Thank you for sharing!

When your prayers don’t get answered the way you thought they would, it can be a struggle not to get upset with God.

Where is He? Doesn’t He care? Why would He tell me no when this is a good thing? Shouldn’t He want this for me too?

I’ve been there more times than I’d like to admit. Just when I feel like I can trust God, in swoops another wave of doubt and I’m forced to process all these thoughts again.

I’ve prayed the same prayers over and over only for nothing to change. It’s discouraging and it leaves you feeling like God isn’t listening. Or worse, maybe He doesn’t even care.

One of the most special moments on my wedding day was when my then pastor’s wife requested we all pray right before I walked down the aisle. We all gathered in a circle and one by one I listened to the most impactful women in my life say sweet prayers over me and the marriage I was about to walk in to.

This moment meant so much to me and made me even more excited to walk down that aisle and start a new life with the man I loved.

But my marriage with David was challenging as soon as we took those vows. Dating him was fun and easy. But something happened to him when we got married. It was almost like a snap of a finger and he was suddenly a different person.

Day by day I watched him grow colder towards me.

I would try to draw out what was bothering him and I could see him just stuff it down and act like everything was fine. But I knew something was wrong. I just couldn’t figure out what.

I think of those wedding day prayers often and question why God didn’t bless them. If the Bible says, “Ask and it shall be given to you.” (Matt. 7:7), then why am I lying on a tear-soaked pillow grieving over the life I thought I’d have with my husband?

My answer came to me as I watched my niece learn how to say please.

Whenever she would ask for something, my sister-in-law would tell Addie that she needed to say please. When Addie would say it, her mother gladly gave her what she asked for. But in her innocent little eyes, Addie started to think that she could ask her mother for anything and if she included the word please, then she would receive whatever she asked for.

So when she would ask for something that a barely one-year old shouldn’t have, she’d say please and expectantly look at her mom to give it to her. When her mother would say no, it was like it was the end of the world. Little Addie would just repeat the word please over and over as if to say, “I don’t understand why you’re not giving it to me! I’m saying PLEASE!”

Watching her desperate little cries made me think of how I often go to God in the same way. Confident that if I’m faithful and do what is right, then He will just hand me whatever I ask for.

But just as Addie didn’t understand why she couldn’t have what would’ve hurt her, in my desperate cries, I often don’t understand why God doesn’t give me what I ask for.

We all want to give everything good to our kids. I love making Bennett happy and it brings me joy to give him what he wants and to see him happy. But as parents, we know that giving our children everything they want will not necessarily benefit them and some things can be harmful. There are certain things we know and understand that they just don’t. We can see the dangers in things that look innocent to them.

God is the same way with His children. He understands so much more than we do and can see what’s ahead more clearly than we can. He could be protecting you from your request because what you’re asking for may not be as good as you think it is.

I’m sure that when you send up those desperate cries pleading for Him to do something specific, He’s in pain knowing that you don’t understand why He isn’t doing what you ask Him to do.

He’s not a mean God. He wants the best for His children.

What you may see as God rejecting you, may just be Him not being willing to give you anything but His best.

Have patience in God’s timing and trust that He does have your best interest at heart. At times it may not feel like it. You may feel like a child so confused at why you’re being told no.

But if we stay faithful, trust God, and do our best to remain in His will, I believe that you will understand in time why you couldn’t have what you fervently prayed for.

Thank you for sharing!