Are You Ready For God’s Answer?
Praying is not telling God what to do. It's trusting that God knows what to do. Stormie Omartian
Stormie Omartian, the author of several books on prayer, experienced emotional and physical trauma growing up with a mentally ill mother. As an adult, she sought fame and fortune in Hollywood, but this did not get rid of the anxiety, fear, and depression that haunted her until she came to know Jesus Christ. Her life changed dramatically, and she started her journey of healing. But she still had struggles to overcome, including difficulties in her marriage. She had reached the end of her rope and was ready to leave. One day as she was praying, God spoke clearly to her. This is what she says,
“I sat waiting upon the Lord and didn’t leave that place until I heard God’s voice penetrate my heart as clearly as I had ever heard Him before. He said, “If you will lay down your desire to leave and do what I am asking you to do, I will bless you. First of all, you must stop praying your favourite three-word prayer—‘Change him, Lord’—and pray My favourite three-word prayer—‘Change me, Lord.’ ”
We can so often fall into a rut when we make our requests known to God, causing our prayer life to become routine and mundane. We pray the same prayers, and we don’t take time to listen to what God really wants to say to us. We hope that our desired answers will be God’s answers. What if they are not? What if God’s best answer to our prayers comes at a cost? Will we be ready and open to hear what He has to say? Will we allow him to do something that will be hard for us to do, but will ultimately radically change us and our situation?
Counting the Cost
We may be praying for a loved one to come to know the Lord. We decide that the only way for them to surrender to the truth of Jesus Christ is by pummeling them with the gospel. We may have a Christian colleague whose behaviour does not testify to what we believe is “good Christian behaviour.” We decide we will give them a good talking-to about how Christians should behave. What if this is not what God wants us to do? What if He wants to transform our hearts so that His will can be done? What if God’s answer costs us? Ephesians 4:2 (NLT) says,
“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.“
When we humble ourselves and surrender to His answer, He will do what is best for our situation and ultimately for our lives if we are willing to count the cost.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)
Reflection:
Are you ready to count the cost when God gives you His best answer?
Prayer:
Forgive me, Lord, if I’ve done things my way. Help me to be willing to accept Your best answer to my prayers. Help me to allow You to transform my heart, even if it costs me something. In Jesus’ name, amen.
