I think that we often forget that God doesn’t always answer our prayers the way that we would want Him to. Don’t get me wrong, He always answers our prayers, He just has three answers that He uses: yes, no, and wait. We more than not pray with only the first answer in our minds, only thinking that God will grant us another wish that we have, that we have somehow disguised enough to look like a prayer to those around us. But, God is not fooled. He knows our heart more than we know it, and sees right through our false intentions. I am just as much a culprit of this as anyone. I see something that I want, that I think God wants for me to, and I race after it, sending arrow prayers to Heaven, sure that God will give me the answer that I want. But, as I’m learning more and more, what we want doesn’t always line up with what God wants. In fact, I would venture to say that at least 75% of the time, what we run after, both on a daily basis, and in a long term capacity, isn’t what God is calling for us to do.
I had this experience just a couple months ago. I was running after a route on TWR that I thought for sure God would want me on, never really stopping to ask Him. I prayed so hard that God would provide financially and that every other thing would work out. Looking back on it, even with being only a few months removed from it, I can clearly see where God was trying to get my attention, and I was ignoring Him. It was only when I received the call from TWR offices telling me that I was being removed from that route due to not meeting the financial deadline, that I stopped racing towards what I wanted, and started asking God what HE wanted. You see, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that He was calling me to TWR, I simply wanted it to be an immediate call, no waiting involved. That weekend, I unplugged from life and spent it with Jesus and my family, two things that I had been grossly neglecting in my frenzy to meet all my deadlines for the January route.
It’s such a breath of fresh air when you spend time with Jesus. It’s like when you’re learning how to swim, and you struggle for what seems like eternity to remember to kick and move your arms, that you forget to breathe. You’re caught up in trying to move forward towards the end, that you forget the most important part of swimming, continuing to breathe as you swim. I think that that is how the Christian life is too. People trying their hardest to give enough money to the local missions fund, do enough church activities, and hang around their Christian friends, but they forget to spend time with Jesus daily; they forget to breathe. And, just like how I got distracted from the reason of my drive, and was getting nowhere, Christians, forget their purpose in life, and become mediocre Christians, never moving forward with what God is calling for them to do.
I am so glad that Jesus knocked me on my bottom, and reminded me of who was in charge, and what my purpose was. It was not until I took time to really listen to Him, that He showed me that His answer was, and is, wait. Wait until August. Wait for Him to work everything out. Wait. And breathe. I wonder what life would look like to Christians if we chose to wait and breathe as well. Our lives, and perhaps even the world, might possibly change.
