I was praying for a friend and heard myself pleading with God. I said, “He/she is as good as he/she can be”. How silly, as if a person’s goodness is necessary to get God’s attention. I corrected that as I prayed. Our goodness means nothing because God answers prayers because He is good. Jesus answered the prayer of the thief on the cross because this man, condemned to die with Jesus, believed in Him. He was a bad man. More proof that our ability to follow rules is no measure of our spiritual needs or answered prayers. Yes – let’s begin by trying holiness because God is the standard which Jesus demonstrated in the flesh. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”, Matt 7:7-8. Pray without ceasing, in I Thes 5:16-18, means to continue a prayerful and constant communication with God. This is difficult without the hope that faith brings. This is as good as it gets. The other thing is that my loss is not your gain. God does not run out of grace. If He answers said prayer for my friend, He is not out of grace to answer your prayer. There is no math story problem with eternity or infinity so do not grow weary of doing good. The one thing God will not do is deny Himself and He is good. This is, again, as good as it gets.
