When life is hard, and things don’t go as we planned we get discouraged. In times like these we go to God in prayer. As we pray fervently we hope that God will answer us the way we want Him to. We pray for God’s will to be done, and when we find that God’s will is not as we planned or desired, we lose heart.
Let’s look at people in the bible who prayed, and received answers not the way they expected. The way they handled these situations will help us understand how we too should accept the plans of God for our lives though it may not be appealing to us.
1. Moses pleaded with God to be excused
Moses had this amazing encounter with God at the burning bush in Exodus 3 and God called him to stand before Pharaoh on behalf of the Israelites and deliver them from the cruel bondage. Moses gave many excuses, but let me highlight one.
In Exodus 4:10-12, But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” (ESV)
God could have healed Moses instantly as God had chosen Moses to fulfill His mission to deliver the Israelites from bondage. However, the Lord wanted Moses to go in spite of his weakness. God reminded Moses that our ability to hear, see, speak are all from Him, and the inability to do so is also allowed by God. God wanted Moses to submit to His will and obey His command, in spite of his weakness. When Moses kept on insisting that he was incapable of the task at hand, God was angry with Moses, but God graciously allowed his brother Aaron be his mouthpiece.
Sometimes we pray, and when God speaks we make excuses for not doing what God is calling us to do. God may not change our circumstances, but He reminds us that in spite of all our weaknesses and struggles, He can still use us because He is sovereign. If you are struggling with a disability or if someone who is close to you is, remember that God is the creator, and He is in perfect control.
2. Moses pleaded with God to enter the Promised Land
We read in Deuteronomy 3:23-26, “And I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying, 24 ‘O Lord GOD, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours? 25 Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’ 26 But the LORD was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. And the LORD said to me, ‘Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again. (ESV)
Moses led the people of Israel for forty long years faithfully. In a moment of anger he dishonored God, and struck the rock instead of speaking to it. The punishment for this act was that Moses was forbidden from entering the Promised Land. In this passage, Moses recounts how he pleaded with God, and God said, “Enough, don’t speak about this to me anymore.”
It may sound harsh, but sometimes when God has decided something, there is no point in us pursuing the thing we want. In His sovereignty He makes the call, and it will always be for our good.
3. David prayed for his son to live
In 2 Samuel 12:15-17 And the LORD afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick. 16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them.(ESV)
We know how David committed adultery with Bathsheba and she got pregnant. In order to cover his tracks, he plotted to have Uriah killed in war. David continued with no remorse until confronted by the Prophet Nathan. Though David repented, the consequence was that the son born to Bathsheba was afflicted by God with a severe sickness. David fasted and prayed and pleaded with God. However, seven days later the child died.
David reacted unexpectedly when he got up, washed, anointed himself and ate food that was set before him.
His reply to his servants who were puzzled about his reaction is found in 2 Samuel 12: 22-23 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” (ESV)
We can pray about everything, but sometimes when God does not answer in the positive, we must have the humility to accept God’s will, and not turn bitter or angry.
4. Daniel prayed and petitioned for deliverance
In Daniel Chapter 6 we see a plot against Daniel done out of envy because God was with him and he was so perfect and blameless in everything. The only way they could trap Daniel was in something to do with his commitment to God. They cleverly make the king pass an edict that would prevent Daniel from praying to God as he did regularly.
This is what Daniel did when he heard that the edict was signed. We read in Daniel 6:10-11, When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. 11 Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God.(ESV)
Though Daniel petitioned to God, he was still thrown into the lion’s den. Notice how even the king who was a foreigner knew that Daniel served His God faithfully, and that Daniel’s God was able to deliver him. It was now the King’s turn to fast all night, and he rushed to the den early in the morning to check on Daniel. Imagine the king’s relief when Daniel called back from the den and greeted the king and informed him that he was safe because God shut the mouth of the lions.
In spite of our uprightness, and our fervent prayers we may be thrown into the most dangerous situations, but don’t lose heart because the Lord can save us even from the mouth of hungry lions.
5. Jesus’ prayed for the cup to pass
One of the most difficult prayers Jesus made was in the Garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion. Jesus knew right from the start the purpose for His coming to earth. However, as the day and hour drew near Jesus was praying that He would not have to take this path. Jesus knew that the sins of the whole world was going to be laid on Him, the sinless Lamb of God, and He also knew that for a brief time He would be separated from God the Father.
