How should we approach God when we seek his blessings?

God is always listening, and his answer is always right. We should come to him with the humility of a child seeking help from a father who knows all, can do all, and loves us enough to know which blessings will further his plans for us.

Parents understand the requests of their children. We know when a request is motivated by a need and when it’s motivated by a want. We know which request would be best honored now and which should be delayed for another time. We know when to give a child exactly what they requested and when to give them something else. Sometimes we even say no to their requests when we know what they are asking will do more harm than good.

God has both the wisdom and the love necessary to answer every prayer. Most of us pray for our health, our finances, our family, and for peace in our world. All of those requests are good and we should expect God’s “good and perfect” answer (James 1:17).

God will always answer from his love and his omniscience. If we ask for something that will harm us or someone else, God might say no. If we ask for something prematurely, God might say “not now.” If we ask for something we want instead of asking what God wants, he might answer in a way we didn’t expect.

We approach our heavenly Father as a child would go to a father who loves him. We trust that love, and we trust that he will give us an answer that will be for our own good. Parents give their children advice hoping they will avoid mistakes. They hope their wisdom will help their children find a path that is easy to walk.

God wants his children to seek his advice and walk his path of blessing. He doesn’t enjoy watching us stumble, but he won’t keep us from the free will he has given us either. Living with wisdom is a path to God’s blessings. Knowing how to approach God and trusting both his love and his answers is wisdom.