Whose
Will?
By Karen D’Amore
“…Thy will be done…”
Matthew
6:10b (KJV)
My
husband and I were blindsided with a situation which was illogical and beyond
our control. Backed into a corner with no apparent solution, we threw ourselves
before the throne of God…desperate, frustrated and befuddled. We needed God’s
miraculous intervention as we explored our options and solutions.
Petitioning
our fellow prayer warriors, I sent out a message: “PRAYERS NEEDED FOR
MIRACULOUS GOD-HONORING INTERVENTION -
- GOD KNOWS THE DETAILS.” Discerning the
need to hear specifically from God alone, we kept the details of our
circumstances private. For weeks, friends encouraged us with their commitment
to pray while my husband and I continued to discuss, pray and wait for
resolution.
As
I pleaded with God in my personal prayers, I articulated my presumably perfect
solutions. Interestingly enough, God did not take any of my solutions into consideration.
My ideas and solutions were, of course, those which were most appealing to our
comfort zone and on the path of least resistance. I must confess I was a tad
miffed when the conflict didn’t get resolved my way.
In
the midst of my disappointment, I received a message from a friend who’d been
praying. She wrote, “I hope God answers your prayers.” I wanted to respond,
“Well, He didn’t!” But then I heard that small, still voice reciting portions
of The Lord’s Prayer. Conviction welled within my soul as I nearly choked on
those four small words, “Thy will be done!”
Our
logic-defying situation was no mystery to God. In fact, He had allowed
it to pass through our lives so it wasn’t beyond His ability to fix it
His way! As I reflected on The Lord’s Prayer, my prayers changed to: “Okay
Lord, what is Your will in this struggle? How do you desire for us to respond?
Is there a lesson? Please use this experience as a refining tool to conform us
into Your image.”
God
eventually resolved our situation in His way and according to His will. His
supernatural intervention produced miraculous results - - not in our circumstances - - but in us! A materialistic, earthly crisis
brought us to our knees and God penetrated our hearts for eternal results and
God-honoring change. My way would not have produced this!
God
is not a magic genie, to whom we present a laundry list of requests with our
preconceived answers. As Christ-followers, we must believe that God always
answers prayer…and trust Him to answer His way:
· “No, I love you too much!”
·
“Yes…but
you’ll have to wait!”
·
“Yes…but
not what you expected!”
·
“Yes…and
here’s more!”
·
“Yes…I
thought you’d never ask!”
GOING DEEPER:
1.
Whose will are you praying for?
FURTHER READING:
As
a retired police officer and married to husband Dan, Karen currently works as a
Manicurist at Craig Berns Salon and Foot Care Specialist at Shorehaven Senior
Facility. She’s on the Oakwood Women’s Ministry Special Events planning team.
