Asking God For What I Don't Want
The most difficult prayers I have prayed have gone against every fiber of my being. My flesh rebelled. I wanted to hold onto my own “rightness”.
Have you faced a dilemma like this?
Did you feel “stuck” over pain points like these? They lead to resentment, bitterness, and feelings of helplessness. We all come to such a fork in the road: My Way or God’s Way. We stay stuck when we choose My Way.
We cannot control anyone or anything––we are not God. We can only take responsibility for our own stuff and depend on God’s faithfulness to bring goodness out of ugliness.
In other words, we need to align our will with what God wants. Being human, our natural desires are vastly different from God’s holy purposes. My Way only brings about more pain and confusion. God’s Way leads to peace and freedom.
Here’s what I’ve learned: if I am to submit myself to God’s Way, I need help. I can’t muster up the strength or goodness to pray for the right things. I need humility and supernatural power––resurrection power to bring life into the dead parts of my heart.
. . . the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should. . . Rom. 8:26
As God helps me, I can pray for what I don’t want:
I’ve prayed for what I don’t want several times. (These prayers usually start like this: “God, I’m praying for what I don’t want, but . . .”) I’ll admit, it has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But each time, God has softened my heart and has given me grace. As a result, I’ve experienced more peace and freedom.
When we become unstuck from going our own way, we get to see God do a new thing in our lives and relationships. We grow. We experience his works of goodness, which are directly tied to his glory.
“Heavenly Father, give us the mind of Christ, who sought not his own will but yours. Conform us into his image; transform us by renewing our minds. Supply the power of your Holy Spirit to pray as we ought so that we may see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Amen.”
©2024 Julianne Knapp. First published 2.6.24
Have you faced a dilemma like this?
- Wanting someone else to change, but not you
- Wanting your circumstances to change, but not you
- Wanting to hang onto your sadness and grief as an identity
- Isolating yourself, believing no one else cares
- Not loving your enemies (appropriately, with boundaries)
- Needing to let go of something you crave
- Needing courage to step into your next season of growth
- Worrying over how to fix your problems
Did you feel “stuck” over pain points like these? They lead to resentment, bitterness, and feelings of helplessness. We all come to such a fork in the road: My Way or God’s Way. We stay stuck when we choose My Way.
We cannot control anyone or anything––we are not God. We can only take responsibility for our own stuff and depend on God’s faithfulness to bring goodness out of ugliness.
In other words, we need to align our will with what God wants. Being human, our natural desires are vastly different from God’s holy purposes. My Way only brings about more pain and confusion. God’s Way leads to peace and freedom.
Here’s what I’ve learned: if I am to submit myself to God’s Way, I need help. I can’t muster up the strength or goodness to pray for the right things. I need humility and supernatural power––resurrection power to bring life into the dead parts of my heart.
. . . the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should. . . Rom. 8:26
As God helps me, I can pray for what I don’t want:
- For God to change my heart
- For God to use my circumstances to do a work of goodness for his glory
- For awareness that he walks before and with me through my sadness and grief
- For God to show me safe people with whom I can humbly share my burdens
- For God to show me how to love my enemies by praying for them and their hearts, and by modeling God’s love, mercy, and grace (even if from a safe distance)
- For God to remove an idol in my heart
- For God to remind me of his presence and guidance for moving forward into an unknown future
- For God’s gift of faith to turn my eyes to him and away from my problems
I’ve prayed for what I don’t want several times. (These prayers usually start like this: “God, I’m praying for what I don’t want, but . . .”) I’ll admit, it has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But each time, God has softened my heart and has given me grace. As a result, I’ve experienced more peace and freedom.
When we become unstuck from going our own way, we get to see God do a new thing in our lives and relationships. We grow. We experience his works of goodness, which are directly tied to his glory.
“Heavenly Father, give us the mind of Christ, who sought not his own will but yours. Conform us into his image; transform us by renewing our minds. Supply the power of your Holy Spirit to pray as we ought so that we may see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Amen.”
©2024 Julianne Knapp. First published 2.6.24