A whim is something we want right now. A desire is a wanting but more pronounced. Longing is an unending desire. God doesn’t answer prayers because, often, we are whimsical in our petition. Or, our desires are not for the good as much as for ourselves. We want what we want, and we want it now. Sometimes our wanting is deeper. We can long for something. Often these longings involve people we love and trials they, or we ourselves, are going through. But God doesn’t answer prayers based on how much we want, or for how long. 

God is not fooled. We cannot convince God that our whims, desires, or longing are worthy if they are not. What is more, God is not a genie, here to grant wishes. If our wants contradict God, then we shouldn’t be surprised when God does nothing with them. It would be foolish for God to work against Himself, and He wouldn’t be doing us any favors.

When we seek God to bless us and do our bidding we are, effectively, building our own Kingdom. We want God to do for us what we cannot because, as we see it, this is the best course of action. This could be anything from wanting a particular outcome of a football game to the desired result of a medical test to the geo-political actions of nation states.  

To be clear, it's not that God doesn’t want to hear your prayers or bless you. Or even that He doesn’t want what you want, but, more to the point, do we want what He wants.

When our wills are aligned with God, we will move mountains (Matt 17:20). As we seek first the Kingdom of God (Matt 6:33) we rely on Christ and find that God comes to act with us. Not unlike a car’s lane assist function, God moves with us as we move with God. With our ability we can only do so much, but with God there is no limit to our ability. 

THE way of moving with God, and not our own way is by being in prayer. Prayer is THE tool for moving our minds away from our whims and desires, giving us a longing for what God wants.

The Lenten season is a perfect time to further our commitment to prayer. To start praying regularly, pray with others, or practice a prayer that is deeper and more complex, like contemplative prayer. 

To aid you in this endeavor we are forming micro-groups with readings and a guide. The readings will help you focus on what God is doing by getting into His Word, and the guide will help facilitate what to do when the groups meet. The groups will meet once a week, whenever the group chooses. To get more information on joining a group, click here.

Whatever you choose as your discipline this Lenten season, whether taking on or giving up, I know that it will bring you closer to God and His will, which is the goal of Lent, and a life in Christ.