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“They just pray about lost car keys and crashed computers,” says my friend after her first prayer gathering. “God can do so much more.”
True.
But if it was your car keys and you were rushing your child to the hospital…
Perhaps it’s simply about what each pray-er needs at the moment. And they might not even know what they need.
When I was asked to conduct a workshop for some teachers in Hong Kong, my prayer was specific: a direct flight. But the ticket to Guangzhou from my north China city was so much cheaper that I booked it. This meant some connections – via several buses and a border crossing. After years of travel, I’m clueless why these unknowns worried me so. Anxious to the point that the joy of encouraging others was slipping away. As I prayed for a traveling companion plus forgiveness for lack of faith, I get a text. A former student writes about her new job near the Guangzhou airport. I write back about my trip.
“Great! I’ll meet you for a cup of coffee and then walk you to your bus.”
I felt like a huge weight had been taken off my shoulders. My journey begins peacefully but upon arrival no familiar face is waiting. My phone dings.
“Hi teacher.”
Oh no.
“I am at the hospital with my mom. I can’t come to see you. I’m so sad but I know you don’t really need me.”
Don’t need you!
“There’s a big sign for the buses to the border. You’ll see it.”
She hung up and I just stood there as people hustled around me.
“You don’t need me.”
So often ‘answered prayer’ means getting what we asked for, but I didn’t get anything I asked for! I got something better.
Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’S purpose that prevails.”
Romans 8:26 “…we do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”
God gave me peace of mind for the preparation time and the journey and the reminder and realization when I got there that I didn’t need my friend.
Truly I often don’t know what I ought to pray for, and my Father knows before I even ask!
I think I can safely say that it’s common to not get what we pray for. Can you think of an example or two where you were surprised at how God answered your prayer? Did you learn anything?
We’ve heard it said that God says yes, no or wait to our prayers. There’s some truth to that but it seems so limiting! God works in our lives in a multitude of ways. As I wrote in the devotional, I got none of my requests. I was given peace as I traveled, and when I landed, I did see the sign for the border bus, just as my student had said. Even as I searched for her face, I wasn’t worried. I met someone on the bus who answered my questions. What a gift! Better than I could imagine. Just writing this devotional has made me aware of the need to open my eyes to see all the ways He is working for my good.