God Has Not Forgotten You: When Life Is Turned Upside Downনমুনা

Accepting God’s Will

“In a Hindu village in India, one family turned to Christ. Shortly after their conversion their child got very ill. The Hindu neighbors said the gods had cursed the family for changing religions. Though the Christians prayed hard for the child’s healing, he died. But his funeral was such a triumphant event that the eyes of many villagers were opened through it. Their resistance to the gospel vanished, and they turned to Christ.” **

God answers prayer. However, what He does in response to our prayers is not always what we expect. Isaiah 55:8 says, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.” In His sovereignty, He knows what’s best in every situation, and sometimes does the unexpected. The Indian family looked for victory to come in the form of healing but found it in the death of their child, and others came to know Christ as a result. God knows the best outcome.

When Christ considered the horror of the suffering He would have to endure on the cross, He naturally wanted to be spared and prayed for God to “remove this cup.” But He also made it perfectly clear that He wanted God’s will, not His own, to be done and willingly submitted to it (see Luke 22:41-42). Whatever your requests, make them known to God, but leave room in your expectations for His will. Trust Him with all your heart, and with boldness of faith, pray as Christ prayed, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

Taking back your life

1. In what ways are you expecting God to answer your prayers as you navigate this difficult time in your life? Are you prepared for God to do the unexpected? Perhaps you’ve already experienced disappointment in God’s response to your prayers because it wasn’t what you expected. Share your disappointment with Him honestly and ask Him to reveal His purpose in the outcome you experienced.
2. God’s will for us is always best because, as mentioned above, He knows the best outcome for every situation. He knew how glorious the outcome of Christ’s death would be—the forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life for all who believe. And even though Christ submitted to God’s will, it was a struggle because He knew it would be excruciatingly painful and difficult. Why is the prayer of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:41-42) the hardest prayer to pray? What are your fears in praying this prayer? Do you trust and believe that God has your best interests at heart in everything He does?
3. Look at Luke 22:43. Then pray and ask God to prepare you for the unexpected and to give you the strength (as He gave Jesus) to accept His will in this situation, whatever it may be, even if it is difficult and uncomfortable. Ask Him to keep you mindful that everything He does is for your good and His glory.

**. From Practical Christianity, compiled and edited by LaVonne Neff, Ron Beers, Bruce Barton, Linda Taylor, Dave Veerman, and Jim Galvin. “Do Christians Have to Suffer” by Ajith Fernando (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1987), 318.