MONDAY, MARCH 5
“And going a little farther, He fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Remove this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.’”
Mark 14:35-36 ESV
MY UNANSWERED PRAYERS: WHEN GOD SAYS “NO”
A little boy wanted $100.00 very badly and prayed for weeks, but nothing happened. Then he decided to write God a letter requesting the $100.00. When the postal authorities received the letter to God, USA, they decided to send it to the President. The President was so amused that he instructed his secretary to send the little boy a $5.00 bill. The president thought this would appear to be a lot of money to a little boy. The little boy was delighted with the $5.00 bill and sat down to write a thank-you note to God, which read: Dear God: Thank you very much for sending the money. However, I noticed that for some reason you sent it through Washington, D.C., and, as usual, those turkeys deducted $95.00 in taxes.
There have been times in our lives when we feel like God’s response to our prayer request must have gone through Washington DC before we received His answer back. One of the ways God answers prayers is by saying “no.” Jesus asked God the Father to remove the cup of suffering He was about to experience through the death on the Cross. The Father’s response was no. Jesus was the perfect Son who prayed perfect prayers but was told “no” on this one. God’s plan and will required the answer to be no. God’s plan was to use His Son’s suffering to save us.
If God will tell His only Son no, He will also tell us no. Ruth Graham, wife of evangelist Billy Graham once said, “God has not always answered my prayers. If He had, I would have married the wrong man several times!” We may not always understand or know God’s plan but we have to trust when He tells us know that He has a plan. For Ruth Graham, God’s plan was Billy Graham. When is the last time you felt like God told you no? Were you able to pray like Jesus, “Yet, not what I will but what You will?” Pray now and ask God to help you accept His will in situations where your will is different from His will.
