I knew something was amiss. “We need to take a few more pictures, Mrs. Williams. Then the doctor would like to talk to you.”
All I could pray was, “Help me, Lord! Don’t let
it be anything serious.”
But, as it turned out, it was serious—triple
negative, aggressive breast cancer.
God didn’t answer my prayer the way I wanted—He
did something even better. He taught me that I can trust Him. While I imagined a
process riddled with fear, anxiety, and ghastly side effects, He brought me
safely through with good health, a relationship with a team of compassionate
doctors, and best of all, a story to share with others who are facing such a
diagnosis. His answer was exceedingly abundantly above all that I asked or
thought.
No matter whether our prayers are drawn-out and
detailed or consist of nothing but the prayer I prayed in the imaging
department, we have expectations of what a “good” answer will look like. What
about when the outcome is NOT what we want? What about when the wisdom and excellence
of His answer isn’t obvious?
Ephesians 3:20-21 assures us that no matter how
well-intentioned our version of what God’s response to our prayers should be,
His actual answer goes extraordinarily and lavishly beyond our wildest dreams.
Why? Scripture gives many reasons we can count
on Ephesians 3:20-21:
- God loves us. (1 John
3:1)
- God has a plan.
(Jeremiah 29:11)
- God knows what we need.
(Matthew 6:8b)
- God is generous. (2
Corinthians 9:8)
- God is powerful.
(Ephesians 1:19-20)
- God is good. (Psalm
119:68)
- God’s ways are wiser;
His thoughts are higher. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
When we pray, we can be assured that we are
heard, we are loved, we are answered—in ways far beyond what our human minds
can imagine. Isaiah 45:3 says,
I will give you
treasures hidden in the darkness—secret riches.
I will do this so
you may know that I am the Lord,
the God of
Israel, the one who calls you by name.
Isaiah 45:3
Be encouraged!
Pam
©2018 Pamela D. Williams
