When I Let Go of the Pen

Wednesday Aug. 6, 2025

Scripture: “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” — John 14:13, NRSV

Reflection: For years, I prayed for God to bring the right woman into my life. But if I’m honest as I reflect back I realize that I wasn’t really asking for God’s will, I was handing Him a list of my preferences. I prayed with my mind made up, hoping He’d just approve what I already wanted. Nothing changed and disappointment crept in. I began to wonder, Why isn’t God answering my prayers? But the truth was, I was trying to write my own story and asking God to sign it. It wasn’t until I surrendered that prayer, really surrendered it, that everything shifted. I finally said, “Lord, I trust You with this. Not my will, but Yours.” And when I let go of control and stopped using prayer as a vending machine, that’s when God answered in a way I never could have orchestrated. That’s when God gave me the greatest wife in the world, that’s when God said it’s about time and now Kristal is my gift to you. Friends Jesus’ words in John 14:13 are not a blank check for our desires. They’re a signed check for His purposes. To pray “in Jesus’ name” means to align our requests with His character, His compassion, and His mission. It’s not about using His name to get what we want it’s about letting His name reshape what we want. When I stopped trying to manipulate the outcome and started trusting the One I was praying to, He led me to someone who exceeded anything I had imagined not just in what I asked for, but in what I truly needed.

Consider This:

• Have I been using prayer to ask God to bless my plan or have I truly been seeking His will?
• What is one area of my life where I need to stop striving and start surrendering?
• Do my prayers reflect the heart and character of Jesus, or mostly my personal desires?
• Am I willing to trust that God’s “no” or “wait” might be part of a better “yes” I can’t see

Prayer:
Jesus, thank You for hearing me, even when my prayers were more about control than trust. Teach me what it means to truly pray in Your name—not with clenched fists, but with open hands. Shape my desires to match Your heart. And give me the courage to surrender the pen, so You can write the better story. Amen.