By Andrea Goebel
God’s Way
“Can you tell me where his present is hidden?” my daughter begged. The Christmas present she had thoughtfully chosen and ordered for her brother had arrived, and I had tucked it away so he wouldn’t find it.
“No, I’ll bring it to you later,” I replied.
“Please! I’ll put it in my room so he won’t see it,” she insisted.
I repeated my answer several times as my daughter’s tone turned angry. As she glared at me, I realized she felt frustrated because she didn’t understand the reason behind my answer.
“Honey, I don’t want to show you where his presents are hidden because then you might see some of your own presents as well.”
“Oh. You should have told me that from the beginning, and then I wouldn’t have gotten so upset.”
I reflected on her inability to trust my reasoning and realized how often I refuse to trust my heavenly father when I don’t understand his answers to my prayers. How many times have I asked God why I can’t have what I want when I want it?
Acceptance of, surrender to and trust in God’s will have been challenging for me during the last several months. Pregnant with my third child, I struggled with health scares, physical limitations and a delivery plan that were all different from my previous pregnancies. Why couldn’t I just do things the way I always had? It wasn’t fair.
When we cannot understand why God’s answer to our prayers is different than what we want or think we need, we can remind ourselves of several truths found in His word:
1 John 3:1 encourages us: “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God.”
Sometimes, we simply need to remember that God, our father, loves us and wants the best for us.
Proverbs 3:5-6 advises us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely. In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.”
God is leading us to a better place even though we may not see the path ahead.
Philippians 4:6-7 tells us: “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
When we turn everything over to God — our questions, our fears, our frustrations — he will transform our hearts and fill us with his peace. Even when we do not understand why things happen the way they do, we know that God is good, he wants to help us, and he gives us what we need.
Near the end of my pregnancy, I finally surrendered to God’s plans for our family. I realized that he had known all along what was best for us and had been guiding us toward it this whole time. My prayers matured from asking God to grant my wishes so I could stay in my comfort zone to trusting that he would take care of our family even though we couldn’t predict the future.
Parents seek the best for their children, and the same is true of our heavenly father. When he asks us to trust him, we can rely on his character and his promises, and as he reminds us in Romans 8:28: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God …”