The resounding "Yes" we all want to hear
Even though it may happen when we don't want it to happen.
I think, if we are being honest, people don’t like to pray because they won’t get to hear that word, “yes.”
Think about it.
People only start praying when they need God to pull through and help them with something.
We see it all the time.
And it is soul-crushing, sometimes literally, when we don’t get the answer we want…when we want it.
And last week I talked a lot about evil.
But I didn’t address the elephant in the room. Because I can’t possibly answer it in under 3 minutes.
Sometimes, bad things still happen. Evil still pops up in the world.
People die. Homes are lost. Babies are stillborn.
And it is…horrific.
Gut-wrenching.
Soul crushing.
…
But, Jesus calls us to pray “Your will be done” in reference to God…not our own.
So, while we pray for rescue from evil, we also pray for God’s will to be done instead of our own.
And I have even better news.
God’s will is to, someday, answer “YES” to all good things.
While that loved one may suffer and die from cancer, Jesus also tells us of a day (and tells us to pray for a day) when all things are made new. And that loved one is, in fact, cancer free.
While we may lose our earthly home, God answers “YES” to having a home where it matters most.
While we don’t get to hear that baby cry, God answers “YES” in a new heaven and new earth where we get to see our loved ones whole again. Perfect. Complete.
It just…doesn’t happen according to our timeline…
And that doesn’t make it hurt any less. Or erase our pain.
But it does mean we get to pray for hope in something beyond ourselves, beyond the evil that exists in and with and through and despite us.
God’s answer is “YES” to good and whole and perfect things.
My prayer for today
Our Father, I have wrestled with why you never cured my grandparents from dying of cancer. But I know you also call me to pray for the coming Kingdom and for your will to be done on earth, just like it is in heaven. Help us to remember that our suffering isn’t in vain. Help us to know it’s okay to grieve and cry and get angry. But that a “yes” is on its way, too. Amen.
Remember
When your prayers align with God’s will, the answer is always “yes” but maybe not when you had hoped. Take a second, even if it’s just for one breath, and find a way to be grateful for God’s “yes” that is coming.