God Thinks Ahead of Us

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

It was a hectic day and I was returning home late in the night. I was tired and it started to drizzle. I had to walk a fair distance to reach the bus stop and board a bus. I prayed inside “God, please stop the rain for a while till I reach my home. I would become even more tired if I got drenched”. Usually I don’t make such prayers but I couldn’t stop praying that way. After I finished praying, it started to pour down heavily and I had to find a shade. Grumbling inside, I was furious and started questioning Him, “God, why didn’t you answer this simple request of mine, you know I never make such prayers, but I did pray with faith knowing that you will answer even my craziest of requests”. As usual there was silence from the other side. As I was waiting in the shade, I realised that I left my mobile phone at my work place as I was leaving in a hurry. Soon the rain got lighter, so I ran to pick my phone as I didn’t go a long distance from my work place. I took my phone, came out and started walking. I realised the rain had completely stopped and I was in tears inside. I was going through the whole incident as I was travelling in the bus. What if the rain hadn’t been heavy? I would have reached home without realising that I left my phone. I should have come again as it was a Friday night and the next two days were holidays. God didn’t answer my prayer because he knew that it would be too tiring for me to come back again. A verse popped into my mind, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”. I was upset when God didn’t answer my prayer, but I would have been more upset if He had answered my prayer. It is too difficult for us when the answers for our prayers are delayed or unanswered. We jump on and start questioning God but we seldom realise God thinks ahead of us. We see our present but He sees our future. Joseph’s life in the Bible is a perfect illustration for this verse. What was happening in his life doesn’t seem to give any hope. He would have many times felt weary and tired but God sensed his future. In Genesis 50:19, we can see the relative verse where he responds to his brothers, “But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives”. Through those testing times, God was preparing him for something great. We should realise that God also speaks to us through unanswered prayers. His plans are always better than ours. He is ahead of us in our future.