Unanswered prayers

Garth Brooks has a song about thanking God for NOT answering affirmatively to a prayer for a particular girl he wanted to marry when he was in High School.  I was reminded of this song when I reconnected with someone I knew a long time ago from school.  We never dated - in fact we kind of had this Moonlighting love/hate thing going on but there were definitely sparks.  He was always dating these girls that made me wonder WTF was he thinking?  I was always single when he was with someone and I was with someone when he was single.  Then off I went to college and we just never connected after that -  until a short time ago he was back in my life - if only in cyberlife.

I did think about this person throughout the years and wondered where he got off to and what would have happened if we had ever dated - dunno . .could have been awesome or it could have been awful.  Only God knows and He's not telling.  Or is He?

God does answer some prayers - Ones that we did not even know we needed to pray  - by moving us in and out of  places.  Keeping us from situations that would perhaps not be the best choices for us, or putting us in places that we need in order to grow.

Joseph (from the OT) sat in prison from 17 to 30 because God knew he needed to mature and be humbled before being made 2nd in command of a country almost overnight!  Things line up/things fall away, and no it's not all good.  I make some really really dumb choices and God absolutely lets me.  But sometimes He makes sure I'm otherwise occupied until the timing is just right.  Thanks God.