Luke documents the account of the paralytic man who was brought where Jesus was teaching. When they couldn’t find a way in through the door or window, those who carried the sick man became remarkably ingenious. They tore off the roof and lowered him down before Jesus. The Lord saw their bold action as a powerful expression of faith. Immediately, He offered forgiveness to the man. Luke 5:25 tells us the reaction of the scribes and Pharisees to Jesus’ words. They felt He was blasphemous. Meanwhile, all that was going on in their hearts and not openly expressed. The lesson for us is that Jesus knew their thoughts and faulted their reasoning.

Finally, the reason why God can do beyond what we ask for in prayer is because He considers our thoughts as well and converts them into prayer requests.

Thoughts matter! David understood this truth. Accordingly, he said of the Lord, “You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.” Psalms 139:2 NKJV. If thoughts do not count, why would Jesus challenge people for thinking wrong thoughts? There is a divine flow into our lives when we learn to harmonise our thoughts with God’s word and all that is noble. Finally, the reason why God can do beyond what we ask for in prayer is because He considers our thoughts as well and converts them into prayer requests. If God blesses us only to the extent of our prayers, many believers would be destitute. The reason is that we are not as prayerful as the Bible enjoins us to be.