“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver, “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you” -C. S. Lewis The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This quote came to my mind today as I thought about how often the word safe shows up in my prayers. I use it every day in every prayer at some point and while there is nothing wrong with that, I can’t help but wonder if I am a little overly concerned with the word.
Obviously, I want my loved ones to be kept safe, so this is at the top of my prayer list. However, I must confess, I am struggling with some conflicting thoughts about how often this is my prayer for those I love. Yes, safety is important, but I have to be honest, I mean brutally honest and admit some hard truths. Safe isn’t where growth happens. Safe isn’t where important lessons are learned. Safe isn’t where faith grows. And safe isn’t where we learn that His grace truly is sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9).
Sometimes, “safe” isn’t always what is best for us or the ones we love. Sometimes, “safe” isn’t what is needed for the will of God to be brought about. I know the truth of this. As hard as it is to confess, the truth is that the greatest growth in my life has come through the most difficult moments. I have come to know the grace of God like never before in the midst of some of the most frightening moments of my life. It was in moments that I didn’t feel “safe” that I learned what it meant to be held by my Father.
I find that I am guilty of attempting to pray away my loved one’s pain; I am guilty of attempting to pray away their struggles. How often do I stop to consider if this really is what is best for them? Maybe, just maybe, I need to learn to pray God’s will in the situation instead of trying to tell Him how to fix things. Am I saying I want those I love to suffer? No! What I am saying is that maybe I need to learn to be less obsessed with praying for “safety” and more concerned about praying God’s will.
I’ve been reading my Bible since I was a young girl, and I can tell you something I’ve noticed. Throughout the Bible there are great men and women of who faced some really hard things and went through some really hard times. Some faced great struggles and later found great blessings. Many allowed their hard times to be used to bring Him glory. Still others died and found their reward in the arms of their beloved Savior.
Perhaps you are wondering what my point is, my friend. Here it is. We are not promised an easy life, but we are promised that He will never leave us (Matt. 28:20). We are not promised that we will not struggle, but we are promised that He will walk through them with us (Isaiah 41:10). Maybe I need to learn a new way to pray. Instead of just being focused on “safety”, maybe I need to learn to pray for a few other important things as well.
Maybe I need to learn to pray that they will find Him in their struggles. Perhaps I could pray that they will allow their situation to draw them closer to Him than ever before. I could learn to pray that they will experience His grace in new ways as they look to Him for the strength and healing they need. I could pray that God will use the difficulties they face to grow their faith and encourage them to trust Him more and more with each passing day.
How can I justify always wanting to escape difficulties when my Savior suffered so intensely on my behalf? How can I justify always wanting to pray away my loved ones suffering when Jesus showed us that suffering can lead to freedom, healing, and restoration? I still plan to pray for my loved ones’ safety, but I confess I plan to start trying to pray more Scripturally as I keep a more eternal perspective in mind. In other words, I plan to consider that His plans may be different than mine (Isaiah 55:8-9)!
32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. Hebrews 11:32-40
Then Job replied to the LORD: I know that You can do anything and no plan of Yours can be thwarted, You asked, “Who is this who conceals My counsel with ignorance?” Surely I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” Job 42:1-3
Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:15
Katrina Douglas
6/10/2022
