“If our hearts do not condemn us, then we can expect with confidence to receive from God what we have been asking from him, because we obey his commandments and we do what pleases him.
He commands us to believe in Jesus Christ, his Son, (so that we may be reconciled with God), and demands that we obey his commandments, especially the one of loving one another”
In the above passage (in 1 John 3: 21-22), the apostle John assures us that our prayers will be answered if we have lived our life in a holy and loving manner…
I personally did apply myself to do just that, to live a holy, loving and righteous life from the very day I was born-again until now.
49 years have passed and yet… my most fervent requests have not been granted to me!
Certainly, I have failed to pass the high standard of loving my brothers and sisters in Christ as much as Jesus loved us, or as much as I love myself!
But I did my best. And I did not see anybody else being more loving than I was. On the contrary…
I honestly think that I managed to be more faithful and Christ-centered than everyone else I know! I know, I sound big-headed, proud, but that is how I honestly feel about myself!
And yet, everyone else is better off in this life than I am!
And I ask myself why!
Why is it that God does not satisfy my essential needs but treats me much like he treated Job?
One explanation that comes to mind is that, like with Job, God wants to prove the accusations of the enemy, Satan, wrong, that all of God’s children are not driven by ulterior, self-centered motives when trying to please their Maker…
Another explanation I find is given in
John 15: 1-2, where Jesus says that the branch of a vine that responds most to the gardener’s pruning efforts, (by improving its yield), will be pruned to an even greater extent than the other branches, so that it may become even more fruitful!
And, being pruned is obviously quite unpleasant and painful…
I understand, therefore, that the blessings that I am praying for will have to wait!
Perhaps next year…
Anyway, these thoughts satisfy and comfort me…at times!
Constantin Economides.