Have you ever prayed for something, I mean really interceded, and was disappointed? I have.

One of my favorite promises from God is,

“Since we have this confidence, we can also have great boldness before him, for if we ask anything agreeable to his will, he will hear us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we also know that we have obtained the requests we ask of him.” ‭‭1 John‬ ‭5:14-15‬ ‭TPT‬‬

I have prayed, what I believed was God’s will yet – the friend died, the cancer returned, the child remained wayward, the door closed.

What do you do when the formulas of Christianity do not work?

You trust.

I’m a math teacher. I love formulas. If applied correctly, they always work. But formulas do not require faith. They don’t require intimacy. They don’t require relationship.

We have been invited into His presence, invited to co-labor with Him, invited to be a solution with Him. If prayer worked like a formula, we would treat the word of God like I treat Trig Ratios, only consider them when I need them.

The disappointment I felt when my prayers were not answered in my timing, in my way, was an invitation to know Him more. The heartache of watching a friend go be with Jesus, was an opportunity to imagine what heaven will be like. The pain of seeing a child make bad choices is an invitation to experience the Father’s heart.

I don’t know why every prayer is not answered according to my desires. Probably because I don’t see the whole picture and God is so much bigger than I am. BUT, when the next need arises, I am back on my knees. I am once again, believing that anything I ask according to His Purposes, He will hear and He will answer. Not because it’s a formula but because I have relationship with the Father and He has proven faithful. Because I want to know Him deeply. Because I am a co-laborer with Jesus. Because I trust His Word is true.

Don’t allow fleeting disappointment to prevent you from engaging in the eternal.