Have you ever received answers to the prayers you did not pray?

Prayers you did not pray? Think about it. There are some prayers we would not pray for ourselves. There are some prayers we cannot pray for ourselves.

These are the prayers of struggle, pain and suffering.

I mean, who prays, “Lord, give me cancer!” Who prays, “Lord, let my marriage fail! Let my spouse leave me”? Or perhaps, “Lord give me a drug addict for a son.”

No, indeed, those prayers would seem strange and contrary to our way. We pray for good things; we want the treasures of life to come our way—health and wealth. We want good and happy families.

We want good stories. Maybe we don’t expect fairy tales, but we all want a good romance, action-adventure, or drama movie—no tragedies, please!

I remember years ago when Dan was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Many asked him how he was doing and even, was he angry with God? Was he asking, “Why me?” His reply was simple, “Why not me?”

Despite prayers to the contrary, Dan’s life ebbed away. Yet in the fading light of his life, he spoke with amazing clarity of the blessing of the tumor and how it made him treasure the wonder and the miracle of life—every day.

It was a prayer he did not pray, and the answer he did not ask for. Yet through it, God revealed special depths of his goodness and grace.

What about you? How have you experienced answers to prayers you did not pray?

Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash

Bill High

Bill is CEO & Founder of Vyne Legacy. He works with families to equip them with tools to build multigenerational legacies, and he teaches givers and financial advisers on transformational biblical generosity. He is the co-author with David Green of Giving It All Away and Getting It All Back Again: The Way of Living Generously.

Published November 29, 2021

Topics: A Life of Faith

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