Be Careful What You Wish (or Pray) For!

"Father, thank for being so good to me. I know that sometimes you say "no" and I have a hard time accepting that. But if you will, I would really, REALLY like [fill in the blank]. " Okay--here you go!

I was thinking about this yesterday--that God sometimes DOES give us what we desire, but it leads to ruin or disappointment.

Think of faithful Abram. God promised him a son in his old age, but time was passing. Sarai was tired of waiting, so she persuaded Abram to try to have this promised heir through her handmaid Hagar. God allowed it; she gave birth to Ishmaei. According to his promise, God would make this child into a great nation--he did, and his descendants are the Arab peoples. Muslims trace their descent from Ishmael and claim to be the covenant people of God.

Think too of faithful king Hezekiah. While he was dying, the prophet Isaiah came to Hezekiah and told him to get his house in order,for he would surely die. The king turned his face to the wall, prayed with tears, and God gave him fifteen more years. Unfortunately, when he did die fifteen years later, he had a twelve year old son named Manasseh who was ungodly and led the nation of Judah into gross sin.

Are there times in your life when God gave you the desires of your heart and you later came to regret it? Believe me, learn to trust him when he says "no".