Get it?! I know the title’s lame, and this has nothing to do with the drink, but the idea’s been in my head for a whole day now and it’s not going away. So bear with the cheesy wordplay, okay? Okay.
Last night I went to see Brian Regan with my girlfriend. I had gotten the tickets late and there weren’t any seats together. The best I could do was one seat directly behind the other. It was thirty-five bucks each, a great deal, so I figured it would be okay that we didn’t sit together. Turns out the lady wasn’t as thrilled about separate seats.
So I told her I’d try and get someone to switch with me. On the way to Brian Regan, I prayed and asked God to let me sit together with her (and I brought along a bribe). Long story short, it didn’t work out. We were surrounded by lovely couples who didn’t want to switch. Prayer not answered.
Why was it that God didn’t answer that prayer? I mean, yeah, it wasn’t very important. But I’ve never seen a rulebook anywhere that says what you can pray for and what you can’t. It couldn’t have been that difficult—a 24-hour flu bug here, a flat tire there. Why is it that God didn’t want to answer my prayer? Did I fall victim to God’s caprice?
Caprice is the noun form of capricious, which means changing your mind a lot. A synonym would be “whimsical.” I wonder if I’m a victim of the whim of God. God decides, “I’ll answer his prayer today…if I feel like it.” Maybe He only answers some prayers in certain situations. If so, what’s guiding His rationale?
The only thing I have to fall back on when I wonder how God makes His decisions is the crucifixion. Jesus’ death on the cross is the polar opposite of caprice, if you look at the Biblical account. What I mean is, God had planned for at least hundreds of years before Christ that Jesus was going to die a tragic death. It’s in the Old Testament of the Bible, especially the book of Isaiah. Jesus mentions the idea himself years before it happens, when he tells this guy Nicodemus the way he’s going to die.
If God was One to change His mind, this seems like something to change your mind about—allowing your Only Son to die. Plus, Jesus as the Son of God must have been able to come up with some options that didn’t end on a cross. God’s steadfastness of purpose and plan are no more clearly marked than in Jesus’ road to death. This wasn’t just one little prayer about seats at a show—this was the life of the Only Son of God!
And yet, God never wavers. Neither does Jesus, as history bears out. So say what I will about my unanswered prayers, the God of the Bible obviously takes things seriously.
I don’t know why He decided not to let my girlfriend and me sit together for the Regan show. But He must have had a good reason. He’s not one to change His mind.
Dude, this is a great post! I always wonder too why God chooses to answer this prayer and not that one. He obviously has reasons for it and I love how you mentioned the crucifixion, which demonstrates His unwavering character. A lot of times I need to remind myself that I'm not going to always get what I want because what I want isn't always best for me. We don't know the plans God has for us day by day, especially when something happens that we frown upon, but His reasoning far surpasses our capacity to understand. He's the master orchestrator, tuning every event of our life into His glorious symphony! Well done man!
ReplyDeleteThanks bro! I'm really glad you enjoyed it :-). Regan was hilarious too, so win/win!
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