Jeremiah 29:11(NIV) – : “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Sometimes in life, our expectations do not come to fruition.  When we experience disappointments in our relationships, jobs, and finances, we adjust, re-group, and roll with the punches.  As Christians and believers of the Word, we turn to prayer, but how do we cope when our hopes and dreams fail to go as planned?  What do we do when it seems like God has not answered our prayers?  What about those times when God is not responding and we have neither an answer nor explanation…what do we do?

In those moments, we feel abandoned, as if God is punishing us.   We are in a desert; this dry place is our “wilderness.”  This is the place where we are left longing for answered prayers, where both our hopes and dreams are unfulfilled.

God allows disappointments and wilderness experiences in our lives to bring us to a place of revelation. These things reveal the truth about us. God desires our hearts, as well as, our commitment.  Disappointments reveal our level of commitment to God.  Our commitment to God must be authentic and pure, not because He answered our prayers and not because He granted our hearts desires.  We must commit to honoring God simply because He is God.

(Be sure to come back soon for the conclusion of When God says, “No”)