Be careful what you ask for

Good morning and welcome back.  Today's entry is about getting what you ask for and the possible problems with it.

How I Got My Dad's Goat

My ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts. More high as the heavens are above the earth, so far are my ways than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Is 55:8

             For years we had a running joke with my dad. Every Christmas, birthday, and Father's Day, he would say, "All I want for Christmas/ Birthday/ etc. is a goat. No one will get me a goat. No one loves me. No one cares about me." One year my brother and I decided that we would rent Dad a goat. A woman in our church raised them, so we rented Ginger for the day. It was a real experience. First Dad left early from the office and we had to do some fancy footwork to have the goat delivered. When the goat arrived, the woman showed Dad how to lead Ginger by the horns. We took her in the back yard where she promptly tried to head butt the dog. After a little while, I ran an errand. When I came back I was surprised to see the goat looking over our 8 foot fence. It had climbed up the woodpile and was taking in the neighborhood. About sundown, Dad went out to change the water and left the gate open.  Ginger took advantage of the open gate. Dad called for us to help but we did not hear him.  He chased the goat down the street. Ginger stopped to look at the large man running down the street behind her, and Dad finally caught her horns and took her back to the yard. Then he came in and chastised us for not helping him when he called for us. We never heard him. We took Ginger home in a station wagon, and Dad never asked for a goat again.

            We have all had prayers that were not answered. We have also all had God give us things that we have asked for that we wished he hadn't. The children of Israel wanted a king. All the other countries had kings. They should get one, too. Please? Please? Well, guess what? They got one. If you want to see the outcome of that, read 1st and 2nd Samuel and 1st and 2nd Kings.  There are many other stories that are similar.

            What about in your life? Maybe it was a job that you had to have, and it turned out to be a nightmare. What about a man/woman who would make your life wonderful. Sometimes we think we know what we need and feel that God is being unfair when we don't get it. Other times we understand that he sees the whole picture and "sees the end from the beginning."  He has our best interest at heart when He says no. The good thing is that in either instance, God is still sovereign and will be with us. He reminds us in Isaiah 55 that “My ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts. More high as the heavens are above the earth, so far are my ways than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

  Thought for the day:  Let us encourage each other to look for God's hand in our lives, even when we don't understand what he is doing.

Feedback: Can you think of a prayer that God didn't answer which turned out to be a good thing.