God's Will Be Done


 

May the Lord grant all your requests Psalm 20:5b

Read that verse again. “May the Lord grant all your requests.” Hm... At first that seems great, doesn't it? I know I've read it many, many times because it is in Psalm 20 which includes verse 7, one of my favorites, “Some trust in chariots, some in horses but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” I love that verse! I go back to it a lot and often read the whole psalm so clearly, I've read verse 5 before. Today, however, those words really grabbed my attention. Instead of thinking, “Yes! Please grant all my requests!” I was overtaken with dread.

What if God really did answer all of my requests? Not the well thought out, continually prayed requests that really might do some good or be in my best interest or that of a loved one but what if He granted all of my requests? As I thought about it several small, petty, self-serving requests came to mind. Then, horrifyingly, some bigger things, like saying that I want one of my children to have children who treat him just as he has treated his father and me. What if God granted that request? Then at least one of my sweet grandchildren would have a hard, angst filled road in front of them and I do not want that! That request was spoken, sad to say, more than once, in the heat of the moment, from the pain of heartbreak. No, I do not truly want God to grant that request.

How about the off hand thought that an inclement weather day, just ugly enough to close the schools could occur? So God says yes to me, because after all I just want an extra day off. What of the people who are hit the hardest by that weather? Do I truly want people to lose their homes or family members so that I can be lazy for a day? Of course not but I'm only thinking as far as I can see, about my tiny world not the world at large.

I appreciate the psalmist sentiment. I do want God to grant my heartfelt prayers for people who are ill, for my loved ones to be safe and have joy, to have an inviting and infectious spirit that will draw others to Him. Those are great requests. Some simple ones are okay too. Like, please let the dinner I'm making for my family be delicious and please them. Help me find someone who needs encouragement and then encourage them.

Oh.... maybe the trouble is not with the verse after all. Maybe the trouble is with my requests. Yeah, you saw that already didn't you? Still, I know that I will make sad, sorry, pathetic requests that should be answered no. I will also make requests that are seemingly great but may not be in God's eyes. Any prayer for healing is good, right? Maybe. The truth is, I do not know the big plan. Only God can see the whole picture.

I am hoping to be more mindful of how and what I request. At the end of the day, I know that God says yes for a reason and no for a reason and that His way is right, good and best.


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