God’s Spam Folder

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15 NIV

Waiting for an answer from someone could lead to impatience if you do not know that person well. If there is a delay, you may begin questioning yourself if the one you’re waiting for an answer ever got your request. Did my email or text go through? Was I clear to my intentions for the request? Perhaps they sent me a response and I missed it, or it went in my spam folder. When it’s not in my spam folder and haven’t received an answer in a reasonable amount of time, I convince myself that my request was never received, or they would have answered. But then in a day or two I receive the answer. I created those impatient moments on my own for no good reason, but even more concerning is when I create impatient moments when I make my requests known to God.

We never need to worry if God hears our requests in our prayers. He does. The apostle John tells us we can have the confidence that He hears us, but he adds this, “that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” (1Jn.5:14b niv) According to His will is not always something we like to hear. It would be better, so we think, if it was according to our will, that’s why we’re asking. But the Lord knows what is best for us and will only do what is best for us. If we haven’t received the answer we want from the Lord, perhaps the request went into His spam folder, oh He knows it’s there, but it’s not according to His will.

Be assured that God hears and will answer every request in every prayer to Him according to His will and in His timing. We need not worry if it is directed to His spam folder. God will delete them and will not grant you what is not His will for you. But know this, “if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” (1Jn.5:15 niv) We always have God’s best for us and that includes deleting the spam mail we send them.