During the early 1990’s I found myself out of work and virtually impossible to replace the executive position after sending out thousands of resumes. After about 90 to 100 days, I found myself prostrate, face down on the ground, begging Almighty God for relief. I recounted the ministries I had supported, the families I had helped, the ministry for children begun, and my commitment as a husband to my wife and dad to my children. As I waited, God seemed more distant than close, as did some of my friends, acquaintances and church family. The phrase “Don’t worry about Chuck, he’ll be fine” gnawed at my soul. The more I prayed, the longer the dry spell continued, and the angrier I became. The pastor did not show up until the week before our house was set for closing, a few days before foreclosure.

That was not the only time I prayed and didn’t get the answers I felt I needed. As a matter of fact, it seemed like I got the exact opposite of what I was praying for. While I have never felt angry AT God, I can tell you that I have been angry with the lack of appropriate responses. I honestly felt I was sincere and in right standing with God. Maybe there was anger at Him and I was just delusional enough to not recognize it for what it was. It was simply redirected at people and circumstances. I got to the point where I bought into Ben Franklin’s quote: “He who never asks for anything is never disappointed.”  I guess deep down inside I hoped that if I didn’t ask, perhaps something would happen or God would see that I wasn’t asking for much, so when I did He would be more responsive.

Well, I don’t have to tell you this approach failed just as miserably as the other. In fact it probably prolonged my pride because I wasn’t asking and felt more self-sufficient. After a year and a half the retirement and savings were gone. I felt like Job, completely humiliated. It was only then that God helped me see that there was nothing wrong with my prayers, what I was asking for or my expectations of those around me. What was wrong was the motives behind my prayers. I was praying because I wanted an escape the embarrassment of losing my position in life. I was praying because I did not want people to perceive that I had failed. I did not want my children to think of their dad as unsuccessful.

After offering up the little we had left in the bank to a ministry, God opened the door enough for me to experience feelings of gratitude for what we DID have. As I focused on 1 John 5:14 and prayed according to His will rather than my motives, things began to change. You know the rest of the story, things got better. However, I would be lying if I told you I had not prayed with the wrong motive since then. The results are always the same – you will often get the opposite of what you request. I encourage you to not be as hard headed as your dad. Don’t stop praying to position your prayers. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says: “Pray without ceasing.” What I would do if I were you is think about your request and ask yourself about the motive for the request. If it is pure PRAY. If it is not contrary to scripture, edifies others and will benefit you and His kingdom, God’s answer will always be “Yes.”

Love Dad