compassion Jesus touched the eyes of the blind and they received their sight (Matthew 20:34).

· Moved with compassion Jesus touched the leper and he was healed; Jesus was willing to cleanse (Mark 1:41).

Jesus is moved with the same compassion toward you!

The Lord is for you; He is not against you (Romans 8:31). It is His joy to answer your prayer! His favor toward you is like a shield about you (Psalm 5:12). He perfects that which concerns you (Psalm 138:8). God is faithful and will do what He says (1 Thessalonians 5:24). His answer to you comes speedily without delay (Luke 18:7,8). His Word is rock-solid evidence of what you hope for!

You must remain steadfast on what God has said. There is great reward if you do! It is steadfast patience and endurance that is required, so that “you may perform and fully accomplish His will and thus receive, and enjoy to the full, what He has promised” (Hebrews 10:35,36). Desire to be “invigorated and strengthened with all His power, according to the might of His glory, so that you may exercise endurance and patience with joy” (Colossians 1:11).

Remember, the carnal mind, your natural way of thinking without dependence on God’s Word, is enmity against God (Romans 8:7). The carnal mind judges according to what the senses observe. Unless the mind is renewed by His Word, it evaluates only by natural circumstances (Romans 12:2). Leaning to your own understanding will cause you to be frustrated, doubtful and miss the blessing. Instead, acknowledge Him and He will open the eyes of your understanding to His truth, and He will direct you (Proverbs 3:5,6).

So, what will you consider when you pray? What will you focus upon? Believe what God says and you will see the glory of God (John 11:40; Mark 5:36; Luke 1:45); you will see an answer to your prayer manifested!