The Price of Getting What You Prayed For
Reflections on the Unseen Cost of Fulfilled Longings, Loss and Lent
David seemed to be more devoted and dependent on God when he was anointed King (1 Sam. 16) than when he was appointed King (2 Sam. 5). There was roughly a fifteen-year gap between these two moments—receiving the promise and experiencing the fulfillment of it.
Fifteen years of waiting, running, trusting and longing.
Before others knew, God knew. Before David beheld the throne, the promise was planted in his heart.
Before David became king, he fled from Saul, honoring him even when he had the opportunity to strike back. His dependence on God was evident in those moments of fleeing, trusting God’s timing and protection.
But after David ascended to the throne, the dynamics seemed to change, and it seemed that his life began to spiral in some ways, showing us that our reliance on God can sometimes wane when we finally receive what we have longed for.
It makes me wonder: Why do we live differently when we are waiting on something from God than when we actually receive it? Why does desperation often breed devotion, while fulfillment can breed forgetfulness?
This is not just about treating God like a genie in a bottle. It reveals something deeper about our faith: we often depend on God most when we feel powerless, but when we finally step into what we have prayed for, we can start to believe we have earned it, or worse, that we can sustain it on our own.
Life is difficult. Grief, disappointment, and hardship come for us all. Some press into God in those moments; others pull away. But no one escapes the weight of life. That is why God gives us Help to get a handle on what is handling us.
So maybe the real question is not just what do we desire but who are we becoming as we wait?
Jesus seems far more concerned with shaping our character than fast-tracking our accomplishments. And perhaps the greatest lessons are not in arriving at our dreams, but in the journey toward them.
Because when we rush ahead, we often realize too late that we do not have the hands to hold what God is entrusting to us.
Perhaps—on a human level—David (and we) come to realize that receiving what we prayed for is not all sunshine and rainbows. The fulfillment of God’s promise often carries a weight we never anticipated—one of loss, grief, and burdens we cannot see from a distance.
There is a undisclosed cost that comes with answered prayers and the realizations of God’s promises. It may cost you more than you'll ever know. A price more expensive than gold but no less costly than your life.
Because being used greatly by God comes with a cost. And Scripture is witness to this:
Moses was raised up by God to lead His people out of bondage, which he did, but God on Mount Nebo allowed Moses to see the Promised Land, yet learned he would never get there. Sometimes God will allow you to see farther than you will go (Deuteronomy 34:4).
Hannah longed and pleaded with God for a son, which she received and, in turn, surrendered to God’s service. Sometimes answered prayers requires a deep surrender which is accompanied by loss (1 Samuel 1:27-28).
Solomon had all we could ever long for in life: wealth, prestige, power, influence. All he had gained to fulfill him did not bring lasting satisfaction. He, thus, declared: it all to be “meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless” (Ecclesiastics 1:2).
Elijah’s calling down of fire from heaven at Mount Carmel seems like the pinnacle of his prophetic careers putting all other gods to shame. But he quickly fell into despair under the broom tree pleading with God to take his life, revealing even in high mountaintop experiences, we can struggle with deep loneliness and weariness (1 Kings 19:4).
Esther becoming queen came with a heavy burden, risking her life for her people’s salvation, shows us that being used of God often comes with great risk that we could never see coming (Esther 4:14).
Paul, who once persecuted the church, became one of its most pivotal leaders—writing much of the New Testament, planting churches, and preaching before rulers and crowds alike. Yet, despite all he accomplished, he persistently pleaded with the Lord to remove a thorn from his flesh, only to be met with the answer: 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness' (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul lived the rest of his life with it. Sometimes, the very thing we long to be freed from is what God uses to keep us dependent on Him.
Jesus faced the heaviness of what He was called to do in the Garden of Gethsemane, wrestling with his purpose and the pain and suffering that came with fulfilling the Father’s will. Yet in His despair our Lord cried out: “Nevertheless not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
There is a price that comes with following God, and his will for our lives. One, I am choosing to believe is worth it, but nonetheless, costly.
As we approach the Lenten season, may we have the grace to accept that following God comes with great loss as well as great joy. We often admire the glamor of those whom God uses greatly, but rarely do we ever pause to consider the grief it cost them to get there.
-SH
What I am I reading?
The Gospel According to J. Edgar Hoover by Lerone Martin
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer
What I am watching?
Paradise (Hulu)
Zero Day (Netflix)
Severance (AppleTV)
chile, this was GOOOOD! so convicting, and helpful!
Woo! Good word🙌🏾🔥