WHEN GOD DOESN'T CHANGE THE SITUATION

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“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” – 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

When things are tough in your life, have you ever prayed to God to stop the storm? Or when caught up in situations that feel like you are thrown into a fiery furnace and the only prayer you could come up with is, ‘Please LORD, put out the fire?’ And then, God doesn’t change your situation at all.

We often encounter various kinds of storms in life. There are times when God will calm the storm, and there are times when He doesn’t calm the storm; instead, He calms us. When hit by storms of life and things suddenly become unbearable, we pray to God to change our situation, which He sometimes does not, but instead, He changes us.

Apostle Paul prayed repeatedly for God to remove a thorn (trial or affliction) from his life, but God didn’t. He writes in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” Rather than being worrisome about it, he learnt to embrace his weaknesses and constantly depended on God’s strength. His situation didn’t change, but he did.

In Luke 22:41-44, when Jesus was on Mount Olives, He prayed for the suffering of the cross to pass “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” And when it didn’t, He chose to surrender to God’s will. In the process, His prayer brought inner peace and strength to face the cross. His situation didn't change, but He chose to surrender to God's will.

The three Hebrew teenagers, Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego, prayed and stood firm before King Nebuchadnezzar and refused to bow down to the golden image (Daniel 3:16–18). They firmly believed that God would deliver them, and even if He didn’t, they wouldn’t stop believing in God. As they were being thrown into the fire, God didn’t stop that from happening; instead, He joined them in the fire. When they came out, their clothes weren’t burnt, and the smell of smoke wasn’t on them. Their situation didn’t change, but they did.

We may want God to change our situation more, but God is interested in changing our hearts more than our situations. He wants our lives to reflect His heart. He’s more concerned with what goes on in our hearts than what’s happening around us.  Sometimes, when we pray, it shouldn't be about being rescued from the storm or fire, but for God to reveal Himself in the fire.

Is there an area in your life that you constantly pray for to change, but God seem not to be in a hurry to change it? Perhaps God is more interested in changing your heart than changing your situation. His will is to transform our hearts from being too proud to humble, from relying on ourselves to trusting Him, from panic to peace, and from escape to strength.

What we often pray away, God usually use it as a platform to display His power and strength. This is an encouragement to all of us that whenever we pray, we should make our prayer less about rescue and more about becoming who God wants us to be. He desires that our hearts reflect His true nature and character. When our situation doesn’t change as we thought it would, we can quickly shift our focus from circumstances to trusting God, from complaining to worshipping, and from control to surrender. We may pray for God to stop the rain, but what God has in mind is to strengthen us to stand in the rain. We should remember that when God doesn’t change the situation, He is actually in the process of changing you.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your unfailing love upon our lives. Give us the grace we need to walk through the storms of life. May your presence in the storm strengthen our faith and refine our character to reflect your Heart. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

 

 

 

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