Not faith in the outcome

     If each of us is honest, every time we sit down to pray, we have our desired outcome in mind. Maybe some of you don't, but I'll admit that I do. I feel like it's human nature to have the way we want things to work out in our minds, and that answer very rarely involves trials or being patient. I know that I've done it, and it usually leads to disappointment. 

    I have a tendency to have the "perfect scenario" play out in my mind, and that's what I pray for. Very rarely have things played out that way, which usually leads to a lot of frustration, and sometimes even wondering if God is listening to me. I would have the occasional grown child tantrum to God, some tears may have been shed, and usually an overwhelming feeling of helplessness and lack of direction.

    Obviously this was not a pattern that I wanted to continue. I didn't want to go through the rest of my life acting like a spoiled child when God didn't answer my prayers the way that I wanted him to or in my timeline. More than that, I was being arrogant enough to think that my plan was somehow better than God's. 

    I really had to get quiet with God on this one, because it was frustrating. I asked for guidance and clarity. And what God showed me was simple- trust him, not the outcome.

    My faith had been in things working out a certain way- the way I wanted them to, the way that made me the most comfortable. My faith was in the end of whatever the situation was. My faith needed to be in God, his plan and his outcome. 

    There is nothing wrong with praying for a certain result in a situation- God tells us to present our requests to him. But, we need to throw in those 4 tricky words- thy will be done. And those are some hard words to say, because they involve relinquishing control. It involves leveling up on our trust and stretching our faith. And, it involves trusting that, even through the trials, God's outcome is far better than ours could ever be. 

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