In “Getting Honest With God,” the late Mark Littleton talked about Hannah and her prayer of relinquishment (1 Samuel1). Hannah prayed many years for a son. Finally she told God that if He gave her a son, she would dedicate him to the Lord’s service for his lifetime. I can relate to Hannah in her prayers for a son, since I also prayed for many years before finally becoming pregnant.
I’m sure many people have likewise prayed for years for something they were certain was within God’s will, and yet they wait…and wait…Sometimes they eventually receive what they want, but sometimes never.
We might wonder, ‘since God is a loving father, why doesn’t he grant this request which “must certainly be within his will.” ‘
‘Why wouldn’t he give a baby to a wonderful couple?’
‘Why wouldn’t he heal a marriage for two Christians?’
‘Why wouldn’t he grant a wish for success in a God-honoring job?’
God’s ways are “past finding out” as it says in Job 36:26 (KJV). We don’t understand. But we can know from the Bible that God is the loving Father of those who have become his children through faith (See John 1:12-13). We can know from Romans 8:28 that He works in all things for good for those who love him. Yet, although He loves to give good gifts to His children, He does not always give us what we request.
God is more concerned about our character than our earthly pleasures. Sometimes, God allows his children to suffer in order to develop the fruit of the Spirit in us (see Gal. 5:22). It may be a refining process. Sometimes the suffering helps us to cry out to God and grow closer to him. I believe that is what happened to me forty plus years ago. Having been denied the deepest desire of my heart, I grew more in love with Christ, desiring Him to be the Lord of my life. God thereby granted me a greater joy.
We can trust God to do what is best. He sent His Son to provide forgiveness for our sin, and to enable us to become part of His family. If we thank and praise Him for that and honor Him as Lord in all we say or do, we can have joy whether our requests are granted or not. Father God knows best. ********************************************
I have six books for sale on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The first, Rescued by God’s Mercy, tells some of my life story. It includes portions of the book of Isaiah which impacted my life.
Songs & Poems from a Yielded Heart includes many of my compositions which express praise and other things I’ve learned in relationship with my Lord.
The Runaway is a “parable” of how God feels about His rebellious children.
Blessed through the Years is a collection of short stories and articles which I have previously had published in Christian magazines. It includes a few children’s stories.
Annalisa’s Journey Through Grief is a novel about a teen whose parents were killed in an airplane crash traveling home from a mission trip. Besides grief, she has to deal with a bully.
Divine Claims of Jesus Christ, and Why They Should Matter to You uses Jesus’ own words plus his miracles, parables, prophecies, and statements of others about him to show who he is.
My late husband’s teen novel, Forever Hopeful, is also still for sale.
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