Do you ever find yourself getting your hopes up about something only to quickly suppress them with a “reality check?” You think for a minute that what you have wanted is just about to come true! Hopes are high and you are filled with joy and certainty that everything will work out perfectly. And then the little thoughts creep in…
“well it’s not realistic to expect that to happen immediately…”
“Better not get my hopes up, realistically we couldn’t afford it anyway…”
“Just because I want it to happen, realistically there is a lot standing in the way and chances are pretty slim…”
We dash our own hopes with our perceived notions of reality. We have an idea in our minds of how things “realistically” happen in this world. And more often than not, that idea is filled with negativity. Why is that?
We can tell ourselves it is because we are being realistic. Because we are thinking logically. Because we are analyzing the situation from various aspects. Because we are simply preparing ourselves for what is most likely to happen. But what it really boils down to is this: a lack of trust.
Do we truly believe that our wildest hopes and dreams are too far-fetched for God? Do we seriously think that for one second we know what “reality” is better than our Father? I’m not talking about tempting God with outlandish requests to see if He really will answer them. I am talking about sincere hopes and prayers.
Like praying for a friend to be cured.
Praying for a new career opportunity to allow you to spend more time with family.
Or, in my case, even praying for a baby.
When we ask for these things, why do we feel the need to stack the odds against ourselves? Do we feel as though our requests are too big, too difficult for God?
“Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you.” Mark 11:23
God knows what is in our hearts. When deep in my heart I know my soul is pleading and praying for a baby, do I really think God is fooled by me listing all the reasons it won’t happen? The only one I am fooling is myself. Realistically the only thing I know for certain is that God has it under control.
Our God is loving, kind, merciful, forgiving. Much more so than any of us ever could be. When we pray and are open to His will in our lives, we need to have full faith that He hears our prayers. Not only that, but He answers them. We may not know how or when, but He does. And if the answer doesn’t come as quickly or in the exact way we wanted, we do not need to worry or feel discouraged. Instead, we remain joyful and filled with the hope and love of Christ. Because anything He has planned is far greater than what we could dream up for ourselves.
So while we wait for an answer to our prayers, forget about the logic. Give yourself a reality check. Not the kind our world tells us we need. Not analyzing finances and listing all the reasons why it won’t happen. But check yourself into the only true reality. The reality that God loves you. Remain constantly filled with hope and joy and the knowledge that God is answering your prayer! And the answer is better than we ever could have expected.