God Thinks Big – He Made Elephants, Didn't He?
“When the gods are angry with a man, they give what he asks for.” This quizzical ancient Greek proverb may have been the inspiration for Socrates’ more insightful conclusion: “Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us.”
Yet even asking for blessings in general is a form of petition, and petition is the only form of prayer in which most people engage, although in actual fact the concept of prayer is far more ample than mere petition; prayer in general includes even interior actions, such as the very theme of this book--the virtue of trust. The prophet Kahil Gibran bemoaned the typical narrowing of the life of prayer: “You pray only in distress and need; would that you would pray in the fullness of joy and in your days of abundance.” The great spiritual director, Cardinal Fenelone, recommended this broad-ranged prayer: “Tell God all that is in your heart, as you would unload your heart to a friend--your pleasures and your pains, your trials and joys.”
Realistically, we can’t expect either prophets or theologians to enlarge the thinking of the man on the street, whose entire religious experience consists of begging his Maker to give him something; like an infant, he wants to receive but not give. So let’s accommodate our discussion to that limited myopic view that sees, but can’t see beyond, the “ask and you shall receive” promise of the Lord. Even an ever-yearning type of soul is gifted with multiple opportunities to grow in trust. A closer look at the issue will show why.
The first problem, says St. James, is not asking at all: “You do not have because you do not ask” (Jas 4:2). The second problem is that, when we do ask, we may be asking for the wrong things: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures” (Jas 4:3). Thus, the “what” of our request will often reflect the “why” of that request. The “why” is the motive, which may be good, bad, or neutral (which is both non-good and non-bad). All of these factors will generally determine how God responds to our requests (usually, by the way, giving preference to our needs over our wishes: “Your heavenly Father knows your needs” [Mt 6:32]).
The Lord’s response may be any of three possibilities: “Yes,” “No,” or “Wait.” If he says “yes,” it may be “yes” to our appeal, but perhaps “no” to our motive--as when we ask for the right thing (for example, prosperity) but for the motive of avarice or materialism; this is “asking wrongly,” or “amiss” (see Jas 4:3). Conversely, he may say “no” to your request and “yes” to your ultimate motive, which he sees as good. In this case, he ignores your choice of “what” and gives you another “what.” For example, he may refuse to give you a direct cure, but may answer your prayer indirectly by guiding you to the right doctor for a cure. The exercise of trust in this type of divine response is most demanding; it’s trusting God to do things his way--trusting that his way is best.
If he says ”yes” to both the “what” and the “why,” then your answer comes just as you requested, in God’s time, of course. The exercise of trust in this situation is most rewarding and uplifting. (When the petition is for the grace of sincere repentance in order to receive God’s forgiveness, there is never any delay.)
Yet what about the times when our yearning gets the “wait” response from the Lord? If we ourselves are not the cause of the “wait” by impediments to successful prayer, then God’s teasing delay serves to sustain and thus increase our trust while it clings to him during the hold period. (See my book, When God Says No—25 Reasons Why Some Prayers Are Not Answered.)
No matter which approach the Lord uses to respond to our yearnings, we are like bears in a salmon rush--the opportunities for trust are plentiful.
Our deepest yearnings of the heart, such as desires for health, prosperity, friendship, and a good job, serve an ulterior purpose beyond being opportunities for trust; they are designed by God to stimulate even deeper yearnings that reach even further, as expressed by the psalmist: “As the deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God” (Ps 42:1).
This excerpt is from the book Pathways of Trust, by John H. Hampsch,C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/visual materials can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408.