What happens when we pray and things don’t go the way we planned?
When the unexpected creeps in, I have a choice. I can humble my heart and give up my manipulation, or I can struggle against God and seek control.
When I choose to try to control my circumstances it’s rebellion working in my heart. I’ve chosen this. It only ever left me feeling overwhelmed and lost.
There is a great scripture in Ephesians about prayer that we often quote, but we fail to really see and apply the second half.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20 NIV
More than we could even imagine, that’s crazy! We take this amazing promise and apply it over all of our circumstances and don’t get me wrong, God is able to change our circumstances and often chooses to do so because of His abundant grace for us. But He is really interested in us being changed by “His power at work within us”. And sometimes that requires that our circumstances don’t change.
I love how the message translation phrases this:
“God can do anything, you know—far more than you
could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.”
God often chooses to work His miracles deeply within us, and I’m so thankful that He works gently. God can totally change our circumstances and increase our faith, and He can equally in kindness choose to let our circumstances soften us for change within us.
My simple question today is which is He doing right now?
Can you recognize His kindness in both?