WELL, I DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING
My son loves to wrestle with me. Sometimes we arm wrestle. Sometimes I’m putting him in a headlock. He knows he’s going to get beat, and yet he starts it up on a regular basis all in good fun. I tell him no matter how big he gets (he’s fortunate to be 13 now) that I will always be able to take him down, and once I’m through with him, his daddy gets a turn. Invariably during our roughhousing I’ll do something my son isn’t expecting in order to “dominate,” and he will say, “Well, I didn’t see that coming.”
My prayer life is a lot like that. I pray with a burdened heart for God to heal this person, fix this person, resolve a situation, or something along those lines, and when He starts to heal that person, fix this person, resolve that situation, He does it in such an unorthodox way that I say, “Well, I didn’t see that coming.”
Sometimes healing that person means giving them a perfect body without pain in heaven. Sometimes fixing a person means He deals with me, my flaws and weaknesses, and my attitude which can be hefty at times. Sometimes fixing a situation means exposing sin and lies to break a situation down to what is true, so He can restore a relationship, a Christian or bring someone to Christ.
In the past few years, I’ve prayed some pretty big, bold, complicated prayers regarding burdens in my life, and two times God has answered in ways I would never have imagined. Why would He allow a marriage to be shattered in order to restore fellowship within the marriage and with Him? Could it be He was dealing with a couple of hard-headed folks which may or may not have had hard hearts? Why would He remove a livelihood? Maybe to remove those who were not encouraging spiritually and was otherwise dragging you into the gutter.
Before you get angry at God for not answering your prayers the way you wanted, better ask yourself some questions:
1. What was the end result for which you were praying?
2. Did you in any way try to handle this problem, person or situation yourself? How did that turn out?
3. Why did you turn it over to God if you weren’t going to trust His hand, His method, His will?
4. Do you know as much as God?
5. Is there a possibility there are things going on that you are not privy to or facts you aren’t aware of? I mean, are you all-knowing like God? Because if you are, you should be rich, the most financially stable person on the face of the earth.
6. God asked Job who he was to question Him. I ask you the same thing. Who are you to question God? Who am I to question God’s dealings, motives or plan? We are simply to obey.
So when things start going sideways in the situation or with the person for whom you are praying, let me make a few recommendations based on my experience.
1. Get a grip on your lip. Stop talking. People talk because they think they have so many important things to say. You can’t possibly see God’s hand moving and working if you are too busy running your mouth.
2. Open your eyes, your mind, and your heart. When things go sideways and it’s not of your sinful doing, it means God is up to something, and you should pay attention.
3. Take notes. Journal. Journal. Journal. The Israelites would stack stones to remember what God had done in certain places, so they could tell their children and their children’s children. Journaling is your way of stacking stones.
4. Wait. DO NOT MEDDLE. God does NOT need your help…at all.
5. Move and speak only as the Holy Spirit leads.
6. Be grateful. Find things to be grateful for along the way. Praise God during the wait. 1 Thessalonians 5:18, In everything give thanks.
7. Trust. You trusted God enough to take it to Him; trust Him enough to leave it there. Trust that He has gone before you and is already preparing the way (Isaiah 42:16).
I could go on with this list, but these are the top 7 things to do when things appear to go sideways when you pray.
Pray Big. Pray Bold. Trust Greater. And Watch God do His thing. Then TESTIFY.