When God Says No (or not yet)
Has there ever been a time in your life when you really wanted something? You would wait for it day after day, hoping that today would be the day when that desire became a reality? In church, people would often say, "just pray about it, one day it will happen." After all, Jesus said, "Ask and you shall receive."
I think most of us would say this has happened at least once in our lives. Sometimes it maybe a small thing, while other times it maybe a bigger thing. Having graduated from college approximately five years ago, I can relate. I created an image for how my life would look. I would have a job that I love, a wife, and children. I would be working somewhere in ministry, doing the work of Christ. I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
As I stepped out of college, I was offered a job where I interned. I accepted it, and began working full time in the business field. As I went further and further into that field, I realized that my passion was not where I was working. Starting that year, I began working with our 6th grade program at church. I loved (and still do love) it. Being apart of something that amazing was/is a true blessing and gift. Still though, there was what felt like a hole in my heart. I didn't want to just be doing it for a few hours a week, I wanted to do it full time.
Also just having stepped out of college, I wanted to get married soon. That was always a desire I had. The thought of having a wife and children seemed good to me. People would tell me, "Chris, you would be a great dad."
Combining all the wisdom and knowledge I had gained through my years of training in the Bible, I began doing what my long-time friend and mentor told me to do, "pray". I began to pray, and pray, and pray, and pray. As I continued doing so, I would have points in my life when I would get so frustrated at God. Why? Because I knew that the Bible said, "ask and you shall receive". I knew that the Bible said, "God will give you the desires of your heart."
Why was it that God wouldn't provide for me a wife? Why is it that I wasn't able to get a full time job in ministry. It is a hard question to answer. Once you hear the answer, it can be even harder in some cases.
There are periods when you may feel like God is ignoring you. In fact, you may not "feel" God at all. Where is he?
If you know someone struggling with this, reassuring them it will happen, may not be the best words to say. Ultimately, you don't know what the outcome will be any more than they will.
As we look at different stories in the Bible, we can see where God is at. The story of Abraham. Abraham prayed and prayed for a child. His wife Sarah though, wasn't able to have children. We see this tension both Abraham and Sarah wrestle with. Abraham, who was as faithful as any other, prayed for a child. Like many of our situations, God was silent on the issue for a long time. At one point, he simply says, you will be the father of many nations. I can imagine what he was going through during this waiting period. Anxiety. Thoughts of, maybe he forgot. Maybe he isn't actually going to keep his promise. Finally, when Abraham was 99 years old, God comes to him and says you will be a Father. Abraham is completely blown away by this. He basically says, WHY DID YOU WAIT SO LONG??? God faithfully followed through though. A year later, Abraham became a Father.
There is another story in the New Testament of a man who wanted to follow Jesus. The man said, "I want to go with you to follow you." Jesus' response though blows me away. He tells the man, "Go home and tell how much God has done for you." Jesus told the man not to come with him. God had other plans for this man. It wasn't the man's initial desire. I can imagine the disappointment on his face when Jesus told him not to go with him. But the man obeyed and shared the Gospel with those in his towns.
Often, we don't understand why God does what he does. God knows that. He says, "my plans are not your plans, neither are my thoughts your thoughts."
I am no exception. Having graduated five years ago, I'm no where near where I thought I would be. God however, has a plan and a purpose for me where I am. I continue to pray for a family. I continue to pray for an opportunity to serve God in full-time ministry. Jesus sums it up though in the Garden of Gethsemane. He says, "but your will be done." (song hyperlinked). God has a view of the whole world, from beginning to end. I don't understand his plans like he does. Can it be hard to submit to his plan? Without a doubt. Do I sometimes wish he would align his plan with mine? Yes.
But in reality, my prayers cannot be, "God, please give me this." Instead, having a soft and humble heart, being willing to say, please give me what is best for me. Let me do what you need me to do. After all, God does say, "I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future."
God has given me so many amazing things. This doesn't take away my desire for a family or a full-time job in ministry. What I can do is be grateful for the things God truly has given me. There truly are things that I have as a result of being single and working a "normal" full time job, I would not have had otherwise. Because of this, I can celebrate and give thanks for what Christ has done in my life.
Ultimately, we have two options. We can choose to sit back, have a pity party for ourselves because life isn't going the way we planned it. Or we can choose to step up to the plate, and thrive knowing that God has something amazing for us to be a part of. After all, this is God's story. We are simply one character in his book.
