When God Doesn't Deliver

"All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, 'If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?'"

~Numbers 14:2-3

When God led the Israelites out of Egypt, he delivered them from slavery and bondage. He didn't take them to ivory palaces with luscious food, however. He delivered them into the desert, where they had only manna and water to eat. God had to provide the manna and water at that. And the people complained. This wasn't the deliverance they'd hoped for.

I can judge the complaining of the Israelites, but really, I'm just like them. When I pray, I want God to answer on my terms. I want redemption to be easy and enjoyable, but most of the time it's hard. God gives me rest by allowing me to get sick. God saves me from an accident by allowing me to run late. God heals the ill, but does so by bringing them to His perfect dwelling in heaven. I'll never forget desperately praying for the release of Martin Burnham from Filipino militants only for him to be shot and killed in a rescue attempt. God delivered Martin, but to His heavenly kingdom, not to an earthly dwelling. God's responses to prayers aren't predictable, because they're not human.

When I pray for deliverance and God doesn't answer like I want Him to, I often feel like I'm in a spiritual desert. I'm hurt, tired, disappointed, exhausted. But I wonder if the desert if part of God's answer, for in the desert, I am forced to rely on God. I am forced to accept what He provides. I can't do anything on my own. (I can't do anything on my own anyway. I just delude myself.) 

Lysa TerKeurst writes in her book Unglued, “When circumstances of life leak you dry, see this emptiness as an opportunity. Instead of reacting out of emptiness, choose to see emptiness as the perfect spot for grace to grow” (p. 186). So what if, instead of complaining about the way God delivers me, I praise Him for doing it? What if I see the desert as a place of opportunity, a place where I have the privilege of seeing God work in my life in new ways? What if I thank God that He answers my prayers, even if it's not with what I expect or want? It might help me remember that God doesn't deliver according to what I think is best, but according to what He knows will work out for my good and for His glory.