Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– J.C. Ryle
Jesus our Mediator
If not for Jesus, our Mediator, we’d have no access to God the Father. That’s because outside of Christ, our sins had cut us off from God, separating us from His holiness (Isaiah 59:2), but Jesus ended this separation by giving His life as a ransom for those who would trust in Him (Mark 10:45), so don’t ever think God doesn’t hear us…we’re as good as in heaven when we pray because of Christ.
Hearing our Confession
The Apostle John tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1st John 1:9), so it doesn’t matter what you think or if you feel you can’t be forgiven. The Bible tells us otherwise, so we must believe what Scripture says, not what we think or feel.
Confidence at the Throne
John once again gives us some reassurance about being heard by God and writes about a great confidence he had, and said, “this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us” (1st John 5:14), so we know God hears us and wants us to know that, and so if we ask for anything and it’s according to His will, He not only will hear us but answer us. That’s the confidence we should all have.
God’s Timing
Our ways are not God’s ways and neither is God’s timing our timing. God may seem like He’s taking forever in answering your prayer, but God is never in a hurry…Satan always is. God’s answers don’t come out of a vending machine, but come when God knows it’s best for us, and He always knows what’s best for us, better than we do.
Conclusion
J.C. Ryle probably spoke from experience that God’s timing is not always our timing. We are limited by time, space, and circumstances. God is not limited by anything. He always does what He pleases, when He pleases, so we must trust Him with the answer and trust Him to answer when He knows its best.
