Just the other day, I had the chance to watch ‘Bruce Almighty’ again. I must say that I really enjoyed that movie and what’s better, is the reminder of God’s words to us.

There was a scene in the move when Bruce (played by Jim Carrey) comes before God (played by Morgan Freeman) in utter frustration and confesses that he just gave everyone what they wanted in their prayers. Then ‘God’ answered:

“But since when does anyone have a clue about what they want?”

Powerful words that are biblical and so often misunderstood.

Many times we cry and we beg God for our prayer requests, but it never occurs to us to ask, “Is what I’m asking actually going to be what’s best for me?” We just assume that our desires are always what is best for our lives and sometimes, when we get it, it does not turn out anything like what we had hoped for. I know that my life will be extremely different from what it is right now if God were to give me everything that I had asked for. And I’m quite happy where I am right now and I can only thank God for His infinite wisdom in withholding some things despite of all my begging.

Then you may ask, “Should we then even bother presenting our prayer requests to God?”. To be honest, I am not completely sure of the answer as the full purpose and power of prayer is still something that I cannot completely understand. But one thing I know for sure, the Bible tells us to keep praying. At all times, keep praying and present your petitions to God. Thus, it is clear that God’s desire is for us to KEEP PRAYING!

I do not know how it affects God’s actions but another thing I know is, the process of praying impacts us far greater than the results it brings. Through prayer, we learn to put our faith in God. We also confess that we need God in our lives when we pray. Obedience and patience are also necessary by-products of prayer. We recognize that God is in control and when we pray, our spiritual muscles of faith are constantly building up. Thus, I believe that one of main reasons why God wants us to pray is not so much about the results (although it is important too), but it is also because of the change it produces within us.

Nonetheless, I side-track. The moral of this story is that we should continue to pray even though we do not always know what we want or need. But the Bible is clear, that God, being a loving father, will never give us bad things. And if what we are asking for is going to be bad for us in the future, rest assured that God will, in His mercy, say ‘No’. Thus, we should be mature enough to know that sometimes, when our prayers go unanswered, it could very well be God telling us, ‘This is not the direction that I want you to go’. Take heart in that, and continue to let God lead your paths. You’ll be surprised to where He can bring you instead!

The short scene ends with ‘God’ leaving Bruce in the darkness and Bruce desperately asks, “Wait, are You leaving? What if I needed You? What if I have questions?” To which, ‘God’ answers:

“That’s your problem Bruce, that’s everybody’s problem. You keep looking up.”