Clear Guidance
by Norman Grubb

We have reached the major problem in the use of prayer and faith in the daily life. How many peo-ple would be only too glad to be sure that their prayers are being answered and to be able to say so. What loads would be off people’s hearts and minds. How infectious would be their joy and con-fidence. How keen their anticipations. Yet this is exactly what John says is to be our normal experi-ence: that we are to have confidence because: "if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us; and if we know that He hear us, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him," no matter what we have asked.

Jesus Himself made a staggering statement to this effect. He said that a praying person should be like someone who is so determined to get what he wants that he sets his teeth and makes a proper nuisance of himself till he gets it: wakes up his neighbour at midnight; disregards the warning that his knocking will wake the children; knocks even louder when he hears this, because he knows that it will bring his unwilling neighbour downstairs in double-quick time to stop the racket; and finally gets, not just three loaves, but all he wanted to take, from doubtless a very exasperated donor. Not, indeed, Jesus comments, because he was his friend, but because of his sheer "cheek" (the word used literally means "shamelessness"). And if an unwilling friend can thus be forced to be generous, what about a willing Father? Surely Christ exhorts, not to caution and hesitation, but to great boldness in prayer, yet coupled with great humility.

-From The Law of Faith