A Surprising Prayer – For God’s Will To Be Done – Not Mine!
I’m lousy at knowing what is good for me. I used to look across a crowded barroom and see what I thought was “God’s will” for me. And if God would only give me that person – I would be okay.
Most of the time, I never got the person from across the bar. (Thanks be to God, but that’s a whole other story!) On the other hand, sometimes, my ‘dream’ did come true. I got what I thought was “God’s will” for me – and it turned out to be quite the disaster.
It wasn’t quite what I thought it would be and in fact, it was most detrimental. (Or at least an opportunity to grow spiritually!)
Or, there was the time when I got what I wanted. I wanted to have a child. The infertility was killing my soul. I begged and begged to be able to have one. And again, I did get my wish. Except I didn’t just have one child, I had two children – twins. (Be careful what you wish for.) And yet, for all the begging I did, thinking that if I could just get what I thought I wanted, I’d be okay. Something would change and getting what I wanted would make me okay.
Um, yeah not so much. I mean, I love my children, but like the old lady who swallowed the spider to catch the fly…It didn’t fix me. It only made my life more complicated. And even though I am grateful and wouldn’t change it – I do have to confess, it wasn’t necessarily good for me.
Thus, I learned that getting what I think I want is not always what I need.
So I’ve learned to use a prayer that seems counter-intuitive, but it really shows that I am willing to be open to whatever is best for me. Because history has shown me repeatedly that I dont’ necessarily know what is best…
So, here’s the prayer:
“God, save me from getting what I think I want. And replace it with what You would have for me.”
I pray this prayer every day. I stopped praying for what I want, and replaced it with asking for what God wants for me. In this way, I am less in danger of asking for something that is not good for me. I can have peace knowing that I’m asking for exactly what God wants me to have.
Did you ever get what you asked for and it wasn’t the answer you thought it would be?
