There are not many guarantees in life.  But this is one of them!

I remember driving with my young family, don’t rember exactly where we were.  I just remember the face of the burly policeman.  As usual, I was in a hurry. There was really only one way I knew to get to where we were going.  As we approached the intersection, I saw police officers directing traffic straight on.  I needed to turn left.  When coming up in line, I turned my left signal on.  Not sure what I was thinking, but surely this guy would make an exception for ME.  As I entered the intersection, he directed me straight with a motion of authority and impatience.  I made my appeal through the windshield, but he just shook his head NO! and with sharp action pointed forward.  No explanation!  He didn’t even ask to hear WHY I needed to turn left or even show interest in hearing my reasoning!  I thought, “there is just no call for that kind of rudeness… my taxes pay his salary for goodness sakes!!!”  I was just steamed over not being able to go the way I wanted.

Later I found out that there had been a train car spill and toxic gas was released on the route I wanted to take.  Can you imagine what would have happened to my family had I gotten my way?  Why would I be so biligerant with someone who was just trying to save our lives?  What if he hadn’t been there to direct traffic?  He knew something I didn’t know and had he taken the time to give every driver a detailed explanation it would have taken hours to get through that interesection.  The real issue with me though, was that I felt this officer was demanding his will and I didn’t “trust” him to have my best interests at heart.

Isn’t this how we feel about God sometimes when our prayers are answered with a “No”?  When we don’t get what we are praying for or when we are praying for it?  We begin to feel as though He is withholding from us just to teach us discipline or maybe just because He wants to.  God isn’t willing to settle for less than BEST in our lives… even when we are!   He always has our best interests at heart.  And He certainly isn’t going to give us BAD.

Here is the guarantee… GOD WILL ANSWER EVERY SINGLE PRAYER WE PRAY.

It just won’t always be with a “Yes”, but He will answer.

One of my favorite movie lines is from Bruce Almighty.  Bruce is talking with the Morgan Freeman version of God.  Bruce says, “There were so many prayers, I just gave them all what they want.”  To which God replies, “Yeah, but since when does anyone have a clue about what they really want?”

Isn’t it truth?  Looking back, I can really thank God for answering “No” to some of my prayers.  Y, N, NY.  Yes, No, or Not Yet.

It’s awesome when it’s Yes, and Not Yet just means we need to press in, pray hard, and think long.

And if we will change our perspective on “NO”, we will even be more grateful for that answer.  When God says, “No”, it is because what we are asking for isn’t HIS BEST.  He is trying to direct us around the better, or good, or bad that we would settle for.  No means, keep searching, come in closer, raise your expectations, and don’t give up.  What we have to search for, pray hard for, and endure for is appreciated so much more and fills our life with so much more meaning.  Do you think God has a little more knowledge and understanding about our future than we do?  So, TRUST His answers.  God has abundant life for us, He has already blessed us with every blessing in Christ, but He can’t answer 100% of the prayers we don’t pray.

Don’t let BEST slip by un-prayed for!