03.23.09
Illegal Use of Force
I hate to admit it but I really get mad when things don’t go my way. That is when most of us begin praying. We ask God that if he will only do _______ (Fill in the blank) then we will be _______ (Insert whatever religious, godly or pious action here). What are we trying to do here? I would submit to you that this is nothing better than a spiritual begging at best or a full blown spiritual fit at its worst.
What are we really trying to do here? I was reminded of what my true motive may be when I read a blog piece by a friend of mine named Patrick Oden. We try to force God to do our will. I do this way too often when I look at my own experience. Yet when I look at my life during various episodes of disappointment I realize I was bargaining with God. I got mad when I didn’t get what I wanted. Looking back, I am reminded of Garth Brooks’ song “Unanswered Prayers”. In the song, he thanks God for unanswered prayers because he ended up with something wonderful in the end despite not getting what he was asking for in his prayers at the time.
Recent events have made me realize that sometimes we have to just let go of what we want and just trust God to provide.
