The Best Answer

It hadn't been a good week for Isaiah. Nothing seemed to be fun anymore since his best friend Thomas moved away. "Please, dear God," Isaiah prayed every night, "let Thomas come back and live here again." "I know you miss Thomas very much," Dad said one afternoon as he and Isaiah washed the car. "But I don't think his family is going to move back here.""Yes, they will! I asked God to bring them back, and He'll answer my prayer. Won't He?""Well, yes…" Dad frowned a little and scratched his head. "Oh, I forgot to tell you--Mom's fixing stuffed green peppers to go with dinner tonight. She wanted to know if you'd eat some."Isaiah wrinkled his nose. "No thanks, I don't like stuffed green peppers.""I'll let her know," said Dad as he headed to the house. He came out a few minutes later. "Isaiah, Mom is fixing stuffed green peppers for dinner. Should I tell her you'll eat some?"Isaiah stood up from the wheel he'd been cleaning. "You already asked me about that, Dad. And I already said no! Don't you remember?"Dad laughed. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. Your answer was no surprise, by the way. It just wasn't what your mom was hoping to hear--she really likes those stuffed peppers. She wants you to like them too, but your answer is still no. It's like that with God--He will always listen to our prayers, and He will always answer, but sometimes the answer is no. We need to remember that He cares about us--that He loves us so much Jesus died for us--and trust Him to do what's best."Isaiah put down his sponge. "Why wouldn't God let Thomas come back here? It would make me a lot happier.""But it might not be best for Thomas's family. His father was very sick, you know, and the doctors said a warmer climate would be better for him. Instead of praying that Thomas will come back, maybe you could ask God to help his family adjust to their new home. This move might be harder for them than for you."Slowly Isaiah nodded. "Okay. And after I pray for Thomas and his family, I'll ask God to help me find a new friend here too." –Katherine R. Adams