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Matthew 7:9-11; “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”
One of the most difficult things to accept is when God says no to our requests; when we cry out to God, go on our knees, fast, cry and pray and the answer we receive is No. Nothing is more heartbreaking than for Heaven’s doors to be shut and you get silence as an answer.
It’s very normal for us to believe that the only answer we should receive is yes and for us to expect that when we make a request to God it has to be acceded to just by virtue of us praying. During these moments where we reach out to God, we all make all sorts of promises, we become traders rather than followers.
How many times have you said this prayer “Lord I will never do this or that; I promise that I will do the following if only you will hear my prayer and allow me to have this . . .” When we are confronted with difficulty we become the most reasonable and pious beings one could ever imagine, we are ready to forsake all else and follow.
I suppose we treat God much like how we treat everything else where we inherently believe we can manipulate our way to an outcome. It’s often easier in the world we live in to promise to do this or that or to smile our way out of situations or use words to get desired results.
What we sometimes forget is that God is all sovereign, all powerful and all seeing. I think His words to the prophet Jeremiah aptly describe how He sees and relates to us, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart”
He knows us. He knew us before, He knows us today and He knows us tomorrow, after all He is our divine creator. I think the most apt example to give is that of a parent and a child.
The next time your prayers are not answered as per your desire, do not be angry and threaten to give up on Him, work backwards and recall all the other times He has declined a request, you may discover that the end result of that response was ultimately something good. God sees everything, He sees beyond what you and I can possibly imagine. Be blessed
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Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter