Before answering your good question, I’d like to ask you a question…Do you really want God to change His mind?  We read in 2 Samuel 22:31, “As for God, HIS WAY IS PERFECT; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.”  If the Lord’s way is perfect, why would we want anything else?  Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”  Our “own understanding” is so flawed and limited, while the Lord knows the end from the beginning.  It is when we truly do not understand God’s ways, we must TRUST Him, that He will do what is right, good, and perfect. 

However, the Lord in His sovereignty may give us what we want in order to teach us a lesson.  For example, let’s consider 1 Samuel 8:19-22, “Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king…”  In verse 7 of this chapter, we learn the people had rejected the Lord and wanted to have a king rule over them, just like the other nations had.  Because of their rejection of the Lord’s guidance and their insistence to be like other nations and have a king, the Lord allowed it and gave them Saul as their king.  Of course, the results were disastrous.

When we cast our cares upon the Lord, it should be with the understanding that He knows what is best.  Our own thoughts and ideas can often lead us into terrible situations.  Proverbs 14:12 tells us, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”  We can be so short-sighted and have such a narrow perception as to our needs.  Matthew 6:8 assures us, “…for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”  The One who knows our needs, and how to meet those needs, should be trusted in every situation.

There is a way that we can guarantee the Lord will give us what we ask for.  We read in Psalm 37:4, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”  When we find our joy in the Lord, we will desire His will, and we will pray accordingly.  Then, the Lord will give us what we desire because we will want what He wants us to have. 

I want to encourage you to seek God’s will for your needs.  Do not try to change His mind, but by prayer, allow the Lord to change your mind.  Allow Him to answer your prayers in His perfect way and timing.  If the Lord does not answer your prayer like you think He should, you can be assured that He will answer in a way much better than you imagined.  If the Lord requires you to wait for an answer from Himself, remember the words of Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”  1 John 5:14 assures us, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.”  In your prayers, ask the Lord for His will to be done, then wait upon Him to answer in His perfect way.  (CC)  (698.4)