Praises in Answered Prayers

How often do we forget to enjoy our answered prayers? How often do we overlook where we came from and where we are because we're so focused on where else we want to be? We often ignore or overlook the blessings right in front of us. We are a people easily dissatisfied, discontent, and ungrateful. What we have is never enough and once we get what we're looking forward to, there's always something else. Another season. Another milestone. Another step. There's always something else we are looking forward to, instead of taking a moment to receive the gift of the present. I am living in so many answered prayers today. So many. And while one day, my life will look different than it does now. Today my life looks different than it did a year ago. 2 years ago. Even a few months ago. And while sometimes I do wish certain parts of my season looked different, I can remember praying for a lot of what I have today.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude as I remember praying for so many of the things I'm living out today. As you can tell, writing has substantially slowed in the past few months. There's been a plethora of things that have happened that have been keeping me busy. But I'm being reminded that even in the busy, unknown, frustrating, struggle filled seasons, I can usually pick out at least one answered prayer (no matter how small) that I'm living in.

There have been a lot of questions of "why?" And a lot of confessions of "I don't understand" or "I just want to know." But I don't need the answers to choose joy or choose praise. Because of who He is, my circumstances never circumvent His worthiness of praise. It's asking "why" while standing in faith. We can have questions, we don't need to understand, but we are called to obey and surrender. I've learned that when we choose obedience and surrender even in our disagreement with His answers, that is the best decision we can make. We grow in every way. We learn to fully trust and rely on Him. We become more humble as we lay down the need to control. We become more like Christ. I'm going to say it again for myself...surrender even in our disagreement with His answers. I think instinctively, we all want to wrestle in the disagreement. We want to whine and complain and shout "this isn't fair." But when we choose surrender in it, there's a peace that comes with it. We realize that His ways really are better than our own. And we may not understand why fully in the moment, but we know He is Sovereign and we can't argue with His way when we can't see the full picture. Our Father doesn't say no just to say no, He says no for a reason. He says no because He sees the growth we need, the protection necessary, and the better glory in His way. We cannot only rejoice in His yeses. While we can be disappointed in His no's at times and it might not make sense, how grateful we should be for His holy answers. Even when they misalign with our plan, how kind of Him to not just consider what we want, but what we really NEED. We can say "if only He said yes..." But if He had said yes, you wouldn't be where you are today. And there are answers I don't have. If only He said yes to the healing. Yes to the success. Yes to the easy path. Yes to the consistency. Yes to "fill in the blank." If He said yes when He should have said no just to protect our feelings, what kind of Father would that be? A loving Father gives the hard answers when necessary. A loving Father says no when needed out of protection and consideration of the child's needs and safety. There are so many things I wanted yeses to and so many other things I will want yeses to in the future, but I pray I never forget the holiness of His "no's" too. That as much as I want a yes, how kind of Him to give me a no because He sees my needs first and foremost. I can look back on painful no's I've received over the past few years and can rejoice and praise Him for them because of how much they protected me. He says no sometimes so that we can say yes to better things. Just remember "no's" and "waits" are also answered prayers. They just might not be the answers we expected or wanted, but they are answers. And we should praise Him and thank Him just the same for opening and closing doors and even having us stand in the hallways in the betweens.