“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”—John 14:13

John 14:13 shouldn’t be interpreted as God being a genie in a magic bottle. When we pray and ask in the name of Jesus, it doesn’t mean God is going to answer every prayer as we want. He will say, No to anything that does not align with His will or won’t glorify Him. However, what a blessing it is to be the recipient of His unexpected favor in our lives.

I had a situation occur a few weeks ago. I flew to Chicago to attend my 86-year-old aunt’s memorial service. It was a quick trip. I flew in on a Wednesday and had a flight out the following afternoon. My 1:20 pm flight got delayed a few times. No big deal…I brought plenty of knitting to keep me occupied. 

The next thing you know, a notification goes from 3:45 departure time to 9:45. People around me are in a panic. Because I am knitting, I am calm and not getting all worked up about it. The husband of a couple I had been sitting next to advised me to get in line to get on stand-by because it looked like our flight was going to be canceled. 

I get in line behind about 30 people. I am hearing the agent trying to get them on connecting flights to other cities in Texas that will eventually get them back to Dallas. Others are being offered hotels rooms to stay the night. Fortunately, my husband is a frequent business traveler, and while I was in line, he got a hold of an agent who was able to get me booked and confirmed on a 8:50 flight that evening. When we asked the agent about putting me on the stand-by list, he told us, there are 32 people on that list. My husband’s response; You don’t have a chance. You don’t have priority. Get your boarding pass for your flight and get something to eat.

I handed the ticket agent my old ticket to get my new boarding pass. I asked her if she thought I should put my name on the stand-by list for the 5:00 flight (at this point it is 4:30). She said, sure, you never know. She also gave me a food voucher but wasn’t sure I had enough time to get something and listen for my name if I was able to get on the flight. I was a bit surprised by her sense of urgency since I had gotten the impression it was a long shot for me.

As I am walking to the gate, I am praying, Lord, if it is Your will for me to get on this flight, I am asking for your favor. I walk up to the gate and see the couple that encouraged me to change my flight. They were #6 and #7 on the list. They also were put on that list at least an hour before me. By this time there are over 60 names for stand-by. My initial thought is, Pat is right. I don’t have a chance. But, then I see my name flash on the screen and I am number 4! 

I call my husband and said, I think I might get on the next flight out. I am number 4 on the stand-by list. He was shocked and said the guy that booked my flight must have done something. My response was, no, he wouldn’t even put me on the stand-by list. I think the woman who printed my boarding pass must have done something because she is the one that encouraged me to get to the gate quickly.  And let’s not forget, even though  I was told something was pretty much impossible, I had faith that if it was God’s will for me to be on that flight, He would give me favor. 

Do I need to tell you whose name was called to board that flight? Yes! I got on that flight and was home by 9:30 not 11:30 pm. God is so good. I kept thanking and am still thanking Him for answered prayer. I did nothing to receive God’s favor in this situation. Yet in His grace and mercy, He answered my small request. Now, as a result, I am able to give Him all of the glory. 

If what I am praying aligns with His will, He will intercede on my behalf. We can ask and trust Him to do what is best. God doesn’t need my advice. He needs my faith. It is not our job to figure out what is best for us when we pray. God knows and will answer accordingly. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”—1 John 5:14

Father God, 

 Forgive me when I doubt Your Word. Scripture tells me that I should approach You with full confidence knowing if what I am asking aligns with Your will, You hear me. Give me boldness to share my faith so that You may be glorified. I thank You for Your grace and mercy that You freely give to me. I praise You for answering both small and big prayers. I lift those up to You that are struggling with unanswered prayers. If what they are praying does not align with Your will, I ask that You reveal it to them. It is in Your Precious Son, Jesus’ name that I pray these things. Amen.

October Memory Verse:

Will you join me and not only imprinting Mark 16:15 on your heart but also living it out in your community?

“Go into the world and preach the Good News to everyone.”—Mark 16:15 (NLT)

If you are knitting or crocheting gifts to give away, please make sure you tweet @KnitPrayShare or share your projects on the Knit, Pray, Share Facebook page or Instagram using the hashtag #KnitPrayShare. Be sure to attach a tag to whatever gift you make.