We have this confidence in him
that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 Jn 5:14)
Being heard is a very important thing for us.
When we are very young, we do everything possible to make sure that our parents are hearing us. If children think that they are not being heard, their behavior (and volume) escalates considerably — even to the point of tantrums.
We often wonder if God hears us as well.
Some people do anything to try to “get God’s attention”. They rattle prayer after prayer, novena after novena, rosary after rosary. They light candle after candle. They do everything to assure themselves that they are “being heard”. Of course, they often equate being heard with getting what they wanted. If they didn’t get what they were praying for, they pray that much more fervently thinking that God had not heard them.
“We have this confidence in him that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”
“According to his will.”
Ah, therein lies the rub.
When we pray, we often want God to do things according to our will.
We forget that it is not about us, it is about Him.
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, one of the first things they were to say was “thy kingdom come, thy will be done.” No, we did not mistranslate. It is not supposed to be “my kingdom come, my will be done.” It is supposed to be “thy”.
That might be important for us to remember today.
Do we feel we are being heard? If not, maybe we are not asking according to His will.
FAITH ACTION: Pray the Our Father today, slowly, reverently, reflectively. Think about the words and really mean it when you ask for His will to be done, not your own.