Discuss, Not Demand

"And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us, and if we know that He heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions we desired of Him." I John 5:14-15

As God's silence continues, Satan has been on the warpath. His latest attacks have been on whether or not this request really is God's will...after all, it would seem that if God really did tell me to ask for this He would answer...at least that's what the above verses state. Once again, the study portion of my Bible lent some insights into this verse that have helped me clarify when I am praying in God's will or in my own.
     Our prayers should not be a time of us demanding from God what we want, that would be praying according to our will. Rather, our prayers should be times of discussing with God what He wants done, that would be praying according to His will. This means I tell God what is I would like and let Him have a chance to voice His opinion on the matter. This means I have to give Him a chance to talk, not just throw prayers in His direction and go on my way. If I'll spend the time discussing with God what it is He wants, I am much more likely to know His mind in the matter and to be praying in His will. If I am praying in His will, He'll not only hear those requests, but He'll answer them as well.
     As I look back at the prayers I have offered up, I can definitely see times where I demanded what I wanted and those typically ended in a battle of wills. I think back on the time when Tebow was traded to the Jets. That was a time I definitely was demanding from God what I wanted. I got into a battle of wills with God and nearly quit. When I quit shouting my demands at God long enough to let Him talk back, He showed me Tebow being a Bronco was not what He wanted and that if I was going to demand that then I would run the risk of the kids not meeting him. Discussion was definitely a better route because it put me in line with what He wanted and allowed Him to continue to work on behalf of this request.
     I can see, even now, as I am writing this that I have been demanding Him to either explain why the silence or to end it. God is never obligated to defend His actions to me or give me a reason why He's doing what He's doing, but He might be more willing to share a little if I start discussing this with Him. I just might find out what He wants accomplished in the silence.
     I know that from the beginning, asking God to allow my kids to meet Tebow has been a discussion between us. The day He told me to ask, we had a rather long one. While there have been times since that I have made demands of Him, the actual request to meet Tebow never was. This request has always been what He wanted and, as such, has a promise in the above verses of being fulfilled.