Chapter Nine

Error Eight: God Will Sometimes Replace What We Ask Him For With What He Knows We Truly Need

I am sure that you have heard this before. A person may have prayed for a red Cadillac and but instead received a green Volkswagen and they have said, "God knew what I REALLY needed anyway. He knows what's best for me."

First of all, I would like to say thank God that there are some prayers that He will not answer. There are times that we just wished we were dead and we have said, "Lord, please kill me now!" I have prayed that prayer before and I am so glad that He did not answer it. He knew it was best that I live because He had a purpose for my life.

However, we are not talking about foolish prayers prayed with lack of wisdom. We are talking about prayers that are prayed in line with His promises and His revealed will for our lives. There are some who try to comfort the sick with such statements as, "Yes, you asked God for healing, but in His infinite wisdom He gave you that sickness. He wants to use it to draw you closer to Him."

I do not doubt that God can use any bad situation to draw people closer to Him. There are people who after committing some terrible crime went to prison and then gave their lives to Jesus. In prison they have plenty of time to pray and read their Bibles. Does that mean that it was God's will for them to commit these crimes? Certainly not.

Then we should not assume that God will violate His promises to us because of what we think that He thinks is best. His best for us is what He has promised. If He did not think it was best for all He would not have made the promise available for all to read.

In the case of sickness, God would be violating His Word concerning healing if He gave sickness to His child who sincerely asked for health because "that's what they really needed" (Isa. 53:4-5; Matt. 8:17; 1 Pet. 2:24). God shows us that thing we pray for is the thing that we get:

"Ask, and IT shall be given you....." (Matt. 7:7a)

What is the "it" that shall be given to you? The thing you asked for. If God gives anything other than that then He has already violated His Word. As we read on, Jesus appeals to man's common sense by asking a few simple questions concerning the human parental relationship:

"Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?" (Matt. 7:9-10)

Jesus already knew that if there were any decent father's out in the congregation they would already be saying to themselves, "Of course not! What kind of men does He think we are. We would never do such things to our children. As a matter of fact, we put in jail anyone who does."

Jesus was trying to get their attention as He is trying to get ours. He already knew the answer to these questions. Now He could drive home His point:

"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, HOW MUCH MORE shall your Father which is in heaven give GOOD THINGS to them that ask him." (Matt. 7:11)

Satan has very few original lies. Many of the lies that are being told from the pulpit today were also being taught from the synagogues of Jesus' day. Too many people have a negative view of God. They seem to have this picture of God just waiting for someone to ask Him for something so that He will give them the opposite.

Jesus shows the heart of the Father by comparing it to man's. Man is a creature that is born in sin and has deficiencies in his character. Yet most men take pride in the fact that they love their children and desire to provide the best for them. Many of us take joy in giving our children the things they ask.

Well, if imperfect creatures delight in their children this much, why would we allow ourselves to view our Heavenly Father any other way. In fact, we should believe that God would desire to do even more than any earthly father.

As I have said, man has deficiencies in his character. Many times his love is based on emotion. God's love is based on His holiness. He loves His children in spite of themselves. He will not replace the good things we ask Him for with bad. He only gives good things to those that ask Him. Take notice of the requirement. You have to ask Him. If you do not have, it is because you do not ask (James 4:2).

God has promised that we can have "whatever things" we ask for:

"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive THEM....." (Mark 11:24a)

Believe that ye receive what? Believe that ye receive THEM. What are the "them"? "What things soever ye desire when ye pray" is the them that you must believe that ye receive.

The problem with too many of us is that we pray for certain things and then we believe that God is going to give us something else. That is one of the reasons why we do not receive what we have actually prayed for. Jesus promises us what we will get if we believe that we receive that which we have asked for:

".....and ye shall have THEM." (Mark 11:24b)

What is the "them" ye shall have? The "them" you shall have are first, the things you desired when you prayed, and second, the things that you believe that you receive. You must not only make your requests known to God, but you must believe that you will actually receive the very thing that you have asked Him for.

The Apostle John said it this way:

"And whatsoever things we ask, WE RECEIVE OF HIM, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." (1 John 3:22)

We receive from God the very things that we ask Him for. He says no where in any of these Scriptures that He will replace anything if He feels that it is not good for us at the time. We have come up with every excuse for our lack of faith and our lack of diligence to stand until we actually receive the things we desire from heaven. Even worse we put all the blame on God and excuse ourselves from all responsibility.

God has made it clear in these passages and many others that we could quote if space permitted, that we can receive from Him the very things we ask Him for. He does not substitute anything. On the contrary, He promises NOT to substitute it.

Part of the problem with too many Christians is that we are not specific with God when we pray. We think that we can give God long religious prayers and He will automatically give us what we really want. Jesus warns us against such praying:

"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not therefore like them? For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, BEFORE YE ASK HIM." (Matt. 6:7-8)

The Everyday Bible translates verse 8 this way: "And when you pray, don't be like those people who don't know God. They continue saying things THAT MEAN NOTHING. They think God will hear them because of the many things they say." Much of the praying that some people do is a waste of time. They give meaningless prayer.

