Trusting God to do what you want is not faith.
Yes, we are called to trust God, for how can we navigate the pathway of faith without depending on Him? But, when we specify the terms of that trust, meaning we trust in the outcome, I propose we are living in false faith.
Take Abraham, for instance, the honoured father of our faith (Rom 4:16, Gal 3:7, Gen 12:1-3). When he climbed Mount Moriah with his ‘son of promise’ he was clearly willing to offer him as a sacrifice to the Lord (Gen 22:10). His trust was in God, not the outcome, and the writer of Hebrews says he “received Isaac back from the dead.” Resurrection can only happen on the other side of death, friends!
Why is it that we pray for solutions? Truly, Jesus taught us to seek our Heavenly Father for the things we need (Matt 7:7, Mark 11:24, John 15:7) and encouraged us to be persistent (Luke 18:1-8, Luke 11:5-10). But was the Teacher encouraging us to remain immature, like children, always seeking the simple things of life? I think not.
A child thinks about where their next meal is coming from, while a parent thinks about the future, even to a legacy beyond the current generation. A child thinks inside a small world, whereas a mature believer thinks “Kingdom.”
Jesus taught His disciples to pray, and we can see the priority in the leading of this teaching. “Thy will be done, Thy Kingdom come” (Matt 6:10); the will of God advancing bringing the advance of His domain. (The Kingdom being the ‘domain of the King.’)
In recent times I have been seeking the Lord for clarity on the next season for me and my household. I have asked the Lord to open doors and to apply His favour to my efforts. And in this enthusiastic praying, I fear I have missed the heartbeat of God.
Instead, I can pray by submitting, taking the posture of a humble servant, and ask;
“Lord, help me to submit to Your plans and Your will in this situation. I trust You, whatever the outcome looks like, that You are working all things for my good, that Your purpose and plan for me will not divert from Your will, while Your hand is active in my life. I trust you God and all that You have prepared for me.”
And when the outcome does not look like I had imagined it to be, I rest in the confidence that He sees a bigger picture, He has a good plan, and He is working to fulfill the promises He has given me.
Phil Strong