I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased. (Psalm 138:1-3 ESV)
Can you recall a time(s) when God answered your prayers in a different way than you ideally wanted or expected? Were you inspired to praise the Lord, even though His answer was not the same as you had hoped for?
God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, which means that He is all-powerful, all-knowing and present everywhere at the same time. He is an awesome God and Creator of everything. Nevertheless, He cares for us on a personal level. If there is something in our hearts or on our minds, He cares about it. Through spending time with God in reading His Word, and through our prayers, we can get to know Him and His nature more closely. Then, our praises can become more personal instead of distant.
He alone is worthy of our praises. We are told in Psalm 22:3 (KJV), that He inhabits the praises of His people (Israel). When we praise Him, He is with us. He wants us to praise Him in the Spirit and in truth (John 4:24), wholeheartedly following the leading of the Holy Spirit.
When my physical condition weakened some years ago, I prayed fervently for a healing miracle from God that would bring an end to all of my physical challenges. While my physical struggles continue, I cannot say that God didn’t answer my prayers. I am alive today because of a major surgery I had nearly ten years ago. The surgery didn’t give me healing from all of the effects of the malformation at my brainstem, but it did save my life. I’m thankful that God works through human hands at times, for medical technology and that God gave me a doctor with the knowledge and skill to perform the surgery I needed. I remain in faith for a physical healing in the Lord’s perfect timing.
I knew that God could just speak the word and I would physically be healed without going through the ordeal of surgery. So, I wondered many times why God didn’t do that for me. In hindsight, if God had done that, I would not have been healed from the incapacitating fear that I had in those days, AND I wouldn’t have learned how to effectively deal with fear when it arose in the future. God didn’t give me what I wanted, but He did give me what I needed most.
God didn’t answer my prayers exactly as I had asked Him to do, but my knowledge and vision is limited, whereas His is not. He didn’t give me what I asked for, but He did give me something that I needed more than a physical healing.
Because of this experience, I have become familiar with God and His awesomeness in a whole new way. My praises to Him are more intimate than they were before this happened in my life. I learned that when I am surrendering to God’s will to the best of my ability, and the worst thing imaginable happens, He still has everything under control.
He still has the answer to any problem that you or I may encounter. He is trustworthy and praiseworthy…ALL THE TIME!
My prayer is, “heavenly Father, Thank you for answering my prayers, even when your answer is not what I expected. I am so thankful that you know what is best for me in every situation. Nothing is impossible for you. Please help me to trust you and praise you even when I don’t understand what you are doing. In Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
