Musings at Altitude

Folks all over are praying now more than ever…praying for our country…praying for jobs…praying because of jobs…praying because of sickness or health concerns…and praying for something to smile about.

But we need to be careful about what we pray for…sometimes our prayers are answered in very unexpected ways.

A number of years ago, a friend of mine asked me to join him in prayer because he was really struggling at work and was very unhappy.  He wanted something positive to happen.  He desperately wanted to be excited again.  So he prayed…fervently…seeking peace and contentment through work.

A few weeks after this request he called me up and said, “You can stop praying now – I got fired.”  He readily admitted that a change occurred and therefore his prayers were answered, though not in the way he wanted.  Fortunately, he found a job a few weeks later and he’s been comfortably and contentedly employed ever since.  But he certainly experienced a few anxious weeks, which he directly attributed to his prayers that were answered, but not in the way originally expected!

I’m very guilty at times of focusing on the dreariness or drudgery of things that may be happening in my life and in my work, and in those times, my prayers become quite candid and quite self serving.  I could easily see my anxiousness to share my woe-is-me issues with our heavenly Father as an opportunity for Him to share His you-need-to-trust-me love in the subsequent actions.  And I could also fully understand His let’s-see-if-you-believe-me attitude as adversity sets in and He watches closely to see if I truly can “be anxious in nothing”. 

So I’m thinking back to the lessons learned by my friend and seeing very clearly that we need to be careful what we pray for.  So I’m praying that those I know who are struggling with jobs will find peace, contentment and wisdom.  I’m praying that they make the right decisions in these tough times.  And I’m praying that each of them will truly “be anxious in nothing” and trust in the perfect plan of our Creator.

For me personally, I’m being very careful now when raising my own petitions to our Father above.  I’m quite a bit less flippant with my prayers now and more scrutinizing of what I’m asking for and what I’m actually wanting versus needing. 

And for many of my friends who are unhappy with their jobs right now, I’ll pass on the wisdom of a good friend and remind them, “don’t forget you have a mortgage”, which is his own very special way of telling me, “be careful what you pray for”!