Back in 1991, Garth Brooks released a song that went to #1 on the Country Chart. “Thank God for Unanswered Prayers” tells the story of how our prayers may not align with what is best for us. It’s a story about our timing not being God’s timing. Just in case you don’t remember, here’s the story in that song: a man goes to a hometown football game with his wife. While there, he runs into his old high school girlfriend, the girl he once prayed he would marry. Back then, he had prayed hard for God to let her become his wife, believing she was the perfect one for him. But life didn’t turn out that way. Now, standing there with his current wife, he realizes:
• His old girlfriend isn’t the person he thought she was.
• His wife is actually the one who is right for him.
• If God had answered his earlier prayer, he would have missed the better life he has now.
(Remember – I taught you before that there are 4 answers to prayer: 1. Yes, right now, 2. No 3. Yes, not yet 4. Yes, so you can learn a lesson)
That’s why God’s NO to our prayers is often hard to understand now, but hindsight is 20/20.