My best friend Janie was in a car wreck. She was turning across traffic on a busy road and did not see a car entering the road from a parking lot. Crash! Bang!
Other than being shook up, she was ok. The ladies in the other car checked out ok, too. But the frame on Janie’s beloved cherry red SUV was bent just enough that the insurance company wanted to total it and give her a payout. Janie did not want to give up her vehicle. She loved that car even though it had a few miles on it and a few years (translation: it was old). It was still drivable after the wreck, although how safe it was to drive was up in the air.
The option to keep the car was off the table according to her insurance company, so Janie went to praying that God would move in some way that she could keep the car and maybe get it fixed herself. She discussed these options with me by phone.
Now, it is easy to be objective when you’re not the one struggling with a problem. So it was easy for me to ask Janie if she was praying her will or God’s will. What if God wanted to give her a better car?
Beautiful Janie with her ready sense of humor and mature humility admitted that she was praying her will and, after going over all the reasons why her will was best – no car payment, avoiding the hassle of car shopping, she loved the color red, she looked good in her SUV, no car payment – she asked the Lord to give her what He wanted her to have.
You may find this hard to believe, but after she shifted away from her will to His, the insurance company allowed her to have her SUV back, bent frame and all. This gave my thoughtful friend time to process her options and she decided to accept the payout. Now she is driving a very handsome pearl gray Honda CR-V. The payout was enough to cover most of the cost and the note is low enough to be manageable. Plus, she looks really good in it.
We might all benefit from asking the Lord whose will we are praying. If you are praying your will, try shifting over to praying His will and see what happens. You might find that He wants to give you more than you can ask or imagine.
Now to the one who can do infinitely more than all we can ask or imagine … Ephesians 3:20
Let’s pray.
Father, how many times have I missed Your best because I was focused on what I wanted? I really do not know what is best for me or for others. You know what is best. Please show me where I am praying my will and help me ask You for Your will. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
God bless,
Susan
