Me: Where are you going Prodigal?
Prodigal: I thought I would stop in this prayer garden and pray.
Me: Some people were just asking me about prayer and when it is not answered.
Prodigal: I would like to hear about that!
Bill Hybels writes in him book Too Busy Not To Pray
If the request is wrong, God says, “No.” If the timing is wrong, God says, “Slow.” If you are wrong, God says, “Grow.” But if the request is right, the timing is right and you are right, God says, “Go!”
I think one of the misconceptions of our day is that if we just ask God for a prayer request He will give it to us because He is a loving God. So there are people going around asking the same thing over and over again and when it does not happen they think they are a failure.
A perfect example is when two guys may be praying to marry the same girl. If we follow the example of God will just give it to us because we ask enough times, then that means the guy who prayed more will get the girl to marry him.
We know this does not happen though because there are marriages made that are perfect in God’s eyes but at first there was not a lot of prayer to marry that specific person. See in the cases of marriages that happen that are really ordained by God, He matches people for some different reasons. We tend to want to marry the good looking person. We may want to marry the person who is fun to talk to and be around. God looks at the couples strengths and weakness. He looks at how they can help each other out in their strengths and weakness. He looks at how their personality together will be able to serve others to glorify God’s name. He also though wants us to be able to enjoy the other person. We find out that there were hidden things that we really do have in common and God knew all along. These things make the relationship so much more enjoyable. It doesn’t mean that person can’t look good in your eyes or that you will not have fun with them. It just means that there is even a bigger depth in the relationship because it God’s hand is all over that relationship.
If we go back to the first example, in that case God would not have just given the person who prayed the most for the girl because God saw the whole picture and we did not. God knew what would be the best for each person and also their future together. So if God is saying no, then it is because the whole picture is not in view right now. Some of you God is saying yes too and remember there are perfect reasons why you are together!
1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org