God says that He knows what things we need, but He never says, "I already know what you need so don't bother praying. I'll just give it to you." Wrong! He says He knows what things we have need of BEFORE we ask Him. That means that we are still required to ask Him.

But He shows us here that He wants us to be specific with our requests. He does not want us going to Him with vain repetitions, or words that mean absolutely nothing. We must get down to serious business and be real with Him. God is not about playing kid's games.

God does not want us using His "all knowing" ability as an excuse to not be specific with Him in prayer. Jesus gives us an example of what it means to be specific with Him.

In Mark 10:46-52, Jesus and His disciples had went to Jericho. A blind man named Bartimaeus was sitting by the roadside begging. When this blind man heard that Jesus was there, he began crying out to him to have mercy on him. Jesus called Bartimaeus over and asked him a question:

"And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?....." (Mark 10:51a)

Take note that this man was BLIND. Jesus could see this fact. Jesus had the greatest healing ministry that the world has ever seen before or since. So what kind of a question was that to ask Bartimaeus?

Jesus was teaching us an object lesson. Here was a man with an obvious need. Jesus knew what that need was, yet He still asks, "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" He is showing us the truth of Matthew 6:7-8, that though God knows what you need, He still requires you to be specific.

In verse 48, Bartimaeus was asking Jesus to have mercy on him. Jesus was basically wanting Bartimaeus to specifically tell Him in what way He should demonstrate that mercy. Bartimaeus is a lot smarter than most of us. Instead of saying to himself, "Now this man sees that I'm blind. What else would He think that I would want except to see."

This is how most of us would act. Instead, Bartimaeus went for His blessing by following the laws of God for answered prayer:

".....The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way." (Mark 10:51b-52)

The man received EXACTLY what he asked for. He did not receive what Jesus felt the man needed. In verse 46 we see that the man was sitting by the side of the road begging. Jesus could have said, "Well Bart, that blindness you have is good for you. It'll keep you from looking and lusting after women. Instead I'll give you some money to supply your needs."

No! Jesus gave no substitutes for the man's request. He granted him exactly what the man asked for which was sight. But the key is that the man had to be specific in his requests.

God tells us to make our requests KNOWN unto Him:

"Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Phil. 4:6)

This is the law of God. Although He knows what we need, He still requires our expressing these needs to Him. If God requires this then we have no right to try to expect Him to do differently.

Many people still complain that they ask God for things and do not get them or get something different from what they ask. God tells us to be specific. But when we are, we are not to WAVER in our requests:

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and IT shall be given to him." (James 1:5)

What is the "it" that shall be given to him? The wisdom that he asks for. God is saying, "My wisdom is available but in order for you to have it you must ask for it specifically." Perhaps we should ask God for "wisdom" before we ever ask Him for any other thing.

The way Kenneth S. Wuest translates this verse is appropriate for our study:

"And if, as is the case, anyone of you [when undergoing trials] is deficient in wisdom, let him keep on presenting his request in the presence of the giving God who gives to all with simplicity and without reserve [a pure, simple giving of good without admixture of evil or bitterness], and who does not [with the giving of the gift] reproach [the recipient with any manifestation of displeasure or regret], and it shall be given him." (The New Testament: An Expanded Translation)

What God gives will be GOOD. There will be no admixture of evil or bitterness. God will give no substitute for what you specifically ask Him for. But this asking must be done in faith without any wavering:

"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the see driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." (James 1:6-7)

It is not that God does not want to give the man what he is asking for, it is that the man is UNABLE to receive. His wavering is keeping him from receiving what God wants to give him.

Years ago I was in the military and the Lord told me He wanted me to get out and stay in Okinawa. My wife and I were living in base quarters and knew that we would need a place out in the economy. We made specific requests to God for a three bedroom house, with two sinks, a yard, and in a specific location. The rent also had to be certain amount.

We then tried to put action to our faith by going out and looking. Most of what we found was discouraging. If we did find a three bedroom house it was not in the price range we asked for (housing is expensive in Okinawa). No one would come down for us.

If we did find something in our price range it was usually missing one or more of the other elements we desired. One of my friends told me, "Perhaps you should just go ahead and rent what is available." I almost compromised on several occasions but somehow things would not work out and the deal would fall through.

I began to be upset with God and I told Him, "You told me to leave the military, but I need a place to live. Where's the house I asked you for." He then told me, "Son, you have been wavering." I began to see that He was right.

I then agreed with the elders of the church for the very house and job that I wanted. Later that week I came home and told my wife, "We have the house." She asked me, "Where is it?" I told her, "We have it by faith." We both started laughing and praising God.

Sometime after that, a woman came to my Father in law's housing agency needing to rent out her house. My wife took a look at the house and called me. We both went to look at it together and it was everything that we believed God for. We had to pray for the lady to go down on the rent by about $200.00. God moved and she did.

God does not give substitutes. The devil may try to substitute your request and make you think that it was God. Do not accept it. Stand in faith and believe that you receive exactly what you requested.

E-mail: victoryword@yahoo.com

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(c) Copyright 2001 by Troy J. Edwards and Victory through the Word Ministries