Be
Careful What You Ask For!
By Susan Klein
“He causes His sun
to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain
on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Matthew
5:45b (ESV)
Have you ever prayed for God to give you a tragedy? I know,
crazy, right?!! We typically pray for deliverance from our difficult
circumstances, not ask for them. Who in their right mind would ever ask God to
deliberately give them a crisis? I did. Once.
It was early in my marriage, and it felt as if my husband and
I were in separate lifeboats, drifting away from each other. I was scared. I
had heard that tragedies had the potential to bring people closer together (or
tear them completely apart), so I prayed for one, hoping for the former. I was
also very new to my faith and couldn’t nearly grasp the power of prayer. Maybe
that’s a good thing because I prayed simply and earnestly, like a child would.
That said, be careful what you ask for! In His infinite wisdom, God granted my
request.
My husband and I walked through the great tragedy of losing of
our baby girl; however, the amazing things God did through that trial could
never have been anticipated. He brought the two of us closer together than we’d
ever been, He drew me nearer to my own parents, He allowed me to give testimony
of His grace to countless doctors and nurses, and He showed tremendous love
through our local church body. I gained a deeper love for and understanding of
God as He showed me Himself in ways I’d have never seen without walking through
that painful period.
In the song, “Bring The Rain” by Mercy Me, the chorus says:
Bring me joy, bring
me peace
Bring the chance to
be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll
be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain [1]
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain [1]
Sometimes, we need a
little rain to gain perspective and get our focus back on the One who truly
cares. Oh sure, we all love to sing His praises during times of joy and peace,
but when we can belt out praises to God during the most difficult tragedies,
imagine the glory He receives!
What are you asking
for? Will it bring Him glory?
GOING DEEPER:
1.
Could you welcome tragedies, or even
pray, “Jesus, bring the rain”? (Listen to the song by clicking HERE.)
2. Spend some time looking at the responses of people
in Scripture like Joseph, or Daniel, or Paul in the midst of their trials.
FURTHER READING:
[1] “Jesus Bring The Rain,” Coming Up To Breathe, by Mercy Me, INO Records, 2006
Susan is married to Mark, and has two adult children. She enjoys teaching Bible studies, writing, and tutoring with the Literacy Council. She is a member of the Peace Team at Oakwood.
Susan is married to Mark, and has two adult children. She enjoys teaching Bible studies, writing, and tutoring with the Literacy Council. She is a member of the Peace Team at Oakwood.
