Great Answers From A Great God

Great Answers From A Great God

But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.

Genesis 33:4

Jacob’s anguished prayer accomplished more than he dared to ask. He hadn’t expected so much comfort from God or from his brother. All he had asked for was that his brother would leave him and his family unharmed. He never thought he would receive so much kindness from his brother. Esau even ran to meet Jacob. With tears streaming from his eyes, he hugged and kissed him.

We should pray with confidence, knowing that God will answer our requests without delay. It’s impossible for sincere, persistent prayer to remain unheard. But because we don’t believe, we aren’t persistent enough and don’t experience God’s goodness and help. So we must become more enthusiastic about faith and prayer, knowing that God is pleased when we persevere. In fact, God ordered us to be persistent in prayer: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).

Our prayers are answered much differently—actually, more generously—than we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Paul says, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit” (Romans 8:26–27).

We always ask for less than we should and don’t even think God is willing to give us what we ask for. We don’t ask the right way. We don’t understand that what we pray about is more important than we can comprehend. We think small, but the Lord is great and powerful. He expects us to ask for great things. He wants to give them to us to demonstrate his almighty power.