Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with GodSample

KICK THE TRAP

A little girl was distressed when her brother made a bird trap to catch sparrows. She began to pray that it would fall apart. One day her face became radiant, and she began to pray hard for three days. Her faith was so absolute that her mother asked, "Jane, why are you so sure your prayer will be answered?" Little Jane smiled and replied, "Because I went out three days ago and kicked the trap to pieces!"

In the Bible's second recorded prayer (Genesis 17:15-22), Abraham decided to put legs on his prayer. He thought it impossible for a hundred-year-old man to start thinking about raising a family. He suggested that God should let Ishmael be the chosen heir instead. God refused to answer this prayer because He had a higher and more beautiful plan for His servant. Abraham was willing to settle for second best, but God insisted on the very best for Abraham.

We hear much about putting legs on prayer. In many cases, the admonition is justified. However, we must remember that God refused Abraham's "help" in working out His perfect will. God said "No!" to Abraham; and in the cold light of history, we can see the wisdom of that refusal. There are times when we need merely to wait and see the goodness of God. Today, let us wait for God's very best for us.