Published almost twenty years ago, “Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To” by Anthony DeStefano changed how I pray and how I experience God’s answers to my prayer. I’ll be spending the next few weeks talking about what I got from his book, and how applying the principles in this book to my own life changed me.
Kismet
As a little girl, I loved reading fantasy novels about quests and discovering one’s destiny. There was something so heady about that, romantic and grand, with promises of a great mystery unfolding as destiny becomes reality.
Those kinds of stories grip us because we long to know why we exist: Why am I here, anyway? DeStefano writes about hearing people say everybody is special. Parents say it, teachers say it, pastors say it. Everybody is unique. And some people really are special standouts—famous people, powerful people, rich people, Nobel prize-winning people. But what about regular people? What about commonfolk like you and me? Are we special? What are we here, for?
The stock answer is that we are special because we are made in God’s image, and we are here to love and enjoy God. For those of us who have spent much time at all in Christian circles, we have heard this Bible passage recited:
Wonderfully Made
“For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.”Psalm 139:13–16 NRSVUE (modifications added)
Made for a Purpose
And we know that we have been saved for a purpose, as Paul famously wrote,
“For we are what God has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we may walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10 NRSVUE (modifications added)
And that’s a good, solid answer. But … deep down, do you still wonder why you, personally, are here, and what is it that makes you special, if anything? I certainly have wondered that about myself.
DeStefano answers that question by asking us to consider that secret work God engineered when no one, not even our own mothers, knew it was happening.
How Did I Even Get Here?
Think back to your conception. Can you not remember that far back? I will help you out, DeStefano writes. In that moment five hundred million sperm were competing for entrance into the egg. Only one sperm got in, then the way in was permanently sealed, and all those other sperm died. Think about it. You won a race with a five-hundred-million-to-one long shot. Not only that, your conception had only about a four-day window to happen. Even after conception, there are so many babies who never make it to term. In fact, only about one in four do in the United States. But incredibly, you made it. Statistically, your presence on this planet is a downright miracle.
(That feels pretty good, huh?)
No matter how many bad things have happened in our lives, no matter how much suffering you and I have had to endure, no matter how many problems we have got stacked up right now, no matter how low of an opinion you or I may have about ourselves, we need to see this. We came into this world a champion. Your first day and mine was a victory of life.
And it was no accident. Throughout scripture it is clear that God had each person in mind even before the creation of the world. In fact, Paul even mentions that.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as God chose us in Christbefore the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.”
Ephesians 1:3–4 NRSVUE (modifications added)
God planned you and me and chose us, personally, before the world began. God said no to all those other hundreds of millions of potential people (sperm-and-egg combos) so God could have you and me instead. And when God said yes to us, DeStefano continues, God said yes to everything about us. Our personality, the circumstances of our lives, our looks … everything. You and I are handpicked.
The question is, why?
What Was God Thinking?
Of course, we can only know in part until the whole story of our lives is written, and we are together with the Lord to ask God directly. But, in the meantime, there are a few things we can know.
Love
God made us in love, because God loves us. God doesn’t explain why God loves each of us, but God does reassure us it is so. You and I are expressions of God’s love.
Pleasure
God takes great pleasure in all of creation, and God takes pleasure in each aspect of creation, including you and me. We have the potential to bring God joy simply by existing.
Purpose
Paul’s one-liner written to the believers in Ephesus indicates God has a particular mission for each one of us. Not a plan, so much as a purpose that simply cannot be derailed. There is something waiting for you, and for me, that only we can accomplish.
God designed us for this very purpose. It could be something big. Or small. Something splashy. Or hidden. It could be someone you will influence. It could be one dramatic event, or it could be a long series of events. Whatever it is, it will be profoundly important to the life of this world, and fulfilling to us.
DeStefano is quick to caution us that this is not about realizing our dreams.
Our dreams and aspirations and the destiny God has for us may not be the same thing. But God knows the deepest desires of our hearts. God knows what will give you and me the greatest pleasure and the most profound happiness. So, as you and I dream and hope and plan, remember that God has something God has in mind for us since before the beginning of time.
So, how do you and I find out what that something is?
Discover My Destiny … One Step At A Time
Incredibly, all we have to do is ask. “God, please show me my destiny.” Probably we are not going to get a telegram. Much more likely, God will lead each of us into our destiny one step at a time. The process will shape us and make us ready for our destiny, as God supernaturally transforms us into the people we need to be to fulfill what God has prepared for us.
When you and I pray “God, please show me my destiny,” we will begin to see situations differently.
- During one of those icky confrontational situations, for example, we will be asking “What is God’s will for me in this? How will I glorify God and influence this person for good?”
- During scary situations we will be asking “What is God’s mission for me in this? How will I magnify God’s name?”
- For situations that feel tedious or boring we will ask “What important thing has God hidden here for me, as I fulfill God’s purposes?”
This prayer takes patience, and it takes perseverance. It takes courage and it takes faith. But if you and I are willing to pray it, and do what God shows us, there will be no regrets when we come to the end of our lives. You and I will know that we gave God the honor that was due the Lord, and fulfilled the destiny for which we were created from all eternity.
As DeStefano writes, even then, even after you and I have breathed our very last breath, and our heart stops beating, even then the great adventure will not be over. Because when we open our eyes again, the One Who gave us life will say the words we have been longing to hear, that will give you and me a happiness far beyond anything we have ever experienced,
“Well done, good and faithful servant …
enter into the joy of your Lord.”
[Cover Image: Photo by Rajesh Rajput on Unsplash]
