God really does work in mysterious ways. I've always known this but I didn't know it until recently. And it still continues to surprise me.
When we ask things of him, most of the time we ask with expectation of what it will look like when he answers our prayers. So when he does answer them, we may not notice. We get frustrated when it feels like our prayers haven't been heard but God is just operating in a different way than we are.
Recently I began asking him to "move" me. I've been very comfortable in my life so far and haven't stretched myself as a person at all. My walk with God is stronger than it's ever been, so I asked him to put me to work. I asked him to take me where he wants me to go and use me for something. I'm not sure what I expected the answer would like but I was sure that it would involve me actually having to physically go somewhere and do something dramatic that I'd never done before.
Instead, God put it heavily on my heart that our young adult group at church needs to change. At first, I didn't notice it. I was just suddenly very passionate about waking up the group and impressing upon them that they need to take their walk with Christ seriously. I was able to voice these thoughts with much more clarity and conviction than I usually am, I so I figured that the desire came from God but I still didn't put two and two together.
This morning I was praying and again I said, "Put me to work. Use me." And he gave me this feeling that said, "I am." And I realized what he had been doing. He is putting me to work! He is stretching me outside my comfort zone and telling me to do something I have never done before in my life: speak up for something important.
God does answer prayers. We just need to stop putting our human expectations on him and trust him, because we can't possibly understand the way he works. We just need to be patient and remember that he is good.
When we ask things of him, most of the time we ask with expectation of what it will look like when he answers our prayers. So when he does answer them, we may not notice. We get frustrated when it feels like our prayers haven't been heard but God is just operating in a different way than we are.
Recently I began asking him to "move" me. I've been very comfortable in my life so far and haven't stretched myself as a person at all. My walk with God is stronger than it's ever been, so I asked him to put me to work. I asked him to take me where he wants me to go and use me for something. I'm not sure what I expected the answer would like but I was sure that it would involve me actually having to physically go somewhere and do something dramatic that I'd never done before.
Instead, God put it heavily on my heart that our young adult group at church needs to change. At first, I didn't notice it. I was just suddenly very passionate about waking up the group and impressing upon them that they need to take their walk with Christ seriously. I was able to voice these thoughts with much more clarity and conviction than I usually am, I so I figured that the desire came from God but I still didn't put two and two together.
This morning I was praying and again I said, "Put me to work. Use me." And he gave me this feeling that said, "I am." And I realized what he had been doing. He is putting me to work! He is stretching me outside my comfort zone and telling me to do something I have never done before in my life: speak up for something important.
God does answer prayers. We just need to stop putting our human expectations on him and trust him, because we can't possibly understand the way he works. We just need to be patient and remember that he is good.
