2 Cents

In light of this I thought I'd post about a lesson God has been pleased to re-teach me lately.

Often when we have an important decision in front of us or a pivotal time in life we pray for God to open certain doors and make certain things happen. There's nothing wrong with this at all. In fact it is good and biblical. God delights in seeing his children ask him for things they desire (Matt. 7:7-11). I started doing this about a month ago regarding a few specific things.

Since then God has most certainly answered my prayers in various ways. A few things were expected... most were completely not. And this is where he taught me the lesson.

When we pray and ask for certain things God desires to give them to us as long as they are in his will. However he does not always give them to us in the way that we might expect or even desire. So the question is... how do you respond when God gives you what you asked for but not in the way you expected or desired?

My initial response was to resist it. God had indeed given me what I'd asked for (Glory to God! He answers prayer!) But it most certainly was not in the ways I expected. And it was even in a way that initially I did not want. My initial response of resistance was sinful and God made that abundantly clear to me.

Once convicted about my improper response I had two choices. (1) I could repent and ask God to change my heart to line up with his will or (2) I could suppress the truth that I was in sin and convince myself why it wasn't truly the will of God. I want to stress this second possible choice because it's what we are all tempted to do... and many end up doing. We don't like God's will (even though he desires our joy) so we sinfully and rebelliously talk ourselves into all the reasons it's probably not his will. "Psalm 37:4 says God will give me the desires of my heart and I don't desire this," we say. "My spiritual gifts don't line up well with that," we say. We cloak our sinful excuses in fake holiness and twisted Scripture.

At the end of the day, by the grace of God, I chose to repent and ask God to change my heart. Through multiple avenues he did and I now delight greatly in what I originally resisted. God is truly great.

I leave you with 1 John 5:14-15 and the words of Thomas Campbell...

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of him." - 1 John 5:14-15

"What!? Shall we pray for a thing and not strive to obtain it!?" - Thomas Campbell from The Declaration & Address of the Christian Association of Washington