The Unseen Cost of Answered Prayers
Hi Daddy,
Today was a good day. I had French toast for breakfast, and you know I love me some French toast. Honestly, how could I possibly not have a good day after starting it like that?
After breakfast, I washed the dishes and made a few calls to people I’d been meaning to check on. One of them was my Aunt.
You already know my Aunt is my person. We talk about pretty much everything, and today was no different. While we were talking, she said something that stuck with me. She said, “You prayed about this specific thing, and now you’ve received it, but you’re hurt.” Then she went on to explain how sometimes we pray for things, but when we get them, we don’t like the answer.
That hit me hard because it’s so true. You know how many prayers I send your way, but there’s one, in particular, I’ve prayed often: “Father Lord, anybody that is in my life and does not align with the purpose You have for me, please take them out of my life in a way that’s not repairable. Because You know me—if it’s repairable, I’ll be there trying to fix it.”
The prayer is honest and raw, and I meant every word of it. But as I sat there thinking about what my Aunt said, I realized how unprepared I was for the answer. How could I have possibly gotten ready for You to answer that prayer in a way that wouldn’t hurt?
Does the Bible say anything about this? I know the Bible says your ways are not my ways, but still…
Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV):
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than Your ways
and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
I get this and I truly understand it but I’m going to be lying if I say it gives me comfort.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). I’ve read this verse so many times, but when I sit with it, I’m in awe of the raw honesty in that moment. Jesus knew what was coming the betrayal, shame, pain, and carrying the weight of the world’s sin and He still said, “Your will, not mine.”
When I think about that and then about my prayer.
“Father, anybody in my life that doesn’t align with Your purpose for me, please take them out of my life in a way that’s not repairable.” It hits differently. Jesus asked if there could be another way, just like I was asking for clarity in my relationships. And like Him, I got an answer I wasn’t really prepared for.
The truth is, even when we pray those bold prayers, we never fully expect the answers to hurt this much. I didn’t, anyway. But Jesus didn’t stop at the pain; He trusted that the Father’s plan was bigger than the moment. The cross wasn’t the end of His story it was the start of salvation. And that’s the perspective I’m trying to have.
No matter how much I think I’ve prepared myself, I’m learning that trusting You means leaning on Your purpose, not my understanding. It’s not easy. Some days, I just want to rewind and take my prayer back. But then I think about Jesus saying, “Yet not as I will, but as You will,” and I remind myself to trust You.
It’s tough, Daddy, but I know You’re guiding me. Your plans are so much better than anything I could ever imagine even when they hurt.
Love,
Your Daughter
