why you don't get what you pray for

 Today we read from Daniel 9:1-11:1 in the One Year Bible. And this passage gives us a huge clue regarding our prayer life.

Do you ever find yourself praying for something and feel like your prayer is "bouncing off the ceiling"? Or have you prayed for the same thing for years and years and it seems like He's never going to answer you?

Well, you can learn from Daniel's prayer today. First of all, kudos for praying about it at all. So many people today wonder why God doesn't give them peace or joy or love, but they never actually ASK for those things. They just assume that He's going to give those things to us without our asking. 

Second, it's important for us to realize that God doesn't owe us these things. It's not like everyone on earth gets a nice big house, a new car, the perfect job, the best family ever, and to live in the place of your dreams. Sometimes we seem to think, "When is God going to give ME a great job? When am I going to get the spouse that I've been waiting for and that I KNOW God is going to bring me?" Sometimes we get a little entitled. We need to realize that God will choose to bless us in His timing, in His way, and may not give us exactly what we think we want.

But third, look at Daniel's prayer. He begins by saying all of the amazing things God has done and all of the ways that the people have messed things up. This isn't a matter of buttering God up. It's a matter of seeing things as they really are. In order to pray effectively, you have to be in touch with reality. You have to agree with God. Because God sees things the way they really are. So in order to pray effectively, you need to learn what God wants and agree with it. Then your prayers will be answered.

What does God want for you today? That's a great place to begin your prayer. Once you get an idea of what He wants for you, ask for that. And I promise you... He'll answer that prayer with a yes.

God, thanks for teaching us to pray.