Have you ever prayed for something for so long that you’ve often dreamed about how different your life will be when God answers? Imagine the joy you feel when you learn God has heard your prayer. Imagine excitedly waiting to see your life change, the way you’ve seen it played out so often in your mind. But then something unexpected happens. Instead of circumstances getting better, it gets worse. Would you continue to believe God is answering the prayer or would you be discouraged by reality?
Prayer
Prayer is interesting. The Bible says not to worry about anything, but to pray about it instead (Phil 4:6-7). That’s what most followers of Christ do. When we have concerns we ask for wisdom. When we have a need, we ask for deliverance. When we are sick, we ask for healing. When we pray, we know how we want God to answer. If praying for healing, we want the body to be whole and illness-free. The condition shouldn’t get worse or new problems arise. But God doesn’t bend to our will or follow our rules. His answers may be very different than our expectations.
The people of Israel
Take the people of Israel for example. Joseph encouraged them to move to Egypt to escape famine and they’ve been living there ever since. So much time has elapsed since Joseph’s death, and the new Pharaoh doesn’t know history. He has no idea who Joseph is or what he did for Egypt. From his perspective, the people of Israel are a potential threat. He does everything in his power to crush them (Ex 1:6-14).
The weight of their slavery was so heavy that the people of Israel cried out to God to save them. He hears and sends Moses. The people of Israel bow down and worship God (Ex 4:31) when they hear that He has heard their prayers. Their misery was finally about to end. Except, God answered their prayer differently than they imagined.
God answers prayer
Not only doesn’t Pharoah acquiesce to Moses and Aaron’s request, but he becomes more tyrannical. He stops providing the straw they need to make the bricks but doesn’t decrease their quota to allow them time to find the straw (Ex 5:6-9). Their plight goes from bad to horrible. It’s not how anyone expects God to answer prayer.
The people of Israel certainly didn’t think so. They were so upset, the Israelite foremen cursed Moses (Ex 5:19-21). The very same Moses, they ‘were convinced’ was sent by God (Ex 4:31). Even Moses was confused, making the Israelite’s lives more unbearable didn’t sound like a rescue to him (Ex 5:22-23). But God reassures Him.
Discouraged by reality
When Moses tried to relay God’s message to the people of Israel, they ‘refused to listen anymore’ (Ex 6:9). They were discouraged by reality. They prayed for deliverance and got tyranny instead. This wasn’t the answer they were looking for when they prayed. Their lives becoming harder wasn’t their definition of rescue, so they simply stopped listening. And yet this was God’s answer.
What I’m learning
Answers to prayers come in all sizes and shapes and may not go according to our plan. God doesn’t answer prayer according to our expectations. The people of Israel were praying for freedom, but they got more oppression. It didn’t mean the answer was wrong. It just meant God wasn’t working off their plan.
We should never become so discouraged by our reality that we stop listening. God may not be working according to our plans but He’ll always be working according to His.