7/27/2012

Answered Prayers

God answers all prayers; no single prayer remains unanswered.  

This thought was as dim as a starless night for me. But as I study the Word and continue to listen to prayer exhortations Wednesday after Wednesday in our prayer meetings, this has become my dawn, the coming of light—toward a clearer day.

Every chance we get, we who believe in prayer earnestly ask for what we want, what we think should belong to us.  We pray for whom we want healed, whom we want touched and stirred, whom we want changed. Our pryers are often about what we want.

So when we prayed for healing for my friend Fely and she was indeed healed, we rejoiced, “Hallelujah, answered prayers!” We prayed for the same exact healing for my friend Sonia, but the Lord took her anyway. And it had nothing to do with faith—we had faith in the God who healed Fely. 

But contrary to what we thought, that wasn't unanswered prayer at all. God gave us, her friends and family, hearts to accept Sonia's early death. His answer to our collective prayers,  “No, she won't stay on Earth a minute longer. I want her here where life is perfect and everlasting.”     

Just as we answer the people around us with either a “No, I can't come home'” or “Maybe my boss will allow me to come home;” or “Yes, I am coming home next week!” so does God, especially God.

He does not always grant our requests even if they are honorable and true. He is not a genie whom we can coax into granting our wishes. He has authority over all things—the latitude to answer our pleas according to His will.

Our assurance: even if don't get the outcome of what we desperately payed for, His love for us abounds.

If what we've praying for years and years has not happened, and is unlikely to happen, God may already have said, “No,” but we are too blinded or stubborn to see it.  Or we prefer to be in a state of denial and continue praying for the same thing. 

This is my third post on prayer this month, my fourth since I started blogging, and I thank God for taking away my blinders and for His grace for me to slowly understand what a prayer life should be. 

Though he knows what is in our mind, He invited us to pray—to participate in this act of humility, of acknowledging His sovereignty, and of wanting to be led by His spirit to be One with Him, and to totally surrender to His will for our life.

13 comments:

Jose Paolo Cheeseman Calcetas said...

This has been an eye-opener for me, especially now that the Palanca Awards will soon be releasing the results anytime soon. Because of this article, I learned to let go of the worries, and hold on to my faith. If it doesn't happen this year, perhaps next year would be perfect, or God would have answered my prayer, but in another, more beautiful and life-changing way, because after all, God answers all prayers, IN HIS TIME. God bless Madam Grace!

Anonymous said...

Much informative and useful article… I like it personally…

Grace D. Chong said...

Dear Jose Pablo,

Thank you for your message. Let me share with you my Palanca experience: After I turned in my very first entry, I immediately forgot about it. So when the winners were announced, it was a surprise.

Entering contests can be stressful because of expectations. But if there are no such expectations, no stress ever comes. Winning is a wonderful thing, but it is not the be-all and end-all of writers. Keep writing! And keep the faith.

Grace D. Chong said...

Dear anonymous,

Thank you for your encouraging note.

The Tiger Scribe said...

Hi Miss Grace. People are really connected in 6 degrees or less. I really had chills when I saw your name as one of the judges in the 2012 Littworld Essay Contest. I had two entries in the top 25, Jesus says "Its More Fun in the Philippines" and "An Ordinary Man with an Extraordinary Faith". I lost to more deserving winners, and I am more challenged to keep on moving and push myself to the limit, now that i know that God has a better plan for me. Palanca week is on, and may God bless us all!

Grace D. Chong said...

Hello, Dragon Scribe,

I remember the "An Ordinary Man..." entry very well. So well written. It touched me deeply and I gave it very high marks. Keep writing. Your heart is in the right place--the same place where mine is.

The Tiger Scribe said...

Thank you madam. Hearing that from you has given me fuel (or in our case, ink, cartridge, coupon bonds, etc) to write for 50,000,000 years. I take your energy with me as an aspiring writer and as your fan, trying to follow your footsteps then eventually finding my own way. Pun unintended, I feel graced today!

Grace D. Chong said...

Hi, Dragon Scribe!

If you can send me your email address, I could give you more comments on your entry that almost made it (and comparable with the other winners), and why I personally thought it excelled.

My addy is: gdchong@gmail.com

The Tiger Scribe said...

OMG madam. It is my biggest honor. fil_am_chinese_prince@hotmail.com. To have feedback from you is certainly a dream come true!

The Tiger Scribe said...

Dame Grace, I have already messaged you on your email. I shall cherish this all my life =)

The Tiger Scribe said...

I want to shout to the world that I have been mentored by one of my most favorite writers even just for a time. I am extremely happy

Grace D. Chong said...

My privilege, JP. It is my dream to see people, who have the passion to write, get published, be read by and inspire others.

The Tiger Scribe said...

The moment I read your comments, I immediately studied my pieces and saw the gray areas and the strong points that you have mentioned. I feel that I have been fueled by God through you to write more. Thank you, thank you, thank you madam.