God Is Able But Is He Willing?

God answers prayers accord to His purpose and for His own glory.

My son has developed cataract on his left eye. He is due to go for surgery to remove the cataract and replace his lens with a man-made lens. While I pray for a smooth operation, I also prayed that God would heal his cataract. God is able, but is He willing? Or is it deep, deep inside my heart there lurks some unbelief, that God is not able and I hide it by saying that God is unwilling? God always have our good in His mind and He helped my daughter to find the keys she lost. Still, there may be doubts.

The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" And when the men had come to him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'" In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." (Luke 7:18-23 ESV)

John the Baptist wondered if Jesus was the Messiah because he was in prison and Jesus did not cause him to be released. In this quote from the blog, I Know God is Able, But Is He Willing - Chronicles of a kid Next Door, we see how Jesus convince John by deeds and not words.

QUOTE
Christ did not condemn John the Baptist nor did he compliment him, neither did he assure him in word only, but He demonstrated His power. Through His love and infinite wisdom, Jesus made sure that John the Baptist faith was to be based on the power of God only (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). Christ actions were not haphazard show of power, but a fulfillment of prophecy. In his ministry, John the Baptist proclaimed Isaiah’s prophesy, Jesus demonstrated that prophesy before John’s disciples (Isaiah 61:1-3). Jesus Christ showed that in this gospel His righteousness is revealed from faith to faith.
UNQUOTE

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5 KJV)

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion - to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. (Isaiah 61:1-3 ESV)

I asked because God had promised to answer.

I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. (Psalm 81:10 KJV)

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32 ESV)

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Matthew 7:7-11 KJV)

But like the early church, I really do not know if the prayer will be answered. I but will leap for joy if it is. Really, I find it so difficult to believe that God always have our good in His mind.

And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, "You are out of your mind." But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, "It is his angel!" But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. (Acts 12:13-16 ESV)

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (James 4:3 KJV)