I had someone the other day ask me “how it felt to not have my prayers get answered”. I was a bit taken back and I didn’t really understand what they were asking me. When I asked more questions, essentially they were referring to the fact that they knew I wanted my family and marriage restored for a long time and that it never happened. They assumed that God had not answered my prayers at all in this process, and it made me think about perception versus reality.
God Answers ALL Prayers
One of the biggest things that we fail to understand is that God’s ways are better than our ways. God‘s plans for us are even better than what we ask for. And we need to remember that all things that happen in our lives, both good and bad, are allowed to pass through his fingers into our world. That begs the question why do bad things happen to good people. The best way that I can explain it is this:
I asked for God to give me strength when I was at my weakest. God gave me more trials and more struggles to the point where I thought I would break,. He did this to build my strength. Just like an athlete must continue to lift weights and build muscle if they want to be stronger, we must endure and overcome if we want to be strong in the lord.
I asked for God to provide for me and my family and he allowed someone to take every nickel of my life savings that it took 46 years to acquire so that I would be 100% dependent on Him. God is so good that he knew I needed that so that I would in the future remember and cherish every client, every check, and every nickel that he deposited into my pocket and bank accounts. I no longer have anxiety over how bills will get paid because God is the ultimate provider!
I asked God to help me become a better father for years. God then allowed my children to be taken away and not even allowed to see or hug them for what seemed like forever, so that when he returned them to me through acts of his own miracles, that I would think and see them differently and cherish every moment with them. I’m grateful for His way, not mine.
I asked God to give me back my family. God in his infinite wisdom give me a huge family. A family with major needs. A family of brothers who struggle with the same things that I struggle with and worse. And in that family we have learned how to provide for each other, care for each other, love each other, pray for each other and build each other up so that we can become the men that God wants us to be. I never even had that in my blood family. God’s way is better.
Summary
I could’ve easily during any one of these situations sat back and felt like God didn’t care about me. That’ old Vernon thinking. For years I was that person that felt like God wasn’t answering my prayers, but what I have realized in this process now is that I had a major perception versus reality issue. The only reality that matters is God’s reality, not our emotions or opinions. God‘s truth trumps our emotions. I feel that I couldn’t understand that this is true until God broke me down into someone who was willing to finally hear His truth and his word. As for me and me house, we will serve the lord and I will see His Will be done!