Which will you choose?
I think most of us would say this has happened at least once in our lives. Sometimes it maybe a small thing, while other times it maybe a bigger thing. Having graduated from college approximately five years ago, I can relate. I created an image for how my life would look. I would have a job that I love, a wife, and children. I would be working somewhere in ministry, doing the work of Christ. I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
As I stepped out of college, I was offered a job where I interned. I accepted it, and began working full time in the business field. As I went further and further into that field, I realized that my passion was not where I was working. Starting that year, I began working with our 6th grade program at church. I loved (and still do love) it. Being apart of something that amazing was/is a true blessing and gift. Still though, there was what felt like a hole in my heart. I didn't want to just be doing it for a few hours a week, I wanted to do it full time.
Also just having stepped out of college, I wanted to get married soon. That was always a desire I had. The thought of having a wife and children seemed good to me. People would tell me, "Chris, you would be a great dad."
Combining all the wisdom and knowledge I had gained through my years of training in the Bible, I began doing what my long-time friend and mentor told me to do, "pray". I began to pray, and pray, and pray, and pray. As I continued doing so, I would have points in my life when I would get so frustrated at God. Why? Because I knew that the Bible said, "ask and you shall receive". I knew that the Bible said, "God will give you the desires of your heart."
Why was it that God wouldn't provide for me a wife? Why is it that I wasn't able to get a full time job in ministry. It is a hard question to answer. Once you hear the answer, it can be even harder in some cases.
There are periods when you may feel like God is ignoring you. In fact, you may not "feel" God at all. Where is he?
If you know someone struggling with this, reassuring them it will happen, may not be the best words to say. Ultimately, you don't know what the outcome will be any more than they will.
As we look at different stories in the Bible, we can see where God is at. The story of Abraham. Abraham prayed and prayed for a child. His wife Sarah though, wasn't able to have children. We see this tension both Abraham and Sarah wrestle with. Abraham, who was as faithful as any other, prayed for a child. Like many of our situations, God was silent on the issue for a long time. At one point, he simply says, you will be the father of many nations. I can imagine what he was going through during this waiting period. Anxiety. Thoughts of, maybe he forgot. Maybe he isn't actually going to keep his promise. Finally, when Abraham was 99 years old, God comes to him and says you will be a Father. Abraham is completely blown away by this. He basically says, WHY DID YOU WAIT SO LONG??? God faithfully followed through though. A year later, Abraham became a Father.
There is another story in the New Testament of a man who wanted to follow Jesus. The man said, "I want to go with you to follow you." Jesus' response though blows me away. He tells the man, "Go home and tell how much God has done for you." Jesus told the man not to come with him. God had other plans for this man. It wasn't the man's initial desire. I can imagine the disappointment on his face when Jesus told him not to go with him. But the man obeyed and shared the Gospel with those in his towns.
Often, we don't understand why God does what he does. God knows that. He says, "my plans are not your plans, neither are my thoughts your thoughts."
I am no exception. Having graduated five years ago, I'm no where near where I thought I would be. God however, has a plan and a purpose for me where I am. I continue to pray for a family. I continue to pray for an opportunity to serve God in full-time ministry. Jesus sums it up though in the Garden of Gethsemane. He says, "but your will be done." (song hyperlinked). God has a view of the whole world, from beginning to end. I don't understand his plans like he does. Can it be hard to submit to his plan? Without a doubt. Do I sometimes wish he would align his plan with mine? Yes.
But in reality, my prayers cannot be, "God, please give me this." Instead, having a soft and humble heart, being willing to say, please give me what is best for me. Let me do what you need me to do. After all, God does say, "I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future."
God has given me so many amazing things. This doesn't take away my desire for a family or a full-time job in ministry. What I can do is be grateful for the things God truly has given me. There truly are things that I have as a result of being single and working a "normal" full time job, I would not have had otherwise. Because of this, I can celebrate and give thanks for what Christ has done in my life.
Ultimately, we have two options. We can choose to sit back, have a pity party for ourselves because life isn't going the way we planned it. Or we can choose to step up to the plate, and thrive knowing that God has something amazing for us to be a part of. After all, this is God's story. We are simply one character in his book.
Which will you choose?
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