Thanksgiving Musical – Act I
“Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayer” and “I could’ve missed the pain, but I’d have missed the Dance” are both lyrics to old Garth Brooks songs. All morning long, as I’ve pondered today’s blog post, these songs have been swirling around. As I’ve contemplated what those unanswered prayers are, another lyric has drifted in. From “The Father’s house,” by Bethel Music, “the story isn’t over, if the story isn’t good,” joins in the musical number in my head. Do you have days that your internal dialog is musical? Maybe it’s just me, but let me welcome you to the Thanksgiving musical in my head.
Thinking Shift – Intermission
We’ve spent the last few weeks talking about living in an attitude of thanksgiving. Choosing to see God in the big and little things in our lives. Last week I shared the beginning my “month of thanksgiving” list, and that list continues. It’s filled with similar things, the small moments, the simple reflections. Every now and then a bigger one pops in, like when my dear friends’ son walks away from what could’ve been a very tragic car accident, but for the most part it’s been a focus on being grateful for the things I take for granted, choosing to adopt a spirit of joy and hope over negativity.
Then today, the thinking shifts a little. There are things I have wanted, desired, needed, cried over and pleaded for that didn’t happen. I have had seasons of being angry at God, or at least distrusting. I’ve had seasons of crying out, when the desired answer didn’t come. And with the benefit of hindsight, I can see how most of those moments are opportunities to thank God for unanswered prayers. Not all of them; there are losses so profound in my story and others’ that I have had to reach the point of accepting that God knows more, sees more, understands more, and that He is infinitely good, even when it doesn’t look like it from my small world view. If that is you today, I pray peace over you.
A New Story – Act II
If you are not in an immediate crisis moment, and you are simply reflecting on your reasons to be thankful, today I want to challenge you to revisit the “unanswered prayer” moments. For clarity, “unanswered” isn’t necessarily the right word, it’s “no” or “not that way” or “not this time” or “not yet.” So often we believe the way we need something resolved is the only way it can be resolved, and whatever version of unanswered prayer we experience feels wrong.
So, I take a closer look at my story. I go back to the way I’ve allowed it to be written, and I ask God, if I need a rewrite? Are there things that I’ve attributed as lost or unanswered that I need to take a closer look at? And then we journey together, through relationship pasts, through friendships that have come and gone, thru ministries and seasons. Jobs. Houses. Cars. And every step of the way, He shows me the beauty He traded for ashes. The beautiful mosaic created of broken pieces. The near misses. The roads that were better not traveled.
Will you do the same? Will you take a moment and lay the unanswered prayers you carry at His feet. Will you lay down your expectations on what was supposed to be? And in those still tender places, those not quite healed yet, not quite in the safe distance of hindsight, can you hear Him as He whispers, “the story isn’t over, if the story isn’t good.”