"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him... that I may know him and the power of his resurrection."

We've spent four days rebuilding your confidence in prayer. Today I want to bring you back to that prayer you wrote down on Day 1. The one you stopped praying. The one that felt pointless. It's time to resume asking.

But before we do, I need to ask you a crucial question. Are you more focused on getting what you want from God, or knowing who God is? Are you willing to sacrifice what you need if it means knowing Him greater than you do right now?

Because here's what I need you to know. God surpasses every earthly father, not only in generosity but in judgment, giving not what merely feels good, but what truly is good. That's been our theme all week, and it matters because it changes everything about how we pray.

So what have you stopped asking God for? What need have you given up on because past prayers seemed unanswered? Maybe it's restoration in your marriage. Maybe it's breakthrough in your finances. Maybe it's healing in your body. Maybe it's salvation for your children.

Can I just say something? I'm not promising God will answer the way you expect. I'm promising He'll answer with what's good. And His definition of good is infinitely better than yours.

Think about it just like a builder constructing a house. You might look at the foundation work and think nothing's happening because there's no walls yet, no roof, nothing that looks like a home. But the builder knows that the most important work happens below ground. If the foundation isn't right, everything else will eventually crack and crumble. God is a master builder, and He knows what needs to happen first before He can give you what you're asking for.

Paul understood this better than most. In Philippians 3, he says he counted everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. Everything. His status, his accomplishments, his comfort, even his unanswered prayers. He was willing to sacrifice what he needed if it meant knowing Christ greater.

That's the heart God is after in you. Not a heart that treats Him like a vending machine, but a heart that wants Him more than His gifts.

So today, here's your challenge. Would you rather have a Father who enables your limited perspective, or one who operates from perfect wisdom? When God says no or gives something different than expected, it's not because He's less loving than an earthly father. It's because He's infinitely more loving. He sees the stone you're calling bread and the bread you're calling a stone. He sees the serpent you're calling fish, and the fish you're calling a serpent.

So why have you stopped asking? Because you've interpreted God's different answers as no answers. You've mistaken His wisdom for indifference. You've confused His timing with rejection.

But none of those conclusions are true. The Father who knows how to give good gifts is waiting. The Father who led Israel through the Red Sea when the short path would have destroyed them is still leading today. The Father who gave Paul grace instead of healing is still giving what's truly good.

Will you trust the Father's judgment today? Will you keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking, not because you've figured out the formula, but because you've figured out the Father?

Pull out that prayer from Day 1. The one you stopped praying. Resume asking. Not with demands. Not with a clenched fist. But with open hands and a heart that trusts His judgment more than your own desires.

The Father knows best. The question is, will you trust Him?

Resume asking. Take that prayer you wrote down on Day 1 and bring it back to the Father. But this time, add this statement: "Father, I want Your good more than I want my request. I trust Your judgment over my desires. Do what only You know is best."