LOVE… keeps no record of wrongs. (1 Cor 13:5)
In
the first place, God does no wrong so it would appear quite foolish to
think of me as keeping a record. But I am sure we all have preconceived
notions about God’s choices and whether they were the “best” ones for us
or whether they were “wrong.” Or whether He answered a prayer like it
“should” be answered or not.
For
example, I often pray for healing for others. There seems to be a rash
of bad knees and hips in our church lately. I think I've prayed with and
for every one of them. It hasn't been just me, but along with other
prayer warriors, we have anointed
and ask for God's touch of restoration. No visible change appears to
have taken place. That seems somewhat “wrong” to me. After all, the
Bible tells us to pray
for healing for others and that the prayer offered in faith will make
the sick person well. I did what the Bible said yet the prayer was not
answered. I’m sorry to say that I probably have a mental record of many
of those failed healing attempts. Especially when other prayers are answered...
On
another occasion, one Wednesday evening at prayer meeting, I was
sitting beside a gentleman who had a serious stomach problem. I can’t
recall the proper name for his disease, but it was interfering with his
overall health to the point of great concern. The physicians seemed to
have no remedy for his condition. In
that moment, the Lord prompted me to pray for him. I asked a few others
who believed in the power of prayer to join me. We prayed and anointed
him and he was healed.
I cannot tell you what made the difference, but if I had taken into account the other times we prayed, I could have thought, Well, God didn’t answer all those other prayers, so what makes me think He’ll answer this one. And that kind of response would certainly be keeping a record of what I perceived as a wrong on God’s behalf.
Until
I have the answers for all of these questions, I will put my trust in
Jesus and continue to pray, making an honest effort not to judge God’s responses and count them as “wrong.”
copyright 4/3/2015
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