There is one prayer that will always be answered with a resounding "Yes!" from the throne of God. It's in Luke 11 where Jesus tells about the man who had an unexpected hungry guest show up at midnight and he had no bread to feed him. He goes to his neighbor, bangs on the door, wakes him, asks, "Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him."
The point is, he is NOT saying, "Neighbor, I am hungry this midnight hour; feed me!" Rather, "Give me something I can pass on to someone else who is hungry."
And the dear Lord assures us, "He [God] will rise and give him as many as he needeth" And then to underline the assurance, He adds, "Ask, and it shall be given you," that is, to pass on to others (vss. 5-9).
You end up as a pipe through which some drops of the water of life flow to someone else. That's heaven on earth! And of course you may never SEE the answer to your prayer this side of the new earth, but that's okay. Just praying that prayer is joy enough, and thanking Him in advance. Now you have something to look forward to in heaven beyond your previous selfish desires--looking in the eyes of some now unknown recipient of the blessing you passed on. And you don't have to "preach." Just express love to someone.
You find yourself in a verse in the Bible: "As the scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Me, streams of life-giving water will pour out from his heart'" (John 7:38, Good News Bible). That's pretty good for developing a healthy sense of self-respect (you never forget where the "water" came from!). You discover that you are indeed a true "child of Abraham." One of those seven promises God gave him was, "And thou shalt BE a blessing," not just receive one.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 31, 2002.Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
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