If God Never Gives You What You Want, is God Alone Enough For You?
Do you see God as a dispenser of your wants or is being in relationship with God enough?
Have you ever prayed for something that was good and worthy, but God didn’t answer? Sometimes it is easy to feel like God never even heard you pray and has turned his back on your needs. The temptation to start slowly walking away from God and blaming him for your hardships can be an easy road to start traveling down. Don’t take the bait! God knows you and knit each part of you together in your mother’s womb. He knows EXACTLY what you need.
Psalm 139:13-14
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made
He knows better than you do what is best for you. Avoid the urge to throw a tantrum like a toddler who doesn’t get a cookie; instead trust that he is the wisest parent that ever was. God knows what you need most and is already providing that to you….even if it means he is walking beside you through a painful lesson. He is giving you EXACTLY what you need so that you can LIVE THE LIFE HE CREATED YOU FOR.
The bigger question if you have a tendency to get upset with God when your prayers aren’t answered is – are you making your wants an idol over God? Oh yeah, there it is! I said it! If you can so easily get frustrated with God for not providing what you want, has that thing become an idol that you have determined would provide you more happiness than your relationship with God?
If your happiness is now dependent on your prayers being answered then you may be in real danger of seeing God as the vending machine of your wishes. What happens when we put our hard earned cash into the vending machine and it doesn’t respond with the promised product…..we get upset. We did not get what we expected out of the exchange. Just a reminder here, God is not a vending machine. He is our all-knowing Father who isn’t always going to give us what we WANT, but more importantly he will always provide what we NEED. I want to be clear here, I am not just talking about necessary provisions to sustain our physical body; I am referring to God fashioning us into who he created us to be. Almost always this is painful process because we need to learn to trust HIM through the storms of life.
Sometimes when things are falling apart, they may actually be falling into place. - J. Lynn
Sometimes we question why God isn’t providing answers to our prayers when we are praying for good things, things that would honor God and bless those around us. When we pray for healing, wisdom, provision, understanding, etc. During these difficult trials we need to understand and find peace in the simple fact that we are not God. We cannot possibly comprehend all that God is doing in any given season of our life. If you haven’t experienced this yet as a Christian – YOU WILL. There will be a day when you will see all the crazy circumstances of your life come together for the very purpose you find yourself in at that moment. I dig deeper into this in God Uses All of Our Stuff.
Isaiah 55: 8-9, 11
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
We need to understand that just because God didn’t say yes, doesn’t mean that he didn’t answer. His answer very well may be “no” or “not yet”. Those are answers too! God gives his children all types of amazing blessings, even when it doesn’t feel like it. There are some periods of life where the good is harder to see, but if you are still here that means God isn’t done with you yet. You have not completed your God-given purpose yet. Be willing enough to be used in the time he is leading you to. Maybe your prayers don’t get answered how you wanted, but guess what God still knows better than we do. Be expectant of what God’s plans are for you in this season and the next. Learn everything you can from the circumstances that currently surround you so that you are fully prepared, strengthened and ready for what God has planned for you.
Our heavenly Father loves us and is making no mistakes in the blessings he provides and those that he doesn’t. We can trust him fully. When a prayer seemingly goes unanswered, take a look around and see what he might be doing through the circumstances. Trust that he has it all under control, cherish your personal relationship with the God of the Universe (HOW CRAZY IS THAT) and fret no more. God’s got you!
Isaiah 66:9
9 In the same way I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born,” says the Lord.
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2 thoughts on “If God Never Gives You What You Want, is God Alone Enough For You?”
Thank you so much for sharing! I am glad the post spoke to you & waiting for God’s timing is a struggle that we all face. I’ll be praying for you also. God Bless!
Very timely for me. I can pray, pray and pray again for alot of my family and friends and don’t see anything happening. Little did I know He was moving in their lives just the way He planned all along. His time not mine. I truely love living with Him beside me in all that I do. Now I need to pray He helps me with my words to others.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.