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We ignore that God sometimes deprives us of what we ask for so we can prove ourselves responsible enough to deal with the weight of what we are praying for and what is to come.
This is not a popular topic, but the Bible tells us in Hebrews 12:7 - Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children. For what children are not disciplined by their father. There are indeed times when God uses hardship to teach us discipline. However, peer pressure, pride, and mostly impatience lead us to give up, resulting in delay and being thrown out of God's plan and timing for our lives. Fortunately, God is merciful and patient and can get us back in alignment if we repent and return after messing up.
We have to remember that God is invested in training us to be our best and receive His best. We can only achieve this by submitting to what He's doing with us. This also requires choosing to apply what He's taught us, even after He elevates us. So many of us don't consider that we may be praying for things that God knows will destroy our relationship with Him. He doesn't want that. He enjoys that we come to Him for everything, that we've learned to rely on Him for all we need. The alternative is dangerous (Jeremiah 17:5).
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Instead, we want to be like Eve, who desired knowledge but didn't want to rely on God and thereby got everyone else into trouble. Be patient. God is building us for His purpose, and whatever that is, we don't need to be afraid because His plans for us are good (Proverbs 23:18). Our job is to do what is needed to remain His child, obey Him, and do so on repeat.
He has claimed us as His own, and He takes responsibility for His children. This will sometimes require that He discipline us, including delaying the receipt of our petitions and certain blessings. He does this to teach us invaluable lessons through hardship. 1 Peter 5:10 - And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
While we may wonder what "a little while" may mean to God, the truth is that no matter how long that is in human years, the rewards make the wait worth it. Look at 1 Peter 5:10 once more. Would you reject being restored? Or made strong? What about receiving God's firmness and steadfastness? These are all qualities He embodies.
Do you realize that after we have endured discipline via hardship, He will make us more like Him? When that happens, what devil - proverbial or actual - can contend with us? It already can't, as long as we are living and walking in the Lord. Imagine when the hardship era is over and we move into God's 'rest-round-about' era (2 Samuel 7:1)? That was one of the blessings God gave to David, a man who pleased Him, and that same rest-round-about, plus every great and precious gift, is ours by His grace, IJMN, Amen.
As you wait for fellowship at 12 Noon EST, consider reading the following previous P&P messages:
