Thy Will...seems unequal - Prayer requests, responses and results

There was a time when I found myself questioning how should I pray. This questioning stemmed from a specific matter: I saw people in similar life situations that probably were asking similar requests, yet it seemed to me that they didn't receive what I was asking for. Why then should I bother asking for it? If God listens, shouldn’t His answers be equal to every person asking for the same things? Should I get different results than others with the same request? Perhaps I should ask only generic things such as "You will be done", or "Give me peace and strength" and "Let me not go astray from your Will" instead of "Please, heal so and so from their ailment" or "Open a door of employment for my loved one in the next few weeks."

Over time, reflecting more on the topic grounded in the Word, I realized this finds a parallel in daily life. We all do this. We treat different people and different things differently. We don’t give the same advice to a child as we do to an adult. We don’t expect the same from a beginner as we do from an expert. Yes, there is an equal part to how we interact with others—smiling, greeting, basic courtesy, respect and more. But there’s also an unequal part, where we respond to individuals uniquely.

God operates in a similar way - but with infinite wisdom and perfection. When we think about his Will and his Goodness, we see He gives many things in life equally to all, starting with the sun and rain (Matt 5:45). Especially,  He offers faith, salvation, and spiritual gifts freely to all and every single human being. But then there’s the unequal part—He deals with each one of us according to His perfect Will for our life.

The Bible speaks about God's Will in action all the time, but we sometimes overlook it. Take for example John 21. After Jesus restored Peter following his threefold denial, Peter looked at John and asked, 'Lord, what about him?' And Jesus’ response was, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.” In other words, “Peter, I have a Will for you, and I have a Will for John. You don’t need to compare.” If Jesus wanted John to live longer, why should Peter think that was unfair?  Likewise, if I pray for something that God has given to another person and I do not receive it—or vice versa—why should I assume my will in the matter was the correct and better one? Could God's Will be wiser than mine in that matter?

We know the answer. 

As we rely on Him, we are led to a renewed, deeper sense of trust in our prayers. It frees us. In my case, instead of delving in my own assessment of His fairness and justice, I renewed my trust in His answers. This means I continue to offer broad, general prayers, but also do not shy away from specific, bold requests—trusting that, regardless of the answer, God’s Will and Wisdom are at work. And I have to tell you, some of those prayers have been answered in the most amazing ways, beyond what I could even imagine. Meanwhile, some of them were never responded the way my will desired and designed them  -  while I could see other people's requests granted. Thy Will be done.

So, why does God Will seem sometimes unequal from our perspective, and why does he give His gifts the way he does? We can attempt an answer to it by saying:
    1. Because He deals with people differently. He gives unique gifts, callings, and paths.
    2. Because He is God, and He knows better. Something that may be a blessing to me might be a stumbling block to someone else—or vice versa.
    3.  Because the Bible is full of examples of God working according to His will, even when it seemed unfair at first—like when He chose Jacob Over Esau (Romans 9:10-13, Genesis 25:23), Jesus Healing Only One Man at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-9) and when Jesus says that the Father "have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children." (Matthew 11:25-27)
    4. Because when we make comparisons, we tend to lean into the "good and bad", "holier than thou" and "more deserving" side of things, while we know we are all sinners, who need Jesus for our salvation and depend on God's grace and love. We are not deserving, but dependent - disciples saved by Grace who trust God's Grace and Will unconditionally

God's Word teaches us that prayer isn’t about convincing God to align with our will. It is about trusting that His Will teaches us how to pray, and always works out what's best for us. We can Pray. We can Pray boldly, bringing all that is in your heart before Him.  And then we let God do the worrying. 

We let Him handle the request, the response and the results.