Do you ever wonder how prayer works? If we're being honest there, it can be confusing because there are scriptures where it makes it seem like God is going to give us what we asked for. Then we know from our life experience, that this certainly not the case. So as we're looking at the events of the world and as we are praying for our city, our nation, and the world and for ourselves and our families, I want you to think about something.
Tim Keller, a pastor and an author, once said:
“God will either give us what we ask or give us what we would have asked if we knew everything he knows.”
So what I want you to do for just a second is I want you to look around, where are you? Are you in the bathroom getting ready? Are you in your car? In the space that you're in, imagine that space contains all the knowledge there is to know; every ounce of knowledge is in the space where you are. Now, imagine that the head of a pen is the size of all the knowledge that you'll ever have. Knowing that in your space, God has all the knowledge there is to know and all the knowledge you and I will ever have fits on the head of that pen, what are you going to ask for? Who are you going to trust? You're not going to trust yourself because there's so much more to see.
One of the things that we get to rest in is God's sovereignty. He knows all the knowledge because he possesses it all. He has all the wisdom and He sees everything there is to see: past, present, and future. You and I can see exactly what's in front of us and even our memories can get a bit foggy, but God sees it all. He takes everything into account and He always does what is best for you. So if God works all things for our good and good means becoming more like Christ, we can know that not only is everything going to be okay, but someday we'll see that everything is going to be worth it because if we knew what God knows, we would ask for exactly what he gives.