What to do When You Don't Get What You Ask For
Have you ever prayed for something specific? Maybe a mate, a car, or a million dollars (just kidding about the $). How did you respond when you didn’t get what you asked for? Did you cry, pout, or throw a fit?
Every year for Christmas my grandparents gave us the “exclusive gift” our parents refused to buy. We couldn’t wait to open the gift “From Papa and Mimi.” On Christmas Eve my junior year of high school the family gathered around the tree. I waited patiently to open “the gift.” When it was my turn, I politely read the tag and tore in. The box was large, so I knew it was going to be good. As the paper unraveled, I noticed the picture on the outside of the box. Confused, I read the label. I realized my grandmother must have wrapped the gift in a used box. There was no way “my gift” matched the picture. As I looked inside the box, it felt like someone punched me in the stomach. Yes, the article in the box matched the picture. All I could think was, “Who in their right mind would buy an electric blanket for a teenager?” I tried to smile. I thanked my pleased grandparents and sat quietly in the corner. My brother opened his “jam box.” My cousin opened her Guess jeans and Polo. Her sister opened a top of the line camera, and there I sat with my electric blanket. My response was not the best. I shed tears. I pouted, and had a close-lipped conversation with my mom in the bathroom. What was a teenage girl to do?
What are we to do when we don’t get what we ask for? When we sincerely ask God for something, and we don’t get what we want, what then? Here are 3 decisions I discovered at church tonight.
Every year for Christmas my grandparents gave us the “exclusive gift” our parents refused to buy. We couldn’t wait to open the gift “From Papa and Mimi.” On Christmas Eve my junior year of high school the family gathered around the tree. I waited patiently to open “the gift.” When it was my turn, I politely read the tag and tore in. The box was large, so I knew it was going to be good. As the paper unraveled, I noticed the picture on the outside of the box. Confused, I read the label. I realized my grandmother must have wrapped the gift in a used box. There was no way “my gift” matched the picture. As I looked inside the box, it felt like someone punched me in the stomach. Yes, the article in the box matched the picture. All I could think was, “Who in their right mind would buy an electric blanket for a teenager?” I tried to smile. I thanked my pleased grandparents and sat quietly in the corner. My brother opened his “jam box.” My cousin opened her Guess jeans and Polo. Her sister opened a top of the line camera, and there I sat with my electric blanket. My response was not the best. I shed tears. I pouted, and had a close-lipped conversation with my mom in the bathroom. What was a teenage girl to do?
What are we to do when we don’t get what we ask for? When we sincerely ask God for something, and we don’t get what we want, what then? Here are 3 decisions I discovered at church tonight.
- Rest in God’s sovereignty. God is in control of every detail. He loves you. He has the eagle-eye perspective. He knows what happened, is happening, and will happen. Trust Him.
- Be faithful with what God has given you. While waiting, take inventory of what you do have. Use it. Be faithful with it. Share it. Work it. Enjoy it.
- Embrace the gap. God is like a Boeing 747 and we are like mosquitoes. Can a mosquito fully understand a 747? No, there is a gap. Finite man is trying to figure out an infinite God and there is a huge gap – embrace the gap. You may not understand why God said no until you get to heaven. Until then, embrace his will.
What’s the point of all this? When God doesn’t give you what you ask for, He is taking you deeper, drawing you closer, and propelling you to follow! Be thankful for a God who loves you enough to say no! (To hear this sermon visit http://www.cfbc.org/, 7-30-09)
posted by Stephanie Chase @ 8:36 PM
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