It is the promise of our Lord that whatever we ask in the name of Jesus will be granted to us. Jesus has added that if we are not getting our petitions granted its reason is that we are not asking the right way.
Hannah ‘asked Samuel of the Lord’ (1 Sam 1:20). Samuel became a blessing not only to Hannah and Elkanah, but to the whole of Israel. ‘Samuel was beloved by his Lord; a prophet of the Lord, he established the kingdom and anointed rulers over his people. By the law of the Lord he judged the congregation……………Even after he had fallen asleep, the prophesied…..’ (Sir 46:13-20).
But the Lord who heard the petitions of Hannah for a child did not respond when David prayed for the life of his child. Though he fasted, and went in and lay all night on the ground, and pleaded with God for the child (2 Sam 12:16) he couldn’t save the child.
Job never prayed for himself. He knew that praying for others is much pleasing to God and he did it. Long before Jesus advised us to strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness so that other necessary things will follow in our life (Mt 6:33) Job found its fulfillment in his life.
We should also remember Hezekiah, who pleaded with God for an extended term on earth. ‘I shall not see the Lord in the land of the living; I shall look upon mortals no more among the inhabitants of the world. My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent; like a weaver I have rolled up my life; he cuts me off from the loom; from day to night you bring me to an end’ (Isa. 38:11-12). These poignant words came from the heart of a righteous man (Sir 49:4) who humbled himself before God. As written, the prayers of the humble pierced the clouds (Sir 35:21) and the life of Hezekiah was extended for another fifteen years, as against God’s own warning through prophet Isaiah that he would die soon.
It was Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son who succeeded him in the throne. Manasse was twelve years old when he inherited the kingdom. It means he was born during the extended life of Hezekiah. The things that Manasseh did were just the opposite of what his father did. He led the people to idolatry, sin, heinous practices, and abominable rituals. He was responsible for desecrating the temple too (2 Kings 21:2-16, 2 Chr 33:2-7). Manasseh was the king who ruled the country for fifty five years, a record for all kings of the Israelites.
Manasseh’s sins were the major reason for the Israelites going into Babylonian captivity. In spite of repeated warnings through prophets, neither the king nor the people cared to mend their ways. The books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel repeat the warning about the dark days in store for the chosen people, who had by then practically abandoned the true God. And the reason? A son born to Hezekiah during those fifteen years that he pleaded and earned from God!
We should be very very careful while asking God something. When God says;’ This is the way; walk in it’ (Isa 30:21) we should have a heart ready to accept it. True wisdom is not asking anything beyond what God has prepared for us in his original plan. Not that we will not get our prayers granted, but often it will be harmful to us in the long run.
If we pester God with prayers for wealth, He may grant it, but that wealth could be our undoing. If we pray for leaving the current place expecting better fortunes, we may get it, but it could destroy our spiritual life. Prayer for a good job, promotion, a good house etc may be heard, but often they turn out to be the reason for our ultimate fall. Pray, and God may give us the life partner of our choice rather than the one whom God has made for us. Ultimately our selection could be our failure. There is nothing wrong in praying for our children to reach the heights of education, profession and wealth. But they could also be the source of our sorrow in our twilight years.
Instead of praying for the things of our liking, it is prudent to pray for the grace to ask the things that God has in his plan for us.
