That Garth Brooks is full of it

"Some of God's greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers" says the song. It's a hugely famous song. They're thinking about making a movie out of it. It's going to be on Lifetime so the acting will be horrendous, but still. "You ever think that it's not that the prayer went unanswered, but God just said, 'no'?". My boy Kory said that once. I wish I could take credit for that wisdom. As if God is just going to ignore a prayer. The thought in the song is, "Well, He didn't give me what I want, so He just didn't answer my prayer. Maybe He will when He gets around to it." "God must be busy" says another song. Crap. More crap. I know I'm probably taking country songs too seriously, but it's a dangerous message too many people just seem to go along with.
I've gotten quite used to Him telling me, "No." "No, Marc. I know Paul has six children and you love him deeply. And I know it's going to hurt you as profoundly as anything ever has, but I won't let him survive this accident."
"No, Marc. I know you really like this girl and you don't think it could possibly get any better for you. But trust Me, I've already created your wife. I already know who she is, where you'll go on your first date, and how long it'll take you to meet. Trust me, you're going to love her more than you think you love this girl you're crying over."
"No, Marc. I can't give you this opportunity right now. You're not ready. You think you are, a lot of your friends are telling you'd be really good at it. And you would be. You will be. But you're not ready to take on that burden. Trust me. I do it a lot. But keep trying."
Those are just some of the times He's not only answered a prayer - sure, not the answer I wanted but answered none the less - but came up with a solution. Paul didn't make it out of that motorcycle accident seven years ago this coming Saturday. But I tell you this, God was glorified for at least three days non stop on one of the highest rated radio stations and television stations in this area. It will be hard to convince me there was a better witness than Paul Franklin Fuller, Jr. And when his story on this earth ended, God was praised, God was glorified, God was proclaimed, God was prayed to. On the public airwaves, in places that don't do that. How many people had their curiosity piqued, "what's with this God, this Jesus these guys keep talking about?" Someone got to know Jesus because Paul went to meet Him. Reconciled.
I would be in relationships, they'd fall apart because A)He had Lindsay in mind for me and B)I was a dumpster fire determined to make a relationship work no matter what He had to say. "If I could just get her to like me again, then I'll have everything straight". I had no idea how wrong I was. I didn't factor Him in at all. The first time I do, and look what He gives me. Someone I never imagined big enough to ask for. Reconciled.
In "The Message", Hebrews 11 reads, "It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him." You want me to believe that he doesn't take the time to answer a prayer? That's He can't get to it right now because kids are starving in Africa? Like God's not big enough to handle all his voicemails? I'd like to say that I've gotten to the point where I like it when God tells me "no". Because I realize it means He's working in me. He's going to reconcile something in me and the end result is going to glorify him way more than anything I had planned would.
Lindsay and I had been considering something, and it was risky to a degree. Not bungee jumping with suspenders risky but risky still. Once again, my boy Kory says to me, "You think God can't correct your mistake? You think it's either smooth sailing or a disaster and He gives up on you?" (Kory's good. A lot better than Garth) Currently reconciling.
God is totally capable of taking any mistake, any "unexpected" (by us) bump in the road, and come up with the happiest of endings. And He loves me enough to let me take chances, and no matter how reasonable, or seemingly unexplainable they may be, the outcome is not going to be enough to where He shrugs His shoulders, turns around and just walks away sighing deeply. I'm getting kind of used to hearing, "no". And it stings each and every time. The difference is now I understand that He's saying "no" because He's working. Not because He's booked.