Scripture
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us..... and we know that if he hears us, we have the requests that we have asked of him. -1 John 5:14-15
I've prayed in various areas of my professional life for years. There are prayers I prayed early on in my career that were never answered. I wanted out fervently, and I would pray for different opportunities to open up so that I could go in a different direction, but here I am years later, still in my career. God did not answer me because what I was praying for was out of His will, and not according to His plan for my life. Beloved, are you praying prayers out of God's will?
As I've drawn closer to Him through the years, and He began to unfold His plan for my life, I now understand why He didn't answer those early prayers. Based on the revelation that He's given me now, if He'd taken me out of my situation then, it would have forfeited His plans. He will not honor a prayer that goes against His plans. Beloved, we must understand that God does not begin making plans for us as soon as we're born into this world. He has laid out our path before the foundation of the world. Before there was a world, His plans were already in place for your life. He told Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5) He foreknew Jeremiah before He was even conceived. Beloved, this is the truth for you as well. God spent a lot of time knowing you before you were born to your parents.
Turns out, my career helped shape me as a minister, and God used it to mature the spiritual gifts in my life. So many of the skills transferred into assets for the Kingdom of God. As I reflect on my experiences, I'm grateful. Be encouraged today Beloved. Some unaswered prayers are not God's disapproval of you, it's His protection of the promise.
Prayer
Father, help us discern what your will is for our lives. May our prayers align with your will and plans. You get the glory out of our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen
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