Yes. No, not yet. I have something better.

Our son and his wife just got back from a wonderful vacation with their daughter (our granddaughter) at a magical mouse place. They had a great time.

For months, we had heard about all the plans and decisions they were making. For example, there was a princess adventure where specific supplies had to be acquired, options had to be chosen, and a specific day and time had to be selected before they even left home. 

Our granddaughter, on the other hand, knew they were going to the mouse place and was excited, but was blithely ignorant of many of the details her parents were juggling.

I imagine them arriving, our granddaughter seeing the first shiny trinket that attracts her and asking her parents for it. The answer her parents gave her could be “yes,” “no, not yet,” or “We have something better planned for you.”

For example, if the first “trinket” she saw was an alligator, it seems obvious her parents would say “no.” Alternatively, a stuffed alligator might have received a “yes.”

But, what if she saw a trumpet? It is probably early, as a 5-year-old, to pursue a budding music career. So, I would imagine she might receive a “not yet” answer from her parents in this case.

The more challenging scenario might be if she saw a plastic tiara. Her parents knew they had a planned (and paid for) princess experience where she would be dressed up like a princess, including a tiara, in just a few days. How do they tell her, “We have something better planned for you?”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.” - Proverbs 3:5-12 ESV

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” - Romans 8:26-30

I am no different from my granddaughter most days. I see a trinket I want or a situation I want resolved in a certain way, and I want to seek God to get what I want. There is nothing wrong with reaching out to God with our heart's desire as long as we are doing it for God’s glory. We just need to be ready to hear “yes,” no, not now,” or “I have a better plan for you.”