For those that don't know, the song is about a man meeting his high school flame at a football game years later, remembering how much he'd wanted her and prayed God would bring them together for life and then looking at his wife and thanking God for unanswered prayers. One of my favorite lines is when he is so grateful for who he is married to and that he is not married to the former flame and says, "I guess the Lord knows what He's doing after all." "Some of God's greatest gifts," the song goes on to remind us, "are unanswered prayers."
I think the appeal of the song, and the reason it came to mind this morning while I meditated on the concept of faith, is that we often respond to God a lot like the man in the song. The truest aspect of the song is not the spirituality and the philosophy but the view point and thoughts of the character. No matter how often God proves Himself mighty and faithful and worthy of our trust, no matter how deeply we believe that He cares for us and is our hope and refuge, when we get in a tight spot or when God leads us in a different direction than we wanted or expected, or when He locks a door we prayed for Him to open, there is often that aspect within us, that little voice that doubts God's love that says does He really care? Does He know what He's doing to me and with me?
Later, we often see the benefit of what God was doing. His hand, protection, care, wisdom and blessing are more clearly seen in retrospect. Then we exclaim with gratitude and, yes, the hint of surprise, now I see what God was doing! Now I see the evidence of His hand and presence! And in a way, what we're saying is I guess the Lord knows what He's doing after all.
It's so difficult for us to accept and get past the idea that we don't know what's best for us. That we really can't make the right and best decisions for our lives. That God's plan is better than our plan, our dreams and our desires. We get trapped into the idea that faith is believing that God will give us what we want, or at least what we believe we need. And then if He doesn't, we question His love and whether or not we can really and truly and completely trust Him. Rather than listening and looking for the direction God wants to take us in, we try to manufacture more faith, because we start believing the lie that if we believe enough we can somehow force or obligate God to give us what we want.
Joni Eareckson Tada, is an amazing minister of God and writer. She inspires and helps many people have a better relationship with God, especially women. She's also been a quadriplegic and wheel chair bound since she was a teen after breaking her neck in 1967. I am sure there were many prayers by her and for her for her physical healing. Sometimes God does indeed heal physically. But healing our hearts and souls, giving us the best chance for the deepest most intimate relationship with Him, and our greatest ability to be of service for the healing and restoration of others, of living lives of light that show the world His love and power and grace are higher on God's list of priorities than physical healing, or any other obvious or natural solution to a problem we face. The joy Joni has, the love she has experienced and the relationship she has with God despite not receiving physical healing, I dare say, are greater miracles and have shone a greater light on the heart and glory of God than her getting up and walking out of that hospital nearly 50 years ago ever would have.
It's hard to believe sometimes. It's hard not to be disappointed when the answer we hope for isn't the answer God gives, when the door that makes sense as best from our point of view is not the one God wants to open, when the healing doesn't come, but the truth is that the Lord does indeed know what He's doing. He does love us and care for us, even when He doesn't do it the way we would. Faith is not believing that God will do what we want or think would be the best solution to the problems and difficulties we face. Faith is believing and trusting that God will do what is right and best on an eternal level.
Someday, Joni is going to walk the streets of gold with Jesus, whole and completely healed. And someday we are going to be completely whole and perfect as He is perfect as well, And on that side of eternity, we are going to be able to see the tapestry of our lives from His perspective, and we will see perfectly the beauty, love and wisdom of His choices in and for our lives. One thing that is always true, no matter how He answers of doesn't answer our prayers, is that God loves us, He is good, and He will always do what is best and right for us, whether we can see that at the time or understand it or not. Believing that, and walking in assurance of that truth is what constitutes faith.
Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on
July 2, 2016.
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