Unanswered Prayers

Unanswered Prayers

Jessica Sunday

I did something about a month ago that may or may not have been healthy to do, and I would lean towards the latter. So, what did I do? Well, what does any lady who is curious and has been blocked by their "first love" do? I asked my best friend if she would check his Facebook!  Let's be honest. You would be lying if you never done that before. Now, that was not the wisest thing to do, but it did give me an overwhelming peace of God's faithfulness in my life. Had I disregarded God's voice in my life, I may be down a rough road right now. Only God knows.

I am humbled to think that although there were many times God has shown me red flag after red flag as I so foolishly excused them, that He, in his persistence of me, showed me brand new ones. That is the love I am craving for one day. No, not more red flags, but rather persistence. As God is persistent with me, so will I pray that my future husband is persistent with my heart. Ladies, do not settle for a man who throws up his hands at you when he is upset with you. Date a man who would show up at your doorstep unexpectedly and is willing to inconvenience himself. Look for flags of surrender. 

These thoughts intertwined with a recent friend's post I read about unanswered prayers, so I began meditating on that concept. I even listened to the song "Unanswered Prayers," by Garth Brooks. I can not quite tell you how many pages I filled in my prayer journal with my ex's name written on each page praying that maybe one day I would marry him. I'm not quite sure if I deliberately prayed to God to marry him, but I did put in there if it was "God's will." I cannot remember a time where I thanked God for unanswered prayers, but I know I am now. I was blinded with what I thought was love when in reality very minimal actually reflected God's love. And boy did I say "I love you," because I loved in His love, but when love is not returned, that stings. God is a pure example of initiating love. Instead, I found myself initiating the love. If your relationship looks great in public but is rough in private, take that as a warning sign. 

In essence, your relationship may appear amazing, but test if it is from God day by day. It could be a distraction from what the Lord truly has for your life. If Satan, being "the father of music," could make certain music sound appealing, do you not think he could mask your relationship as well? 

I am not going to say I regret this relationship because in my heart I cared deeply, but I will say that it was not God's will for me. In that, I find my peace because I know He truly has someone beyond my comprehension. If I thought I loved this guy and it was not the one who He truly had for me, how much more will I be able to love the man He does bless me with?  I learned lessons I would have not otherwise learned had it not been for my first breakup. 

Someone once told me, while I was suffering so much with this, that the storm would pass. The tempest blew for quite sometime, but I can honestly say that it has passed.   At the time, I did not think it ever would, but God is so faithful in restoring broken hearts, messed up lives, and tough circumstances. Jesus calmed the waters that were raging in my soul.   May I encourage you today that God offers us unending love as well. No matter how hurt you may be right now or how far you think you have gone from the love of God, He is waiting to embrace you. Wait for the one who is persistent, initiating, and unending in his pursuit of you just as the Lord Jesus was in your life. He is out there in your unanswered prayers. 

" Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, ... " - John 15:16