Ask and accept

As always I am working on several large deals. A couple of them are really important to me and I would dearly like to win. I was talking to a friend about it the other day and I told him that I had learned through the years to temper my desires to win a deal at all costs. Better no deal than a bad deal, and even though I want it so badly that I can taste it, I will maintain discipline and walk away if necessary, if I cannot achieve the terms that I think are fair. I have also learned that try as I might, I am not going to win every deal, and when I lose, I try my utmost to lose gracefully.

Through the years I have on occasion tried to force things to work out that just don’t want to work out. It is like trying to put a round peg into a square hole. I have prayed about it and then when it did not happen as I wished, I whined that God was not answering me. Oops, He answered me all right, but I wasn’t listening. What I did not understand then, that I understand now, is that the answer sometimes to my prayers is no, or not now. Hmmm. That is not the answer I wanted, so now I will sulk??? I would think that sulking because I did not get my way with God is not a very smart thing to do; no I will not sulk.

Sound familiar? In today’s society instant gratification is the order of the day; we want what we want, when we want it. If it is not forthcoming then we sulk and feel sorry for ourselves. God works on His timetable and not ours and similar to the way that we treat our own children, our Father in heaven does not allow us things that are not in our best interests. “His” purpose for our lives is what is important and not particularly what we think is important. We can ask until we are blue in the face, but if it is not within God’s will for our lives, it ain’t gonna happen, pure and simple. So with all of that said, what possible good does it do to stew and fuss and moan and worry and lose sleep wondering if we will win the deal. Not one iota of good. If it is for you, it is for you; if it is not, it is not. The answer will be forthcoming soon enough and whatever will be, will be. Achieving inner peace when a big deal is looming in the distance is easier said than done as with many things in the spiritual realm, but it can be achieved through prayer, reflection, and the use of spiritual logic. Primarily it boils down to faith. If your faith in God and that God will take care of your every need is strong, achieving inner peace should be a piece of cake.

God instructs us to pray ceaselessly. We should obey Him and petition Him, but accept His superior judgment when the answer is no. The Bible assures us that God never gets it wrong and never makes a mistake and as you will see below always answers prayer. Be appreciative and grateful if the answer is yes, or no. I still want to win the deals, but I will accept God’s answer, and in the end if I do not get the deal, I assure you that I will not dwell on it but for a moment and then click the “next” button and on to the next deal and the next, and the next, and the next, and the next

Matt. 7:7
Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and
you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you. For everyone who asks receives;
he who seeks finds; and to him who
knocks the door will be opened.