Excerpt

Day 16

God answers prayers in His own way

But Naaman became angry and stalked away. "I thought he would certainly come out to meet me " he said. "I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the LORD his God and heal me Aren't the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn't I wash in them and be healed?" So Naaman turned and went away in a rage. (2 Kings 5:11-12 NLT)

Here's a little background: Naaman went to Elisha to be healed of his leprosy. He went to Elisha's house and waited at the door for him. Instead of coming out, Elisha sent a messenger giving him instructions on what he must do to be healed: wash seven times in the Jordan River. As you can see from today's meditational verses, Naaman became angry because he thought he would be healed in a different way. He thought that things would play out differently. Doesn't this same thing happen to us as well?

We seek God for a closer relationship with Him, new careers, new opportunities, financial stability, etc., and He answers us. But what happens? The answer comes in a way that we didn't expect. We've prayed about this thing for so long that we've already come up with how God is going to do it Right? Then all of a sudden, we're in for a big surprise We become frustrated, angry or even disappointed.

Just because things don't happen as we thought they would, we shouldn't get discouraged. God's thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. (Isaiah 55:8) I encourage you to be receptive to God's answers to your prayers even when they don't come in the way you expected. God knows what is best for you and His plan for your life is far greater than anything you can imagine.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, open my eyes and heart to Your blessings and Your answers to my prayers even when the answers aren't as I thought they would be. Help me find comfort in knowing that You have my best interest in mind and that Your plan for my life is far greater than any plans I could ever make. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Additional Scripture reading: 2 Kings 5 and Isaiah 55:8

God's greatest desire for us is to love Him and others. To love Him is to obey Him, and we often miss the mark because we don't spend quality time in His presence learning His word. Not Without You is a one-year devotional that will guide you into spending time in God's presence: praying, studying, discerning His voice and learning more about God and His ways.

Spending an entire year intentionally seeking Him will change your life and your relationship with Him forever. James 4:8 says that if we draw close to God, He will draw close to us. Do you desire to be closer to God?

Choose to strengthen your faith, develop your relationship with Him and walk in destiny. If your prayer is "Lord, I can't do this without you," then it's time to take your intimacy with the Lord to the next level. God loves you and desires to have an intimate relationship with you, and it starts in His presence Allow 'Not Without You: 365 Days in the Lord's Presence to be your companion as you draw closer to our Heavenly Father over the next year.

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Not Without You - heftet, Engelsk, 2013