peephole perspective
i’m gonna let this post sit here a couple days, cause i believe it should.
have you ever blamed God? have you ever been angry at Him?
i’m sure the answer is, yes. i think our emotions are natural and i believe God appreciates an honest heart. i also believe that sometimes our emotions are misguided.
i read this tonight and it pierced me to the core!
taken from In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day by Mark Batterson
“Most of us blame our circumstances when things aren’t going well just like we blame the ref when a game isn’t going well. We look for some external scapegoat. But maybe our problem isn’t our circumstances. Maybe our problem is our perspective.
…God has a three-hundred-and-sixty degree perspective on everything. He considers every contingency. He sees all the way around everything-every issue, every person, every experience, every problem. Most of us see a very narrow slice of reality. The best and brightest among us might have a one-degree angle of vision. It’s like we’re looking through a peephole. So why do we assume that what we pray for is always what’s best for us? If we could see what God sees, we would pray very different prayers.”
yah.
just let that soak in for awhile.
inProgress 
I am thinking of one of my life’s tragedies right now – I bawled, laid on the floor, wept, prayed four very specific prayer requests, wasn’t sure who to blame, saw no solutions ….. 1991, I was 48. Today ?? almost 18 years later – all four prayer requests were answered beyond what I asked for – God is faithful – even when we hurt so bad.
I often remember the analogy of life as a quilt – with us seeing the messy threads underneath and God seeing the beautiful pattern on top. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t gotten mad at God. More often I just question, ask WHY? But for me, most of the time, I’m just so thankful that someone else (or, should I say, Someone Else) is in control.
However, I will also say that question “Why do we assume what we pray for is what’s best for us?” is a tough one…
Remembering Solomon’s prayer has taught me how to pray. When God says [not a direct quote/never is on a sleepless day], “Because you did not ask for riches, I will give you wisdom.”
So. My most common prayer usually goes something like this…
Dear God:
Help.
~Amen
…Isn’t that enough?
My favorite show has a 365 degree mirror…
God does too…
I’m so relieved to know that HE can see what’s happening.
I just need to trust Him… that’s harder to do.
My circumstance may be my blessing and I don’t even know it.
@”So why do we assume that what we pray for is always what’s best for us? If we could see what God sees, we would pray very different prayers.”…I don’t know about that one. I have been on this prayer journey a long time and I don’t really have that perspective. For me or for anybody else. I totally get what is being said there, and I have often challenged and changed what I was praying for. But I think that God understands our hearts and our heads and isn’t confined by our misunderstanding of the situation. I never assume to know what is best…I think that none of us have any of the “real” answers but that He lets us in when He sees fit for His Glory and His purposes and it all comes down to surrender and obedience. Not only in our life choices, but also when we pray and seek Him for ourselves and for others when we pray….isn’t that the heart of intercession?
Thanks for sharing. I never thought of it like this. At the moment I’m pretty mad at God. I’m trying to work through it but I’m still having issues with him.
WoW…great quote from Mark….loved that book
yes papa – through it all…God is faithful and truly knows best. love you papa!
photoqueen – i love that analogy! and im a questioner too. lots and lots of “whys”. i have to ask. there is so much i dont understand. but im knee deep in the journey…theres no goin back, so i have to trust him, even when im not getting what i thing i need. dang.
nor – yup. sometimes, thats all we’ve got. all we can muster. and He knows. He understands. we have to rest in that.
heidi – what show is that? is that on TLC by any chance 😉
kristi – thats awesome! then this book and quote wouldnt be speaking to you for that area of life. you have a lot of wisdom and experience you can share with others here then – which is great. i loved what you said and that totally makes sense too. love you lala!
amy – i would highly recommend this book. or at least this chapter of it. for what its worth…i’ll be praying for you…
curlee – it IS a great book. and kickin my butt!
this is really hard for me to hear right now.
that doesn’t mean i don’t know it to be true, it’s just a hard reminder.
Hmmmm… have i not said and made that clear to you every chance i got?
He sees ALL – we see what is most important to us – at best around 1 per cent per spective.
THY WILL, not MY will be done. Isn’t that how we should all pray? or do we believe we see all things as clearly as He does and our desires and emotions can be trusted in every situation to bring us what it best for all concerned when we ask for what we think is best?
Fine – give Mark all the credit for it – it’s not like i’m jealous – or nuffink. 😉
Less of me – more of Him – it’s all in the signature.
<B
…”He considers every contingency”……wow that is a sure bet way to speak to a Realtor (aka…me!) Ha.
Thanks for the incredible quote!
Through our worst “Storm Story” (shameless plug for NorEaster’s January Series) to date, the only thing that kept me sane (and my sanity was in question) was the understanding that God sees all. He sees far more than I will ever know. He gets all the ins and outs of every situation, so, even when the outcome wasn’t what we wanted, we still choose to trust in God. He knows what’s happening. He knows what’s best, even when it looks outRAGEous to us. He knows.
*gulp*
One thing I have tried to do when praying with the boys is to purposely say “whatever your will may be Lord” because His will is not our will. And while I may be praying for something with a sincere heart, it doesn’t mean that it is in accordance with His will. True, God does answer prayer and He honors prayerful hearts, but in the end, His Will will be done. Now, some might ask “why pray at all then?” and I couldn’t possibly answer that all here right now. I wish I was eloquent enough to do that but I am not.
Last night Dylan and I were praying for him and the rest of us because was up vomiting last night. At first we prayed that he wouldn’t be sick anymore and that no one else would be sick, but before we finished, I added that whatever God’s will was, that He would give us peace with it….and strength to get through it. Why? Because I know that God isn’t a genie in a bottle and JUST because we ask for it doesn’t always mean He will do it.
Funny you should post on this today b/c I was laying in bed thinking about something SORT OF along these lines, but not quite. 😆 How’s that for vague? 😉
@Love: 😆
Wow.
GOOD STUFF:)
Its too true though, we need to pray like we ought not by what we want:)
HIS WILL ALWAYS:)
Thanks girl:)
um. yes. simple answer.
alece – i love you.
love – 🙄 i mean…yes, dear.
melissa – ooo, i bet! 😀
michelle – the word you said in your comment that stuck out the most was, “through”. we go THROUGH things. we dont STAY IN them. He leads us “through”. that is such a reassuring promise!
brandy – you are a very good mama! i am so proud of you. your boys are truly blessed!
ang – “His will always” – easier said, harder to accept. but it is ultimately whats best 😉
adam – hi adam. thanks for coming by. hope to see you around again 🙂
The phrase I needed to hear in this… was before the quote… “sometimes our emotions are misguided”. yes… YES.
the quote… wow. I need to chew on that…
I think I came off as condescending…seriously, that wasn’t my heart on that. Sorry, I keep thinking about it though and dang, what was the question? For reals though…I think that God gets it, even when we don’t. Maybe we are both saying the same thing.
kristi – you werent condescending at all friend. i love that you see and get the other side to this. that you never assume to know what is best. you putting complete trust in Him. thats awesome! thank you for that.
amen.