Answered Prayers

I recently was studying a booklet published by the St Andrew's Church about Prayer. And there was a chapter in it about prayer requests. The writer was trying to make his point about how God answers prayers.

Then it struck me that in a way, God our Father, actually works a bit like one.

He has His reasons for not giving us something we want. Or delaying answering our prayers. Or in the end giving us something else totally different. It took being a mother to understand.

For example, if Bryan were to ask me if he could have a sweet, I'd say No, because it's bad for him. I'd give him an apple. Or I'd say 'Only after dinner' because it would ruin his appetite. And if he wanted to play with his toy at night, I'd say 'Tomorrow' because he has school the next day and he needs his rest. And I'd put his 'ang pow' money into his bank instead of letting him spend it because he needs to have some savings. Bryan also wouldn't understand my reasons at the time because he is so focussed on what he wants.

Looking back, I realised that there was probably a reason why it took us 6 months or so to conceive our second child. The timing was perfect. I happened to get a new job which needed me to work for 6 months before taking maternity leave. And the government just announced 4 months maternity leave plus increased childcare benefits. If I had conceived even a month earlier, I would have missed out.

I guess only God knows what's best for us and He knows what we really need. And we just have to trust him. If we don't get the job/promotion we want, there maybe another reason/opportunity ahead. Or if we are put in uncomfortable situations, there maybe something He wants us to learn from it. Maybe His ways aren't so mysterious after all.