True story……Two lawyers enter a courtroom to present their pleas to the judge concerning rights to a lake. One, a young attorney, represents the county that uses the lake as a water supply for its citizens and wants to take more due to the current drought. The older, more experienced lawyer represents landowners who live around the lake and want to preserve it for its beautiful views.
The older lawyer goes first, describing the landowners as good neighbors and law abiding citizens who have paid their taxes, voted in elections, raised proper families, and built grand, expensive houses along the shore of this beautiful lake. The lawyer concludes, They deserve, no, your Honor, they have the right to their lake, to keep it as it is, and we ask the court to stop the county from taking more water.
The young lawyer, with the Legal Code in hand, approaches the judge. Your Honor, they claim this is “their” lake, but the county prepared the land, built the dam, and channeled the stream for a reservoir to provide water for all its citizens. Yet these few chose to build docks, swim, fish, and boat in the lake as they pleased. Your Honor, we ask that you enable us to use the lake as it was intended…to help others.
The court then issues its ruling. No doubt that if more water is taken from the lake, the landowners will suffer immediate harm. However, the lake is a reservoir built and owned by the county and the landowners use of the lake has been improper. The Code is clear that the owner can use the water for its intended purpose. He looks to the older lawyer. You have asked me for something I cannot grant.
This story came to mind recently as I was going through the prayer requests we received. Many come in each day, asking for all kinds of things, all serious, all moving. As I read each heartfelt plea, I couldn’t help but wonder how often we are in the same situation as those two lawyers. We feel we’re in the right and have something we want someone to do for us. There’s a lot here about us, God and prayer.
We must have respect for and faith in the power of God. The lawyers called the judge “Your Honor” and knew he had authority in his court. Jesus said before we ask, we must acknowledge the holiness of God. (Matthew 6:9) And how often He has also said, If you have faith and do not doubt… (Matthew 21:21) But the faith is not in the moving of the mountain. It is in the One who can move it. (Mark 11:22-23.)
We must ask and believe that God hears. The lawyers asked for help, not to impress others, but because they knew the judge would listen. Jesus said the purpose of our prayers is not to put on a public show or to ramble with meaningless words. (Matthew 6:5-7) We know that God hears us (1 John 5:14), but we cannot receive if we fail to ask. Silence often comes from fearing the answer (Luke 9:43-45), lack of understanding (Mark 9:30-32), arrogance (Luke 20:27-40), or wrong motives (Matthew 22:41-46).
We must be prepared. How? By studying Scripture (Matthew 22:29) and having wisdom (James 1:5), hearing the words of Jesus and putting them into practice (Matthew 7:24), not listening to false teachers (Matthew 7:15) but drawing near to God (James 4:8)), being humble (James 4:10) and loving each other (John 15:16-17), and looking always to God (Psalms 105:4) and doing what pleases Him (1 John 3:22).
We must understand what prayer is all about. Prayer has never been intended to serve as the fulfillment of some glorified wish list…regardless of our best intentions. Prayer has only one function…to bring glory to God. That’s it. That is why we are called to follow Jesus’ example to seek His will, not our own. It is through His will that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us (Romans 8:27). And if God’s will is good and pleasing and perfect as Paul wrote (Romans 12:2), why we should want anything less?
When the lawyers walked into that courtroom, they wanted their own will to be done and hoped the judge would agree. We often do the same thing when we go before God. But when we don’t seek and ask for His will, our prayers fail. Like that judge said to the older lawyer, we are asking for something He cannot give us. He cannot give what is contrary to His will.
Ah, but when we are prepared…when we come before Him with humility, following His commands and acknowledging He is Almighty God, our Heavenly Father…when we seek His good and pleasing and perfect Will, then we can have confidence in trusting Him completely to fulfill His promise to each of us. If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him. (1 John 5:14-15).
Take care and be God’s,
Chuck Graham
A registered trademark of Ciloa, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. A Note of Encouragement is a copyright interest held by Ciloa, Inc.
Ciloa is funded entirely by the donations of those seeking to share God’s encouragement with the world.