I asked God to take away my addiction; he said, “No, it is not for me to take away, but for you to give up.”
I asked God to make me whole; he said, “No, your body is only temporary; your spirit will live with me forever.”
I asked God to grant me patience; he said, “No, patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn’t granted, it is learned.”
I asked God to give me happiness; he said, “No, I give you blessings; happiness is up to you.”
I asked God to spare me pain; he said, “No, pain draws you away from worldly cares and closer to me.”
I asked God to make my spirit grow; he said, “No, you must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.”

I asked God for all the things I might enjoy in life; he said, “No.”

How many of us have an addiction? Something wrong with our bodies, impatience, unhappiness, pain, a spirit struggling to grow . . . all of us do, and we are all guilty of asking God these questions. I know I am. I ask God daily to heal my knees, take away the pain and make me whole. But maybe God has a reason for all of these things; God works in mysterious ways. I use this verse countless times, but it never ceases to amaze me

Job 1:21
”I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!”

I can never stop reading that verse, and the more I read it, the more I receive from it. The LORD gave me my knee problems, he gave me my impatience, and he gave me my pain. No one can take it away; God has his reasons for giving me these so-called “handicaps.”

God gave you your disabilities, your unhappiness, your depression, and your addictions. Not to discourage you, but to draw you closer to him, to teach you to put your trust in him, and to show you his everlasting love for you, his creation. (Jer. 31:3a)

Next time you ask God to “take this away” or ask him, “Why are you letting this happen to me?” or the next time you blame him for something you went through, ask yourself: Are you God? Do you know his plans for your life? A quote from one of my favorite songs says “And if you wanna hear God laugh, tell him your plans.” I can never tell myself how true that is. We always try to write our lives out according to our plans, according to how we want it to go. We hardly ask God what he has in store for our lives.

Paul went through this same thing in 2 Corinthians 12:7b-10. “I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the LORD to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” [emphasis added]

I say that we take some time and learn from Paul right here. Paul has his weaknesses, just as we all do (pride, pain, impatience, etc.) but according to this dream of his, our weaknesses make us stronger. For the LORD did say that his grace is all we need . . . all we need. The Lord our God works best in our weaknesses. Well, then, God does work in mysterious ways now doesn’t he?

So my challenge to you all is this; instead of complaining that your life is running in circles, and you feel lost and confused, and griping that you keep asking God to help you but you hear no answer. First off, get rid of your selective listening ears, and second . . . ask God to reveal to you HIS plan for your life. And follow that plan, not your own.