# A Prayer When You Don’t Really Get a Vote

An episode of [Your Daily Prayer](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1253570474), 20 Aug 2026, 7:56.

Audio: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/c035a7f6-4128-4372-aaf2-af5b00f866a9/fce51ee7-5a5a-471e-a158-b4a9011c1891/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=b1db73a2-bae6-49ef-b354-af5b00f8a5d2

Being passed over, dismissed, or disregarded, especially when you are the one with experience, expertise, or a genuine stake in the outcome, is one of the most frustrating experiences in human life. And the instinct that rises in response is entirely predictable: we want to be heard, we want to prove ourselves, and we want to make sure our voice lands where it matters. But Genesis 50:20 holds a truth that quietly dismantles our grip on control: what others intend for harm, God intends for good. Joseph had every reason to demand a different outcome, to protest the injustice of what was done to him, and to insist on a vote he was never given. Instead, his story became one of the most breathtaking examples of God's sovereignty over circumstances that looked entirely out of control. This episode invites us into the hard and humbling art of silence — not the silence of giving God the silent treatment, but the silence that keeps us humble, that allows us to hear rather than speak, and that creates space for God's voice to fill what we are so eager to fill with our own. God spoke to Moses alone in the desert, to David alone with his father's sheep, and sent Jesus into the world without parades or fanfare. His greatest movements often happen in the quiet. When we allow His voice to reign above our need to be right, heard, or in control, something remarkable becomes possible: lives are changed, and our own hearts are shaped in the process. Today's Bible Verse "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." — Genesis 50:20, NIV Ponder Today • We like to have our say because we like control. Even when we are right, pride can convince us we deserve the megaphone. Recognizing that impulse is the first step toward the humility that creates room for God's voice. • When we are speaking, we are not listening — and we are not learning. The discipline of choosing silence over self-assertion is not passivity. It is one of the most active and difficult forms of faith available to us. • God consistently speaks into lives that are quiet and still. Moses in the desert, David with the sheep, Jesus arriving without fanfare — God's most significant movements rarely come with the noise we expect. Stillness is often where He shows up. • Outside our own actions, there is very little we can actually control. Health, relationships, other people's decisions, the small and large disruptions of daily life — our voice, experience, and determination cannot force most things into submission. Resting in that truth is not defeat. It is wisdom. • God is the author of what is good, true, and right — and He will ensure your feet are set on a firm path toward His hope and goodness. No matter how unheard or overlooked you feel, His sovereignty over the situation is not diminished by your lack of a vote. A Prayer for You Today Lord, it is all too easy to gloss over the truth that You will fight for us and we need only to be still. We like the idea of Your sovereignty, but only as far as it allows our opinions, voices, and control to remain. Grant us humility and a divine understanding of what it means to step back, sit in the silence, and allow You not only to handle our situations but to shape our hearts in the process. May we remember that You are the author of what is good, true, and right, and that no matter how little we feel heard or respected, You set our feet on a firm path toward Your hope, joy, and goodness. We praise You for this truth that we can rest in. Thank You for who You are, God. Forever, Amen. Want More? 🎉 We're excited to introduce The Good Word, a new way to receive weekly biblical wisdom and encouragement right in your inbox. Join our community today: https://www.lifeaudio.com/thegoodword/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

