In Mark 11:24, Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” It’s a powerful promise, yet many of us, despite praying earnestly in Jesus' name, don’t always receive what we ask for. This can make such verses seem puzzling. How do we understand this promise when our experiences sometimes seem contrary?
We might pray for a job and face rejection, hope for a partner and find ourselves still waiting, or ask for safety and health only to encounter pain and loss. When our reality doesn’t align with our prayers, we might question God: “Why?” or even doubt that He is listening.
Pastor Charles Spurgeon wisely pointed out, “If God did not mean to hear us, He would not bid us to pray.” In a challenging period of my life, I asked God why I was going through such trials. The response I received was simply, “Be still. I am with you."
It wasn’t until later that I understood this response through Isaiah 41:10, which says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” This verse taught me that knowing who God is means we don’t always need to understand why things happen. His character and sovereignty provide a peace beyond understanding. Additionally, the more we draw closer to Christ, the more our desires align with His will, and thus, the more our prayers align with His promises.
Jesus assured us in John 6:37, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never cast out.” Similarly, in John 10:28, He said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” Romans 10:9 adds, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” The essence of these promises is that when we seek Christ with sincere hearts, we will receive Him. And truly, what greater desire could there be than to follow Jesus?
When Christ is our ultimate desire, we can trust that this desire will be fulfilled. Our pursuit of Him transforms our wants to align with what He has promised. This isn’t about those who may appear to have faith but then fall away. It’s about the biblical understanding of a believer as one who finds joy, hope, and peace in Christ, even if those feelings aren’t constant. The Bible assures us that in Christ, we find our ultimate joy and peace.
C.S. Lewis said, “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.” When our focus is on Christ, we start to view our circumstances differently, seeing purpose in each rejection, trial, and blessing. Even if we don’t fully understand, when Christ is our greatest desire, we can appreciate how every prayer is ultimately a plea for Jesus.
In moments of rejection, we can pray, “Thank You, God, for guiding me away from this path.” While waiting for a spouse, we might pray, “Lord, use this time to prepare me for my future partner and remind me that You are my greatest love.” In times of tragedy, we could ask, “Father, grant me peace and draw me closer to You through this suffering.” When our deepest desire is Christ, every circumstance becomes an opportunity to seek and honor Him.
Eternity with Christ outweighs all earthly losses. A quote I once read said that, even if we die with unanswered questions, when we are united with Christ, we’ll no longer need those answers. The same goes for our requests. As we reach the end of our earthly journey and see Jesus face to face, we’ll understand that He is all we truly need.
An anonymous Puritan prayer captures this sentiment: “Teach me to pray. Let Thy Spirit help my infirmities, for I know not what to pray for as I ought. Let Him produce in me wise desires by which I may ask right things … May I never be importunate for temporal blessings, but always refer them to Thy fatherly goodness, for Thou knowest what I need before I ask; May I never think I prosper unless my soul prospers, or that I am rich unless rich toward Thee, or that I am wise unless wise unto salvation. May I seek first Thy kingdom and its righteousness.”
“May I value things in relation to eternity: May my spiritual welfare be my chief solicitude. May I be poor, afflicted, despised and have Thy blessing, rather than be successful in enterprise, or have more than my heart can wish, or be admired by my fellow men if thereby these things make me forget Thee. May I regard the world as dreams, lies, vanities, vexation of spirit, and desire to depart from it. And may I seek my happiness in Thy favor, image, presence, service.”
May this be the prayer of every believer: that our lives be lived first and foremost for Christ.