Sometimes you can wish for things that can cripple you, causing you to be held hostage in a place you wouldn’t give to your worst enemy. And the reality of it all, you will not recognize it, until you’ve given years of your life you can’t get back. Yeah, you will experience things that will teach you, make some mistakes that will cost you and even lose some stuff that will strengthen you but only if you knew then what you know now. This is why you have to stop wishing and start praying because there is a difference. See, wishing is like signing an agreement without reading the fine print but praying is running a background check. Wishing is buying the car without a diagnostic check but praying is getting the car fax report and a twice over by a skilled mechanic. Wishing is like taking a chance on meat that’s pass the expiration date and praying is selecting fresh from the meat counter. Wishing is your stamp of approval but praying comes with God’s. This is why Jesus says in John 15:7, “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.”
Wishing is desiring, prayer is asking. Wishing is a spoken plea, praying is a silent request. Wishing gets you but praying releases you. This is why you have to know the difference because sometimes your wish can be granted and it not be what you thought. Stop wishing for stuff God hasn’t ordained for your life. Stop blowing out the candles and wishing for the man of your dreams, pray and let God shape him and then send him. Stop closing your eyes and wishing on a star but pray to the one who created the stars. Stop wishing for the lottery and pray to the God who holds the lot in His hands. Beloved, wishing can cause heartache that it takes years to heal when praying can give you a new heart. Wishing can cause some sleepless night but praying can give you peace that you cannot even begin to understand. Wishing can mess you up but praying can clean you up. You might not like it and may not even agree with me but you know, as well as I do, you are only wishing for what you know God has blocked.