When the Answer is "Get Outta My Way"

It is even more difficult when God's method to answer our prayer is to use our lives without our mouths: we struggle with going into action without words. Wives who have prayed for their husband to be the spiritual leader struggle to close their mouths long enough for their husband to initiate any spiritual behavior. We are so full of our own understanding of Scripture, our children, disciple, or partner have no opportunity to get their oar into the waters of conversation. We are so enamored with our own understanding of the situation, we can't stop and let the other person speak--and miss out on God's answers that might come if we just listened.


Frankly, for all our praying, too often we are really too full of us. Sometimes God introduces pain into our world precisely to stop us in our tracks long enough that He will have room to work. Paul talked about how his experiences had a tendency to go to his head. So, God arranged for pain in his life to there would be more of God and less of Paul. 2CO 12:7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Sometimes our excuses, failures, inadequacies and "What If's" are the backdrop for God to get the greater glory…if we will allow Him to get us out of the way long enough to answer our prayers His way rather than our way. It is a challenge to know when God wants to use us in the answer to our prayer, and even more difficult when our involvement is just getting out of His way.