I prayed for severals days for God to give me something I wanted quite badly. And it seemed like He was going to give it to me, but before the day was even over, he took it back. I almost feel tortured by this.
Why does God do this to us? Why?
It is said that the Lord answers prayer in three ways: Yes, No, and Not yet. Consider that your torture may be self-inflicted. Christ, in the garden of Gethsemane, (Luke 22:42) prayed thus: “
Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”
His human nature desired strongly to avoid the sacrifice. He asked for it, so it should have been given Him, had He stopped His prayer at that point. But what disastrous results would have come about! There would have been no sacrifice and no redemption of man. His Divinity, being stronger and possessing perfect wisdom, submitted to the Will of the Father. If Christ defers to the Father, even submitting to torture and death, so must we. Christ remains our perfect example in everything. And so, we must also deny ourselves and our desires.
Modern prayer is limited by our desire for instant gratification. Do we not sometimes think that the instant answering of prayer both reveals and bolsters our faith? Actually, it can become a demand for a sign, and we know what Christ thinks about that. If signs are constantly given, is faith actually present? Faith persists even in the lack of signs - especially in the lack
So, desire that which the Lord desires for you. If you spend your life in prayer for this one thing, and never receive it, you can only imagine that it was not to be yours. If you begin to pray that His will be done, be ready to praise Him for both the good and the bad that come your way, as they represent His will for you. God is perfecting your soul in all of this, even the denials.
We hear much about faith. What about trust? Place your trust in Him Who loves you with an unfathomable love. This life passes quickly. Eternity spent in joyful adoration of God in His Kingdom is worth many lifetimes of suffering and unanswered prayer!
Christ’s peace be with you.