When You Ask and Don't Receive

"Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you.”

That should be both promising and comforting but if I am completely honest, that Scripture also scares me. Why? Because to believe it and live it, I am required to humbly submit myself to my Creator in complete trust. The reality is that sometimes God answers in a way much different from what I wanted.

I think back to some of the moments when I had the hardest time accepting God’s answers. Praying to find my spouse was definitely one of my top three since my heart ached with longing to live out my vocation of marriage but God was taking His own sweet time to answer. However, one of the most difficult ones was during my first miscarriage.

When Brian and I found out I was pregnant after years of being unable to conceive, we were ecstatic that God finally answered our prayers. But when I started to bleed early in the pregnancy, I thought, “There’s no way. This is not happening. God would not be this cruel to us!”

I pleaded with God, begged Him to spare our child but it was not meant to be. Our little one returned to his Heavenly Father, and we were left broken back on Earth. Broken. I had not felt such pain before that moment. But through the pain (and bitterness) God’s grace was poured down on us. I realized that something had to give so . . . I changed my prayer.

I asked God, “Please help me to accept Your will and give me the strength to get through this and be at peace.” That prayer, He did answer.

God sees the grand scheme of things, not just the situation we are focused on at one moment. He sees the entirety of our life and how each moment plays a part towards our ultimate goal – to be welcomed into His arms in Heaven.

So whether you are praying for your vocation, your job, for a child, for a loved one, for healing, or that longing of your heart, take courage. God hears your prayer and knows how to best answer.

Please help me to accept Your will. // @bobbi_rolClick to tweet

Is there a special prayer on your heart? Is there someone in your life who needs special prayer? Take it to Our Lady and ask her to pray with you. Repeat her words, “I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

Bobbi Rol is a wife, a mama of four and a blogger learning to love God in the midst of dishes, laundry and swinging light sabers. You can find out more about her here.