Ask: How to Get What You Pray For

February 1, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“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

Do you ever wonder if praying is worthwhile? Do you question if God hears you? I get it! It’s not unusual for believers to question. We wonder why it seems like our prayers aren’t being answered. We wonder if God is listening, or if He is ignoring our prayers. It’s okay to be honest about your questions. Honesty is the place to begin to move forward.

I often hear those questions in my mind, but I have decided not to pay much attention. I have been through the struggling but have come to the conclusion that I can trust God’s character and His word. If I believe He is good, then I can trust Him to answer in His way and His time. If I believe His word is true, then He has given you and me a guideline for how to pray and get what we pray for. Here it is:

“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

If I ask Him for what He already wants I can be confident He will do it. The key to knowing what He wants is to focus on Him rather than what I want. Then prayer becomes about relationship rather than a transaction.

Ask - The first way to get what you pray for is to pray! How many times do we forget to pray first? Approach every endeavor with prayer. Approach God and include Him.

One of the worst legacies Benjamin Franklin left behind is a quote that has been attributed to him: “God helps those who help themselves.” While there is the truth that God wants us to act on His promises, Franklin’s statement puts God in the passenger seat. This idea influenced how I approached life. I felt like — maybe I still feel— like I need to do everything I can do before I ask God for help. Before I include God.

I’ve learned this is not our Father’s heart. He wants to be involved every step of the way, from idea to completion. He wants to walk alongside you and me like a parent alongside the child riding a two-wheeler for the first time. The parent helps them get started. There is effort on both sides until the child is riding on their own. But that is where the analogy breaks down. Our Heavenly Father stays right alongside us, empowering us and guiding us as we ride.

Anything - You won’t get 100% of the things you don’t ask for. Don’t be afraid to approach God with your requests. He wants to hear from you! I don’t know about you, but that idea of God helping those who help themselves has made me believe that I take care of the small stuff and don’t bother God until I can’t do it myself. Not true!

From the smallest detail to the largest project, He wants us to ask. He wants to be involved in every area of our lives. My life is His. That means all of it. Praying about anything and everything is part of the way I surrender to Him. It is acknowledging that I am His and don’t want to function independently. He cares about all of it! And it’s all His.

According to His will – This is the key. If you ask according to His will, you can be sure that you will receive it. But how do you know His will?

The key to knowing His will is to make knowing Him the priority rather than knowing what He wants you to do. Then you will learn His character and His heart. Those aspects of your relationship with Him will guide you to His will. Knowing His character and His Word is the key to knowing His will.

Dear Friend, He hears your prayers. He understands you and your heart. Do you understand His? If you want to get what you pray for make sure that you are asking God and including Him in the process. Remember you can include Him in anything and everything by bringing it to Him in prayer. But above all, seek Him and His will. When you pray according to that you can be confident that He hears you and you will receive what you ask for.

Key Question: How can get what I ask God for in prayer?

A Scripture to Consider: “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

A YES Challenge: Set aside a half hour to ask yourself some hard questions about your prayer life. Do you ask God first? Are there things you don’t bring to God? What do you believe about His character and His word? What do you want to improve based on your conclusions?

Prayer: Father God, You know me and You understand me. Thank You for Your patience! Forgive me for bringing my will to You in prayer rather than seeking Your will first. Help me to recognize where I am leaving You out of the process and trying to do things on my own. I want to include You. I want to know You better so that I can pray according to Your will. Father, let Your will be done in me and through me. Amen.

What if God Really Does Love You?

December 28, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” 1 John 4:16 NLT

The most amazing and hard-to-believe aspect of the God story is that this amazing King of the universe loves humanity. He loves all of humanity. But, even more amazing. He loves us as individuals. He loves you and He loves me. It’s a concept I am still struggling to apply to my life. What about you? How deeply have you contemplated His love for you?

God loves you because of who He is. The first letter of John declares that God IS love. He loves because it is His character to love. That can be difficult to remember when reading some of the judgements in the Old Testament! Remembering that God’s character is love raises the question of why hard things happen. “If God really is love, why did He allow this to happen to me?”

The questions don’t negate the truth. God is love. Yet, He allows tragedy and difficult consequences. He doesn’t fix everything in our broken world. Sometimes life is confusing. But when I remember that God is love and that He loves me, I can focus on that love and let the questions rest. Relying on and trusting in His love brings peace. I may not understand, but I can choose to let go when I believe God loves me.

