WHEN GOD SAYS IT ISN'T GOING TO WORK OUT HOW WE WANT

WHEN GOD SAYS IT ISN’T GOING TO WORK OUT HOW WE WANT IT

It was December, and the rules of the contest were that if you completed your year-long goal, you had a chance at winning the money. I got an e-mail the night before, and I was a little nervous: “Were you able to complete your goal?” (They remembered me. That’s a good sign, right?) I shot back: “Yes, I did.” The next day was the meeting, and when they came to the contest part I was piqued.

But as hard as I had tried to see a positive picture of me winning, it just wasn’t happening. As the negative thoughts kept popping up, I’d force them away, and I quoted victory scriptures instead. The announcer walked up to the microphone, “Okay, we have two people who completed the challenge. The winner gets $40 and free meetings all year long.” It wasn’t so much about the money as it was about winning something for my hard work and achievement. “Oh good, only two of us,” I thought. But when she drew the name out, it wasn’t mine! “OH NOOO! What happened?!”

All that positive praying and I just couldn’t make the outcome be what I wanted. The truth is, I really knew it in my heart, but I didn’t want to believe it. In this minor experience I was reminded of a much larger truth.

Sometimes the Lord’s messages to us are going to seem negative and not what we want to hear. Instead of trying to force the positive result with scriptures, if they aren’t doing anything, then we need to stop pushing and just ask the Lord: “What’s going on?” He expects us to have that kind of relationship with Him. I was trying to muscle through with my own will, but it wasn’t to be. Next time this happens I’m going to be more sensitive to the situation and just ask, and save myself some grief.

My incident was small, but Ezekiel tells of a much graver situation. The prophets didn’t like the messages God was giving about war coming. They decided to enforce their own will and preached peace instead. God said: “I will destroy you for these visions and lies. My hand shall be against you, and you shall be cut off from among the leaders of Israel; I will blot out your names, and you will never see your own country again. And you shall know I am the Lord.  For these evil men deceive my people by saying, ‘God will send peace,’ when that is not my plan at all!” (Ezek. 13:8-10)

When we pray about anything or anyone, we go for the best, and that’s a good thing. But if in our Spirit we sense it’s honestly not to be, let’s remember to stop and ask the Lord what’s up. He’ll let us know. Honest raw truth from God is better than even the slightest bit of “positive thinking” that is not true. The sooner we accept the “negative” message from the Lord, the sooner we can deal with it and move through it.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies” (Ps. 23:4-5a). If God needs to tell us negative things, He will do it, but He also leads us through it, no matter what, and we “will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever” (Ps. 23:6).

Love, Carolyn

QUESTIONS AND EASY CHALLENGES

1. Have you ever felt God was giving you a negative answer you didn’t like? Explain.

2. Did you ever feel like something was going to turn out negative, and you asked the Lord: “What’s going on?” If you didn’t ask, why do you think you didn’t? If you did, what did He tell you? After reading this story, do you think you might engage the Lord in a more extended conversation next time? Is there anything you can think of doing that would help you remember to ask?

3. What is one good thing about admitting to a negative result, or going through a hard situation? Document this with scripture.

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