## Transcript

[0:02] Speaker 1: Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your daily prayer,
[0:15] Speaker 1: where we help you find the words you need to
[0:17] Speaker 1: connect to your Father in heaven. No matter what's happening
[0:20] Speaker 1: in your life today, you can trust that God wants
[0:23] Speaker 1: to hear from you. Right after this short word from
[0:26] Speaker 1: our sponsors, we'll pray through today's prayer for when you
[0:29] Speaker 1: don't really get a vote. A Prayer for when you
[0:51] Speaker 1: don't really get a vote, written by Peyton Garland read
[0:55] Speaker 1: by Lea Gerard. You intended to harm me, but God
[1:01] Speaker 1: intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done,
[1:05] Speaker 1: the saving of many lives Genesis fifty twenty. Have you
[1:10] Speaker 1: ever felt like you didn't have a say in a
[1:13] Speaker 1: certain matter, even if you were the expert, the one
[1:16] Speaker 1: with the experience, the one who was hurt or wronged.
[1:21] Speaker 1: Were you passed over, dismissed, or completely disregarded because of
[1:25] Speaker 1: your age, gender, or past. I'm sure all of us
[1:31] Speaker 1: can answer yes to some, if not all, of these questions.
[1:34] Speaker 1: It stings to feel overlooked, to be underestimated, and to
[1:38] Speaker 1: see that others will never recognize the significance of your voice.
[1:43] Speaker 1: But despite this overshadowing reality, might I offer a bit
[1:48] Speaker 1: of truth. We like to have our say because we
[1:53] Speaker 1: like control, and even if our say is right, we
[1:56] Speaker 1: let pride convince us that we deserve the megaphone. When
[2:01] Speaker 1: we believe a situation is under our control, we can
[2:04] Speaker 1: adopt a temporary, shifting, but comfortable idea of peace. But
[2:09] Speaker 1: deep down we all know how long this idea of
[2:12] Speaker 1: control lasts, don't we Whether we have a say in
[2:16] Speaker 1: a matter or not. There are some things that our voice, pinion, experience,
[2:21] Speaker 1: and pure gritten determination can't force into submission. Some things
[2:27] Speaker 1: are more severe, like unfortunate health diagnoses, crumbling relationships, church drama,
[2:34] Speaker 1: financial strain. Others are less severe, but proof further still
[2:40] Speaker 1: how little control we truly have. Car troubles, toddler tantrums,
[2:45] Speaker 1: delayed grocery delivery, and millions of tiny, insignificant things in between.
[2:51] Speaker 1: This is why I've learned and continue to learn the
[2:55] Speaker 1: art of silence. I'm not talking about giving people, and
[2:59] Speaker 1: especially God, the silent treatment that never works. I'm talking
[3:03] Speaker 1: about the silence that keeps you humble, that allows others
[3:08] Speaker 1: to make decisions that could be a part of God's
[3:10] Speaker 1: divine plan. I'm talking about the hard art of resting
[3:15] Speaker 1: in the truth that outside my own actions, there's little
[3:20] Speaker 1: I can control. Rather than controlling a disagreement by pointing
[3:25] Speaker 1: out my husband's faults, I find it far more beneficial
[3:28] Speaker 1: to hear his side and focus on where I can grow.
[3:33] Speaker 1: Rather than allowing emotional tensions to control my political vote,
[3:37] Speaker 1: I pause and quietly reflect on the opposition's opinion to
[3:42] Speaker 1: ensure my ballad is cast on facts and convictions, not feelings.
[3:48] Speaker 1: As humans, we often speak from places of emotion or pride.
[3:53] Speaker 1: We want to be heard, we want to prove ourselves.
[3:56] Speaker 1: There's nothing inherently wrong with these things. But one thing
[3:59] Speaker 1: is for when we're speaking, we aren't listening. We aren't learning.
[4:08] Speaker 1: Consider the countless times in scripture that God spoken to
[4:11] Speaker 1: the lives of his people when they were completely silent.
[4:15] Speaker 1: He spoke to Moses after he had fled the noise
[4:18] Speaker 1: of Egypt, while he was alone in the desert tending
[4:21] Speaker 1: his father in law's blocks. He sent the prophet Samuel
[4:25] Speaker 1: to anoint David as Israel's king, while David was by
[4:28] Speaker 1: himself tending his father's sheep. He even sent Jesus the
[4:34] Speaker 1: Savior into the world in the quiet, without parades and
[4:41] Speaker 1: fanfare for a welcome Though I have a more strong, willed,
[4:45] Speaker 1: opinionated personality, I've found both mercy and grace in allowing
[4:52] Speaker 1: the silence that I believe should be filled with my
[4:55] Speaker 1: vote to be filled with God's voice. After all, no
[5:01] Speaker 1: matter if I'm right, I'm not the author of all
[5:06] Speaker 1: goodness and truth. That title is reserved for the sovereign
[5:10] Speaker 1: God Almighty. When we allow God Almighty's voice to reign above,
[5:16] Speaker 1: all lives are changed, souls are saved. What a truth
[5:21] Speaker 1: to rest in. Let's pray, Lord, it's all too easy
[5:27] Speaker 1: for us as Christians to gloss over Exodus fourteen fourteen,
[5:30] Speaker 1: where your word says the Lord will fight for you.
[5:33] Speaker 1: You need only to be still. We like the idea
[5:37] Speaker 1: of such sovereignty and protection, but only as far as
[5:40] Speaker 1: it allows our opinions, our voices, our reputations, and our
[5:43] Speaker 1: control to remain. Grant us humility and a divine understanding
[5:50] Speaker 1: of what it means to step back, sit in the
[5:55] Speaker 1: silence and allow you not only to handle our situations,
[6:00] Speaker 1: but also to shape our hearts. In the process. May
[6:04] Speaker 1: we remember that you are the author of what is good, true,
[6:09] Speaker 1: and right, and as such you will ensure that no
[6:12] Speaker 1: matter what we go through, how little we feel heard
[6:16] Speaker 1: or respected, you set our feet on a firm path
[6:20] Speaker 1: towards your hope, joy and goodness. We praise you for
[6:25] Speaker 1: this truth that we can rest in. Thank you for
[6:29] Speaker 1: who you are God Forever Amen. Your Daily Prayer is
[6:45] Speaker 1: a production of Life Audio and Salem Media. If you
[6:49] Speaker 1: liked what you heard today, be sure to follow our
[6:51] Speaker 1: sister show your nightly prayer. You can find your nightly
[6:55] Speaker 1: prayer at lifeaudio dot com or in your favorite podcast app.
[7:00] Speaker 1: By following your daily prayer and your nightly prayer, you
[7:05] Speaker 1: can be sure that your day begins and ends centered
[7:09] Speaker 1: on the Word of God and prayer.
[7:18] Speaker 2: Hey friends, it's Kelly from Life Audio. We just launched
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