God loves you regardless of what you do. God doesn’t reject people who make mistakes. He doesn’t write you off when you mess up. His loves doesn’t change based on your behavior. That scolding voice you hear in your head is NOT God. It may be the memory of a scolding adult in your childhood, but it is not Your Heavenly Father.

When you and I make foolish and selfish choices, God does not dismiss us in disappointment. He doesn’t reject you because of your imperfections. He reaches out to lift you up and help you make the corrections or to help you walk through the consequences. He loves you and I enough to help us learn from our mistakes.

I have realized that making a mistake is one of my greatest fears. Some of that was born into me. My mother has told me she heard me practicing words in my crib before I said them in public. I have an in-born desire for excellence. But there is a line between aiming for excellence and avoiding mistakes at all costs. I’ve realized a mistaken belief that a mistake meant I should be rejected. Becoming aware of that has brought freedom.

Perhaps people may reject me if I mess up, but God never will. I still need to fight the wrong thinking, but it doesn’t control me anymore. If any of that resonates with you, I hope awareness brings you freedom.

God loves you right now. You don’t have to earn it. Knowing that and living it out are two different things.

A Christmas Blessing for 2024

December 24, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

Dear Friends,

A Christmas blessing for you! Enjoy this holiday season and keep Jesus at the center.

With love,

Cathleen

How to Have Joy Even If

December 21, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11 NIV
“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence…” Psalms 16:11 NIV

Joy is the theme of Advent Week Three. Joy has also been my word for the year 2024. You will hear more about it in a future post, but around October or November, I begin to pray about a theme word for the coming year. I was and am certain that Joy is the word that was meant to be my 2024 theme. But to be honest, I am still trying to discern why. Would you mind processing with me?

Here are a few of my notes from last year as I looked forward to 2024:

JOY - Joy is about HOPE fulfilled. Joy is in the hoping, but complete joy comes as the hope is fulfilled. Joy is a choice based on hope. JOY releases control and obeys with hope. JOY comes from hopeful obedience. JOY is the natural result of hope.

From Christianity.com: “Biblical joy is choosing to respond to external circumstances with inner contentment and satisfaction, because we know that God will use these experiences to accomplish His work in and through our lives.” Joy is a choice, but God gives us the ability to choose it.

From a YouVersion Daily Refresh: “To rejoice is a declaration of trust.”

My conclusion note: Joy is an emotion of happiness that begins with a choice to trust in God’s promises. It is the natural result of hope. Trust is the key to joy

So, what is my takeaway from a year of contemplating joy?

Joy begins with a choice. In our emotion-driven culture, people tend to let their feelings guide them rather than make choices that guide their feelings. The emotion of joy starts with a choice to remain in God’s presence, to make Him the center of life.

There have been many unanticipated changes in my life over the years. Changes that I didn’t want and that caught me off-guard. I have had to learn to take an “even if” perspective and that has led to joy. What is an “even if” perspective?

Do You Want Perfection or Peace?

December 14, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.” Isaiah 26:3-4 NLT

Do you feel like the holiday season is a giant tornado of responsibility, expectations and activity? I used to feel that way. I will be honest. One reason that has changed is that we celebrate Christmas with our adult children on the day after Thanksgiving. But that isn’t the full reason.

I remember feeling overwhelmed and like I was missing the point of the season. In His great love, God helped me understand that what needed to change was not the activity, but my perspective. He helped me shift the way I think about the season and that has led me to peace. The busy seasonal activities haven’t changed much, but I have learned to be at peace as the tornado swirls around me.

Could you use some of that? Here’s what I’ve learned.

Peace comes from an eternal perspective. An eternal perspective is simply remembering that this life is not the goal. A perfect Christmas is not the goal. The goal for a believer is a life that honors God. The goal is to experience heaven and that starts now. Heaven is where God is present. His presence consumes every space in heaven.

An eternal perspective here and now invites God to consume every space in my life. Isn’t that the biggest challenge of our earthly lives?

How to Stay Anchored in Hope

December 7, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NIV

What does hope mean to you? For me, it means expecting God to move. I have hope because, regardless of what I see happening, I know God is in control. I believe God is God and will act accordingly. Sometimes I don’t get to see the good outcome, but I believe it will happen all the same. Those aren’t just words to me. It’s something I have learned to live and that helps me stay anchored in hope.

Are there times when you wander from hope? What brings you back?

Here are a few things to consider that help me remain connected to hope.

