A long strand of raven black hair stuck to a little girl's cheek, glued on from her tears streaming down her face. All of her hair but that one strand was tucked into a neatly tied bun, but she didn't even bother to wipe the strand away from her face. She sobbed loudly, in order to get her mother's attention, and stomped throughout the store. After a few steps, if her mother wasn't paying her any attention, she'd stomp as loud as she could, just to show how angry she was. I didn't know why the little girl was upset, but I figured it was probably because the girl wanted something in the store that her mother didn't want to get. Whatever the reason, this little girl wasn't going to let her mother forget it anytime soon. She stomped a couple more paces, stopped stomping so she could wail, and then continued stomping and sniffling.
I'm like this little girl when I pray sometimes. Maybe not to the same extent, but if I don't hear God answering me immediately, I can go off in a little stomping rage. "God, what I'm asking for is reasonable. It's not like I'm asking for all the money in the world. All I want is this! Why won't you give it to me?"
God always answers our prayers. No matter how silly the prayers are. No matter how reasonable the prayers are. God always answers our prayers. He says yes, no, or wait. We'd prefer an immediate answer, we think we need an immediate answer. Then we realize, God knows what we need. He knows what we need even better than ourselves. Luke 12:7 says, "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." The truth is, He knows us better than we know ourselves. I don't have a clue how many hairs are on my head. But God knows the exact number for each of us. If He knows us better than we know ourselves, shouldn't we realize that He knows better? Maybe what we're stomping and grumbling about is something we don't need. I'm sure the little girl didn't need whatever item in the store she wanted. She may have felt she needed it at that moment, but her mother knew she didn't.
If God tells you no--it's okay. Don't become a prayer pouter. He knows what He's doing better than any of us. Trust Him to give you what you really need.
Kayla Joy
