Lies We Believe #1: God Doesn't Want What's Best for Me
“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’" —2 Corinthians 12:7-9
In our battle against sin, Satan has many different tactics that he employs against us. And since he is a liar and the father of lies, he has an arsenal full of lies that he sends our way. The first lie that we are going to examine is, “God doesn’t want what’s best for me or He would have given me what I wanted.” This lie is predicated on the notion that God is beholden to us and must give us whatever we want, whenever we want it, as if God were a genie in a Bible that we rub by reading a few words, and He is then to give us whatever we want. But God is not beholden to us in any way. He was not required to give us life, breath, the capabilities we have, or anything. Whatever God gives us is based entirely upon grace and His benevolence. God is good, no matter what terrors or tragedies come our way. We cannot maneuver or manipulate God to do whatever we want Him to do. If God has withheld something from us, it may be for a variety of reasons unbeknownst to us. Job went through unbearable tragedies, losing all ten of his children, his business, and his health in a matter of days. He was never given a reason why it happened to him, even though we are privy to the account from the perspective of heaven, knowing it was a spiritual battle between God and Satan. Job knew nothing. Or consider Paul, in our passage for today. He was given a “thorn in his flesh” which was “a messenger of Satan.” He wanted to have it taken away from him, but God would not take it away. God’s response? “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” God wanted to do something in Paul that was beyond words. God wanted His power to be evident through Paul’s weakness. Would Paul have said, “This is not what I want, therefore it’s not what’s best for me?” Surely not! God definitely wanted what was best for Paul, and that goes beyond our desires. God is giving us Himself, the opportunity to draw closer to Him.
Often when we believe this lie it is because we perceive something that God should give us, whether it be a job, a raise, a relationship, an opportunity, or whatever else it may be, we believe that God should give it to us. But, for whatever reason, it doesn’t happen; no matter how much we plead or try to muster up faith, it never materializes. Does that mean that God doesn’t love us and doesn’t want what is best for us? No, because God knows us better than we know ourselves. He may tarry in giving us what we want, or He may determine that whatever we desire is, in fact, not what is best for us.
God does want what is best for us; however, what we want may not be what is best for us. God knows better than we do, and He will abundantly give us more of Himself. We may need to go back and reevaluate our desires all over again, asking God to give us clarity as to why He tarries in answering or why He has shut the door.
God loves us, is good to us, and is ready to give us more than we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Nevertheless, we need to make sure that what we ask or imagine is in line with His will, trusting in Him, knowing that His best for us is the best possible thing it could be. Amen.
In our battle against sin, Satan has many different tactics that he employs against us. And since he is a liar and the father of lies, he has an arsenal full of lies that he sends our way. The first lie that we are going to examine is, “God doesn’t want what’s best for me or He would have given me what I wanted.” This lie is predicated on the notion that God is beholden to us and must give us whatever we want, whenever we want it, as if God were a genie in a Bible that we rub by reading a few words, and He is then to give us whatever we want. But God is not beholden to us in any way. He was not required to give us life, breath, the capabilities we have, or anything. Whatever God gives us is based entirely upon grace and His benevolence. God is good, no matter what terrors or tragedies come our way. We cannot maneuver or manipulate God to do whatever we want Him to do. If God has withheld something from us, it may be for a variety of reasons unbeknownst to us. Job went through unbearable tragedies, losing all ten of his children, his business, and his health in a matter of days. He was never given a reason why it happened to him, even though we are privy to the account from the perspective of heaven, knowing it was a spiritual battle between God and Satan. Job knew nothing. Or consider Paul, in our passage for today. He was given a “thorn in his flesh” which was “a messenger of Satan.” He wanted to have it taken away from him, but God would not take it away. God’s response? “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” God wanted to do something in Paul that was beyond words. God wanted His power to be evident through Paul’s weakness. Would Paul have said, “This is not what I want, therefore it’s not what’s best for me?” Surely not! God definitely wanted what was best for Paul, and that goes beyond our desires. God is giving us Himself, the opportunity to draw closer to Him.
Often when we believe this lie it is because we perceive something that God should give us, whether it be a job, a raise, a relationship, an opportunity, or whatever else it may be, we believe that God should give it to us. But, for whatever reason, it doesn’t happen; no matter how much we plead or try to muster up faith, it never materializes. Does that mean that God doesn’t love us and doesn’t want what is best for us? No, because God knows us better than we know ourselves. He may tarry in giving us what we want, or He may determine that whatever we desire is, in fact, not what is best for us.
God does want what is best for us; however, what we want may not be what is best for us. God knows better than we do, and He will abundantly give us more of Himself. We may need to go back and reevaluate our desires all over again, asking God to give us clarity as to why He tarries in answering or why He has shut the door.
God loves us, is good to us, and is ready to give us more than we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Nevertheless, we need to make sure that what we ask or imagine is in line with His will, trusting in Him, knowing that His best for us is the best possible thing it could be. Amen.
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