Thank You Father

Father, I thank you that you have heard me  John 11:41 (NIV)

How important is it that the Father hears our prayer? Jesus thought it was very important, and just knowing brought him a spirit of praise and thanksgiving.

Here's the setting

Jesus friend Lazarus became sick. Jesus knew this, but did not hasten to his side to heal Lazarus. Rather, he waited until Lazarus died. Why? We'll find out shortly.

Jesus went with his disciples to Lazarus' home, where Lazarus' sisters, Martha and Mary, along with friends were mourning Lazarus. Martha approached Jesus, and said that had Jesus been there, Lazarus would not have died. That was a statement of faith. Martha knew Jesus healed the sick throughout Judea, Galilee, and everywhere he went. He could certainly heal Lazarus.

But Jesus made an astounding statement. His answer to Martha was a revelation of his divinity: 

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever believes in me will never die."  John 11:25-26 (NIV)

Jesus then went to the burial site, and had the stone removed. Lazarus had been dead four days, and his body had started to decay. Martha interrupted Jesus. Jesus reminded her: 

"Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out.  John 11:40-43 (NIV)

Wow!

Jesus said "Come out, " and Lazarus came back to life and came out.

Again we ask why? Why did the Father always hear Jesus? Why was Jesus grateful that the Father heard him? Why did Lazarus come back to life?

Here's the reason

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.  I John 5:14-15 (NIV)

Jesus knew this principle of prayer:

1. Ask according to God's will, not our will
2. God hears
3. We have what we asked

So now we know why Jesus was so confident. We also know why Jesus was grateful. He knew he was receiving Lazarus back from the dead. And we know why Lazarus was raised from the dead. Jesus said "I have not come to do my will, but the will of him who sent me [God, the Father]." That's why Jesus did not hurry to Lazarus home and heal him. That wasn't the Fathers will. The Father wanted to reveal to us His son, the resurrection and the life. The Father wanted us to learn that we can know our prayers are heard - and answered - when we pray his will, not ours. Remember our first MVP candidate, The Lord's Prayer. "Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

What a great prayer of thanksgiving to our loving Father,

"Thank you Father, for I know you hear me!"