Past Blessings

by Wayne Holmes

A song by Garth Brooks titled “Unanswered Prayers” reminds us that sometimes we pray for things and the answer appears to be “No.” As time goes by and we see the way things could have been had our prayers been answered, we can smile and say with Garth, “I thank God, for unanswered prayers.”

Truth is, The Divine answers prayers, and sometimes we are grateful when The Divine says “No,” or “Not now,” or one of my personal favorites, “I’ve got a better idea.” If The Divine created us, then no one knows us better. Not only are our compulsive wants and desires known to The Divine, but also our deepest wants, needs, and highest ambitions.

One request we need to include in our prayers is this, “Divine Spirit, show me what I want — what I truly want — and grant that request.” We can be assured that this is a safe prayer, because at the heart of all of God’s children — and for some it is buried way down deep — is the desire to love and be loved, to extend love to everyone we meet, and to be accepted for who and what we are without judgment. Divine Spirit; answer the deepest desires of our hearts — to be like You.

About the Author: Pastor Wayne Holmes is an ordained minister with Divinity Spiritual Church and also Revelation Spiritual Church. He is the co-founder of Religious Recovery, an organization dedicated to healing wounds inflicted by religion or the religious. He is not opposed to religion, but he sees the hurts and endeavors to help. Wayne is the author of seven books including his latest title, Every Path Leads Home: Opening to Your Spiritual Journey. Learn more about Wayne’s healing work at ReligiousRecovery.org.