Use Caution When Asking!
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
(Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)
We arrived at the 5 story Embassy Suite in Detroit, Mich., ready to unpack and
settle in. “May I see which room we will be in?”, I asked. The receptionist
showed me the floor plan of the hotel, and I proceeded to pick the perfect room
for us. Only a few had balconies- fresh air was a must for me! And,
I had noticed when we walk in, there were a lot of birds in two trees out front.
Perfect. I want to hear those birds chirping their cheerful morning songs!
As I opened the sliding glass doors to allow the refreshing cool breeze into our room, I was assaulted with the unrelenting drone of cars traveling on the freeway nearby. “Well,” I thought, "that is okay. The fresh air and balcony are worth the noise.”
As we closed the door for the night, we were unable to shut out the freeway
noise. The next morning we awoke and I could hardly wait to open those sliding
doors and listen for the birds chirping their sweet songs from the trees.
Instead I heard a raucous racket of angry mother birds protecting their nests in
the eve above our balcony. As other varieties of birds would sweep
toward their nests, they would holler and squawk unmercifully. The sounds
they made grated my nerves and I finally closed the door, trying to shut out
some of the noise.
I was so disappointed. I had received exactly what I had asked for, and it
turned out to be, "not so good”- to say the least!
This scenario reminded me how cautious I should be when I go to God with a
request. Answers which I think may be “perfect” are not always so. Actually, my
plans are very often quite bad, and always short sighted. God tells us in the
Bible that –He has plans for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans
to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). I really need to be careful, as
I pray, to seek God’s wisdom (looking in His Word) and praying for His guidance
as I place my requests at the foot of His throne. I must always remember that He
sees the big picture- not just a short term solution or a quick fix for
something which I think needs immediate attention. When prayers are not answered
in the way I had hoped, I need to return to that scripture which reminds me that
God has a wonderful plan for my life and that of each person I pray for. Then I
need to thank Him for being, and staying, in control.
Marion Smith
noles65@aol.com comments and feedback
welcome