The Irony of Prayer: Pursuing Wants, Receiving Needs

This world will dissatisfy you every chance it gets. The life, job, person, and things you know you deserve don't want you as badly as you desire. It's not what you have or lack. It's 100% you. You submitted, committed, quit, and rededicated your efforts with a new plan, only for it to fail again. What's it called when you do the same thing repeatedly, expecting a different outcome? I know it has a name, but instead of finding that definition. We try again. Even when we get tired and say I'm only doing this one more time, we try two more “agains.”

The irony is everything you’ve prayed for is being manifested. Everything you have asked God for is provided in overflow. Yet you are frustrated when he answers prayers for needs to cover wants, and you still aren’t satisfied with what God is doing. We call circumstances punishments when we don't want to be accountable for the cycle we repeat.

Reflection allows one to replay the videos of life as they are or in your perception. You choose your perception when anger is the impact. You recognize your flaws when it's too late. We pick our next new thing, person, toy, or project as the therapy session; you compromise for the work required to submit your life, attitude, and intentions to God to lead without your help or advice.

It's easy to choose your right when everyone else is wrong. It's even easier to expect everyone else to accommodate your wants when you can't meet your needs. When peace beyond your understanding is the goal, and the revelation comes in your pursuit for clarity, God removes all obstacles in y’alls way. Even if you need no one and can't trust anyone, God will show you with him. You can do anything your heart desires, but most importantly, where his will leads.

Biblical Context:

Philippians 4:6-7 (New International Version):

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

3 Points to drive the message home:

1. Transformation Through Trials: Emphasize how challenges and disappointments can be transformative. This focuses on the idea that each struggle or failure is an opportunity for growth and deepening one’s relationship with God, rather than a setback.

2. The Power of Perseverance in Faith: Highlight the strength found in persistent faith, especially when outcomes are not as expected. This point underscores the importance of continuing to trust and seek God’s guidance, even when faced with repeated disappointments or unmet desires.

3. Divine Perspective Over Personal Perception: Encourage a shift from a self-centered viewpoint to a God-centered perspective. This involves recognizing that our understanding is limited and that true contentment comes from seeing our lives and our struggles through the lens of faith, trusting that God’s plan is greater than our immediate perceptions.

Be Blessed

The MenUStree