In Matthew 26 we read that on that night Jesus was extremely sorrowful and troubled and He mentioned to His disciples that His soul was sorrowful unto death.
We read in Matthew 26:39, And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (ESV)
In that passage of scripture it is mentioned that Jesus prayed this three times. At the end of it He was ready to submit to the will of His Father.
These were the words of Jesus in Matthew 26:45-46, See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.” (ESV)
Though Jesus knew why He had come, and had mentioned it several times, at that point of death He was struggling to fulfill the Father’s will. Only because Jesus submitted to the cross we have received forgiveness, salvation, eternal life and every spiritual blessing. We have the privilege of being called the sons and daughters of God only because Jesus submitted to the will of the Father on our behalf.
Submitting to God’s will may not always be easy because God may take us through a hard path. However, only when we do so, can God use us to fulfill His purposes through our lives.
6. Paul prayed for the thorn to be removed
In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul talks about the exceeding great visions and revelations that he received from the Lord. This great apostle was struggling with a thorn in his flesh.
Paul explains the reason for this in 2 Corinthians 12:7, So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,[a] a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. (ESV)
This he believed was allowed in his life to keep him humble. He refers to it as a messenger of Satan that was sent to harass him. Here again Paul pleaded with God and prayed that this should be removed, and he be set free.
Here’s God’s response in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9, Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.(ESV)
God’s word to Paul was simple. In the midst of his weakness, God told him that His grace would be sufficient. Instead of complaining about his weakness, Paul began to boast about it and accept it, so that the power of Christ could be revealed through him.
Our story
When my husband and I lost our first baby we went through a period of deep sorrow. Both of us were serving the Lord, and we could not understand why God allowed this in our lives. When I got pregnant again, we were so excited, but a few months into the pregnancy I developed a condition called preeclampsia. As a result of this, our daughter was born premature and underweight, but otherwise all seemed fine. However, within a year we discovered that the premature birth, and my medical condition had affected our daughter’s development in a major way.
Every little step of her growth became a challenge, and as we struggled with this, we initially began to question God, as to why He had permitted this in our lives, and wondered if it was some sort of punishment for something we had done or not done. We began to pray and plead with God for healing, as we tried hard to understand God’s ways. As we began to submit to the Lord we began to see healing in many areas of our daughter’s life. However, there were other areas which remained as it was.
It was through the life of Moses that God reminded us that He was the creator, the sovereign Lord and that our daughter was created in His own image. The Lord further assured us from John 9 that the disabilities in our daughter were not because of our sin, but was for the glory of God. As we began to submit to God’s will and celebrate our daughter, we began to learn numerous lessons from her life. God taught us to be humble, to sympathize with others who were going through so much more, and through our daughter God began to teach us to value those things that really matter to Him.
We see our daughter love God and love others like none of us can, and she constantly reminds us to be more like Jesus. She is a part of all of our ministry, and God is using her to bless and encourage so many, though she cannot speak. There are hard days, loads of challenges, and uncertainties about the future, but through it all God reminds us that His ways are higher than ours. Truly His grace has been more than sufficient for us.
In all of our lives, there might be situations that we wish would change. We might wonder why God has allowed some hardships, and why we have to go through with them for years. Let’s be reminded that God’s grace is sufficient for us to go through every trial. Submitting to God’s will is the best place to be in.
Sometimes like Daniel we may come out unharmed, or like Jesus we may have to submit to the point of death. Like Moses, God reminds us that He can use us despite all our weakness or hard situations we are in. While praying, remember God will not always say, “Yes.” Sometimes the answer will be a “No,” like God told David and Moses. Sometimes it may be, “Wait.” Sometimes it may be, “It’s not yet time.” Don’t lose heart but keep on praying because God is working on us. Never become bitter when the answer is not in sight. Like David we should rise up and keep going and rejoice because God has better plans for us.
God allows trials to refine us, humble us and make us more like Him. No matter what your thorn is, know for sure that God’s grace is more than sufficient for us, and we can never exhaust His grace.
Doing God’s will and going God’s way may not be appealing to our flesh, it may be hard, it may not be what we want, but it is the safest place to be in, and only there, can we be a blessing to others.
Esther Collins