God’s promises help me stay anchored in hope. “This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” Hebrews 6:19 NLT

The promises of God are a lifeline that keep me connected to Him. When I stay connected to Him, I stay connected to hope.

There are times when I feel like I have to figure everything out. I feel responsible for solving the problem in front of me or helping someone I care about by giving them an answer to their dilemma.

What Are You Thinking?

November 9, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 NLT

Where are your thoughts these days? Are you expecting the worst? For your family? For our nation? Are you expecting the best? There are a lot of questions about all of it.

Where is God in your thinking? I have found that when my thoughts wander to the worst, God has provided a tool to wander back to truth. God has given us guidelines for our thinking. Philippians 4:8 describes what to think about so that we stay focused on Him and expect the best that only comes from Him. Expecting the best is expecting God to come through.

Expect the best even when you accept trouble. Does expecting God to come through mean you will never have any trouble? Of course not. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Focusing your thoughts in a positive direction is not about ignoring trouble or expecting God to deliver you from every trouble. Despite what some preachers have told you, trouble is a part of Christian life. Read the New Testament more carefully and you will notice that the New Testament writers came from that position.

Looking for an Answer to Prayer? Work, Watch, Wait

October 12, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.” Psalms 37:7 NLT

“It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:7 NLT

I recently “planted a seed.” No, not a literal seed. But I sent out a small thing that I hope will bring back a harvest. That seed is surrounded by prayer. How and when will God answer that prayer and what should I do while I’m waiting?

Another seed: I finally wrote a book! Years ago, God gave me the seed of an idea as I prepared a sermon. It took a while for me to plant that seed in writing and then for the seed to germinate as I developed the ideas. Now, I’ve begun to see sprouts and am learning how to tend the seed for growth. Soon, the plant will be developed and bear fruit. The book will be published before the end of 2024. I am planning for December 1st. If you would like to receive email alerts about the book, click here.

Are you waiting for a harvest, too? What can you do while waiting for an answer? If you have planted a seed of prayer or action, there are things you can do while you wait.

Work. Being still before the Lord does not mean you plant yourself in a chair and stay there until the answer comes. It doesn’t mean you stare at the seed until you see a sprout. Being still before the Lord means you quiet the inner need to make something happen. It means you step back, open your hands, and let Him lead the way.

In the meantime, you work.

Is the Future Good?

October 5, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” Isaiah 46:10 NIV

Ever been in a season of waiting? Like thunderstorm winds, you may find questions rumbling in your brain. What’s next? How is this going to work out? What am I supposed to do? Can’t I make this go any faster?

Tom and I are in a waiting season right now. The only thing we are certain of is that God has said to rest. Rest? What does that mean beyond sleeping and sabbath? We are learning, but the questions still buzz in our brains.

I find comfort in knowing that God holds the answers to all the questions. Much like the circle of calm in the middle of a hurricane, I can stand in peace. Here’s the truth that plants my feet in peace as the winds whip past me.

He knew before. There is so much comfort in recognizing that God is omniscient. He sees everything. He knows everything. He knows how things will turn out. He knows the future before it happens. He knows the end from the beginning.

Can Faith and Doubt Coexist?

August 31, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:24 NLT

The Scripture above is one of my favorite prayers. I suppose I should be embarrassed to admit that. A person of faith never doubts, right? Wrong! People of faith often doubt, but many of us have been taught to ignore doubts. However, when we ignore our doubts and say we believe something because we think we should, we cross into forbidden territory. The name of that territory is Lie. It is a lie to declare I believe something I actually doubt. So, what is the balance? Can faith and doubt co-exist? What if the answer is yes?

What does it look like when faith and doubt co-exist?

Faith speaks truth. Speaking truth has two sides when it comes to faith. I can speak the truth of God’s Word. I can declare that what God says is true without a doubt.

But truth must also admit doubt. The doubt may be about how the truth is to be expressed. Perhaps the doubt lies in interpretation and application. What if you doubt the Scriptures are the Word of God? All those years. So many human authors. How could it be trustworthy? If that is where you stand, then faith must speak it to God. Perhaps your honesty is “I believe God is real, but I am not sure He communicates with people. I am not sure that the Scriptures are the Word of God.” Then your faith prayer could become, “Lord, help me to believe that You speak and show me I can trust the Scriptures.”

Faith must speak truth. God can handle it.

Faith trusts enough to acknowledge doubt.