God has given us instruction and He has also given the Spirit to lead us. But not every course of action is dictated for us. We make plans based on our desires, interests, goals and preferences.
How should we approach praying for our preferred outcome?
There is one account in the Bible that never fails to give me pause. King Hezekiah, while on his deathbed, pleaded with God for healing. His reign had been a good one, predominantly following God, yet now he wanted this miracle for himself. Isaiah pronounced that God would give the king more years - but after his death his people would suffer. His response is profoundly sad in its selfishness.
“The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.”
For a king that started out following God, he failed at the end and became about his own comfort and desires over the interest of his people. God granted his request, but it came at a great price.
Sometimes I plead for something – and that’s ok! I’m taking concerns and requests to the only true source of repair and healing. But I must remember that it is His divine will that I really want – even if the short term carries pain.
Heal my loved one. Open this door of opportunity. Take away this pain.
Please, God. I’m begging. …. But if you have another plan, I want Your way, not mine.
I wonder what God would have done if Hezekiah had cried out for deliverance while trusting God’s plan. What if his request was for his people and not for himself? I don’t know if God would have healed him or not. But it seems likely that the people would not have suffered and he would not have earned an asterisk at the end of his reign.
God delights in answering our prayers, yet His plan is beyond our understanding. When I come to Him with a specific request, let it be the prayer of my heart and not just my lips to say, “but Your will, not mine.”
Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done. Luke 22:42
