I’m a podcast junkie. I listen while I’m in the car or out walking, and find satisfaction in learning new ideas or remembering things I already know. As I was listening to Annie Downs’ podcast, That Sounds Fun, her guest said these words: “I didn’t get the prayer I wanted, but got the presence I needed.” I stopped immediately to write down those words. The words affected me to the point that I wanted to explore the times in my own life where I prayed and received an answer that was not the one I was hoping for.
I mentally began to tick off the moments of unanswered prayer and times the answer was not what I had prayed for–losing my parents, a son going through a divorce, kids living in another state, and going through my own divorce. I felt justified in silently saying, “See all the times I prayed and you didn’t come through God.” Let me tell you right now, that is not a good place to leave things with God. His answer, whether different or the same as our heart’s desire, is still good. The bottom line in the space of unanswered prayer is that God is still there. His presence is guaranteed.
The first six months of 2019 have been a time of learning some hard lessons. God led me on a journey to see that where I was, how I got there, and the place He wanted to take me were dependent on Him. All of the pushing and shoving I did to move into independence ended up backfiring. I learned again that all things are possible with God, not without. Instead of leaning in and relying on the people around me, I isolated myself and believed I was better off figuring it out on my own.
When I get stuck in my own head and thoughts, I lose sight of the truth of how God sees me. I forgot that His plans are always better than what I imagine.
I didn't get the prayer I wanted, but I got the presence I needed. #thatsoundsfunpodcast #enneasummer @thedentedfender Share on XAlways better! And it this truth that leads me to … Click HERE for the rest.
Sabbath Blessings!
How well you have said what we have all grappled with many times. You also pointed so well to what it means to trust, enter God’s rest, and discover He is right there in the midst and often closer than ever.
Thank you, Pam! It is good to know I am not alone in the struggle between questions and answers. I pray you feel God’s presence in your every day and know that even when the answers are not the ones you would choose, that God cares about it more than you do.
I’ve sat in that same chair of judgment over God’s answers that feel like not-answers.
It’s a lonely place. Thanks for these words that are bubbling out of a hard won trust in God’s sovereign control over the universe and over the individual circumstances of our lives.
It is a lonely place. The part that I forget is that God is still there. He never leaves us and when we are struggling with the questions, He is the answer. I believe you understand this place of not receiving the answers you were hoping for. We serve an all-knowing God and one who loves more than we will ever know.