What to do when the Lord answers our Prayers but not in the way we expect

A few weeks ago after finding myself looking for a new job again, I had an interview in Liverpool,  I was fairly confident that I had been successful,  and the Job was mine. I had prayed about and many of my friends had prayed for it too,  I was surprised when I heard I had been unsuccessful however the company had invited me back for another interview so I prayed again and asked friends to pray once more,  I left the interview and I was walking on air,  I thanked the Lord for providing me with a great job, on my way home on the train to Southport,  I felt I needed to contact my ex-employer this was last Friday, over that weekend The Lord reminded me several times that I needed to contact them on Monday.

On Monday morning, I decided to do an online job search, during this job search,  I saw a job advertised for my ex – employer,  I decided to bite the bullet and call them,  I spoke to my contact there, who told that they had rang me the previous Friday to see if I was interested in working for them on a 6 Month Fixed Term Contract starting on the 1^st of October, I readily agreed to rejoin my ex-employer, I didn’t actually apply nor have an interview for my new job,  but because I had gained a great reputation when working for ex-employer previously they offered me this job.

Although I was secretly hoping that the interview I had the previous week would give me the job I applied for,  I had spoken to one of my of many friends at Church  last Sunday and told her that I was confident that the job I had the interview for.

This week I decided that working for my ex-employer was plan b and the other job was plan a, I reviewed the evidence about both jobs,  plan a was £1,000 a year more than plan b,  and full time permanent and plan b was full time but a fixed 6 month contract, plan a was 5 days out of 7 days, and involved flexible start and finishes between 8am – 9pm, plan b is Monday to Friday 9am -5pm. I’m involved a great deal in my home church,  and I knew that if I took plan a  I wouldn’t be able to serve as much if I was working evenings and weekends.  I heard last Thursday that I wasn't offered plan a,  and once past my initial disappointment,  I thanked the Lord for providing me with his choice of job for me.

I often wonder why we expect the Lord to answer our prayers in a certain way, and then He blindsides us,  and answers our prayers according to His will for our lives, and not according to our will/desires/dreams and plans for our own lives.  We expect because we have prayed in faith that the Lord will answer our prayers in a certain and in the way we expect, when He answers our prayers in a way we don’t expect,  if you are like me you’re momentarily confused but soon realise that the Lord has answered our prayers in accordance with his will for our lives,  through this we mature and learn to trust Him more.

When I was in Bible School in South Wales 20 plus years ago,  I had a favourite hymn ,  I Remember Calvary, I expected to remain serving God and living in  South Wales as part of a great Pentecostal Denomination that both my parents and grandparents had bought me up in, and I remember singing this hymn with a great enthusiasm never realising that He would lead me out of The Pentecostal Denomination  that I grown up in and outside The South Wales Valleys.  For most of the last 20 years I have been part of the New Church Movement and for many years have lived in England,  and now live in Southport, Merseyside and part of a fantastic Church, both are now my home.

I remember Calvary

Where He may lead me I will go,
For I have learned to trust Him so,
And I remember ’twas for me,
That He was slain on Calvary.

Refrain

Jesus shall lead me night and day,
Jesus shall lead me all the way,
He is the truest Friend to me,
For I remember Calvary.

O I delight in His command,
Love to be led by His dear hand;
His divine will is sweet to me,
Hallowed by bloodstained Calvary.

Onward I go, nor doubt nor fear,
Happy with Christ my Savior near,
Trusting that I some day shall see,
Jesus my Friend of Calvary.

Matthew 7:7-11 New American Standard Bible

7 “[c](F)Ask, and (G)it will be given to you; [d]seek, and you will find; [e]knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you [f]who, when his son asks for a loaf, [g]will give him a stone? 10 Or [h]if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, (H)how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

8409 decision-making, and providence Dictionary of Bible Themes

People need guidance from God about how they should make up their minds on difficult issues. God gives them this through the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures, individuals, groups and other external means. Decisions should be grounded in a relationship with God

Ephesians 3:14 -21 New Living Translation

14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,[e] 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.[f] 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.  20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Ephesians 3:21

It is proper to conclude our prayers with praises. Our blessed Saviour has taught us to do so. Take notice how he describes God, and how he ascribes glory to him. He describes him as a God that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. There is an inexhaustible fulness of grace and mercy in God, which the prayers of all the saints can never draw dry. Whatever we may ask, or think to ask, still God is still able to do more, abundantly more, exceedingly abundantly more. Open thy mouth ever so wide, still he hath wherewithal to fill it. Note, In our applications to God we should encourage our faith by a consideration of his all-sufficiency and almighty power.

 According to the power which worketh in us. As if he had said, We have already had a proof of this power of God, in what he hath wrought in us and done for us, having quickened us by his grace, and converted us to himself. The power that still worketh for the saints is according to that power that hath wrought in them. Wherever God gives of his fulness he gives to experience his power. Having thus described God, he ascribes glory to him. When we come to ask for grace from God, we ought to give glory to God. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus. In ascribing glory to God, we ascribe all excellences and perfections to him, glory being the effulgency and result of them all.

 Observe, The seat of God’s praises is in the church. That little rent of praise which God receives from this world is from the church, a sacred society constituted for the glory of God, every particular member of which, both Jew and Gentile, concurs in this work of praising God. The Mediator of these praises is Jesus Christ. All God’s gifts come from his to us through the hand of Christ; and all our praises pass from us to him through the same hand. And God should and will be praised thus throughout all ages, world without end; for he will ever have a church to praise him, and he will ever have his tribute of praise from his church. Amen. So be it; and so it will certainly be.