Did I Really Want What I Asked For?

It has often been said, to be careful what you pray for.  Reason: if you pray for the wrong thing, that is exactly what you will receive.  Today I had reason to remember that very clearly.

Chronic Problem
Since 2004 I have been getting chest pain whenever I excert myself.  This just might be walking quickly, say, about 100 metres, or cycling for 20 min. or even doing house work or gardening.  On a number of occassions I have had my heart looked at at enormous expense, but all the tests gave negative results.

It is about two years ago on the occassion of one more visit to emergency, that I was again told that my heart was fine.  That time I refused to go home unless they would tell me why I kept getting this pain so frequently.

Further tests were done and in the end I was diagnosed with costochondritis, which is inflammation in the cartledge which connects the ribs to the sternum.  Everything that I can find out about that is that it usually does not require treatment as it goes away by itself.  Difficult to convince me of that when it has hung around for 15 years.

I don’t like continuously taking painkillers.  They don’t solve the problem, just make you feel a bit better for the duration of their effectiveness.  The only thing I had left was prayer, and believe me that an enormous amount of prayer has gone up about this pain.  However, it always returned.

Eyes Opened
This morning, once again I went up for prayer after the service.  I explained my problem and the lady started to pray for me.  Then it came into my mind like a flash.  The pain is caused by the inflammation, and I have never asked for prayer for that.  That means that the pain considers it is free to return as the cause is still there.

We instantly changed our prayers.  This inflammation has to go.  And so, as I write this, I have had a totally painfree day, even though I cycled to the station, a fair ride.  I am totally expecting this to be a permanent situation.

Lesson
James 1:8 says, “… you do not have because you do not ask God.”  I had never asked for the inflammation to go, just for the pain to go.  It usually did, but the cause of the pain was still there.  I just thank God that he showed me this error.