There have been times in my life when I have wanted or desired something so much, I was emotionally crushed when things didn’t go my way. I would plan and scheme, working details out in my head to achieve my goals. Reworking money, schedules, living arrangements ... whatever was required to accommodate what I believed I "needed" to be happy or fulfilled.

Pushing my own agenda, believing with all my heart it was something God wanted me to have or to do has been status quo most of my life. I often would be gracious enough to include God in my plans by throwing out a petitioning prayer after I’d already worked out the important strategies—asking for anything I wanted in Jesus' name and expecting God to honor my faith.

The difficulty always came when things didn’t work out. I would usually blame it on a lack of faith on my part or the enemy trying to prevent me from doing God’s will. More often than not I would tenaciously go after the desire of my heart anyway, eventually resulting in a disastrous outcome.

The fact of the matter is sometimes God says no to our self perceived needs or desires—even those that would honestly bring Him glory—if it’s not in His plan or purpose for our life. It’s taken me a long time to understand that simply because I’ve "always wanted" or "felt a calling of the Holy Spirit" or "deeply desired" to do something or go somewhere or whatever it may be, that doesn’t mean it’s God’s design for my life.

It’s got nothing to do with having or not having enough faith, or standing on the promise of Jesus' name with the belief that will get us anything we want. When we submit ourselves to God as followers of Jesus Christ, His will takes precedence over our own.

Sure, sometimes God lets us have our way when we stubbornly cling to it. Thankfully He is always there to pick up the pieces when the outcome fails, or to teach us something new and help us grow in whatever situation may arise.

Certainly we do need to pray with faith, believing in God’s great power to provide for the things we need in our lives. How many of us actually ask Him first, I wonder, or for His guidance, when we are thinking about what we want to do day by day. It’s the reason we need to stay in constant communication with Him through prayer and Bible study/meditation ... so we will actually know what His will is and pray accordingly.

There have been many things I’ve wanted to do in my life, including mission trips I’ve wanted to participate in and ministries I’ve wanted to start. They are things that have been seemingly good, and God has thrown up a roadblock so many times. When it’s been in His plan, the Lord has provided green lights even a color blind person couldn’t miss. More often than not, however, He’s answered many of these prayers with "No." Necessary support money has not appeared. Locations once thought secured suddenly became unavailable. The next important step is always personal response. Roll with it and say, "Okay Father, only Your perfect will," or stamp a foot while tearfully declaring, "But I want it!"

What I realize now is while I may never get to experience some particular dream, goal, or expectation I had planned for my life, where God leads is always so much better. Trusting in Him, rather than my own desires, will never send me in the wrong direction.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." —Jeremiah 29:11

Copyright © by Kristine McGuire Share