Have you been praying relentlessly about something? Believing God to answer your prayers? Waiting diligently on Him. Checking, double-checking, triple checking yourself spiritually? Trying not to let frustration seep in?
Sometimes we try too hard. We need to get into a place where we can quiet our own spirit. If Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, if you are entering into prayer (I like to call it “conversation”) with Him and you have laid EVERYTHING down at the foot of His cross, the Bible tells us in Ephesians 6:13:
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
We live in a “microwave oven” type of day and age. We want it when we want it and we want it NOW. Many of us read that scripture and we come to the “just stand” part and we get “prayer-rage” – ever been caught in traffic and all you can do in your car is “just wait” until the traffic starts moving again? We get anxious and frustrated and even angry. Guess what? When we get like this about prayer – we delay our blessings or answers because our timing is not God’s timing. Our ways are not God’s ways. Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. We do not “direct Him” we should be looking for Him to direct US. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 55:8-9:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
This is where we have to TRUST HIM. (This is where we have to believe as in Psalms 37:23-24):
“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”
Sometimes when we bring things before the Lord we already have a plan in motion as to how God should answer it and how it should all play out only to find out that God had other plans for us. We look to Him for direction and for answers and then we praise Him for it and we BELIEVE Him to answer it according to His will.
Some people get annoyed at the “according to His will” part, but when you think about it – His will is the BEST route for us. We want to be “in the center of His will.” What is His will? His will IS His Word. It lines up with the Word of God. The Bible tells us that God is the “Author and Finisher” of our faith (see Hebrews 12:2). Jesus taught us HOW TO PRAY (see Matthew 6:9-13). We enter into prayer (conversation) with God first with Thanksgiving: “Father I come before You thanking You for the opportunity to do so. I praise Your name! I worship You this morning! I give You thanks!” (That is just an example – however Holy Spirit leads you to thank God – do so, in your own words for whatever you are thankful to Him for). Then we repent of anything we need to repent of – (I don’t know about you, but I can think of quite a few things DAILY that I need to repent of…) “Father, please forgive me for my sins. If there is ANYTHING that is displeasing about how I have acted or anything I’ve done that needs changing – I ask that You change it. Forgive me Father for any offenses that have been brought before You. Wash me with the precious blood of Jesus…” (Again that is just an example – you can use whatever words Holy Spirit leads you to confess ANYTHING that you feel in your heart you need to confess. This “conversation” with God is between YOU and Him. You don’t need to have a mediator – Jesus is your mediator. He died on the cross for forgiveness of whatever sins you are confessing. It is His shed blood that has made a way for you to enter into prayer with the Father.) Then after we have confessed any and all sins that we need to confess, we can bring our prayer requests right to the foot of the cross. Right to the Father. Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection has made a way for you to boldly bring your requests right to the Father and BY FAITH you can trust that God hears them. HE HEARS YOU. Now this is where faith comes in. This is also where ol’ slewfoot tries begins to whisper doubt into your ears to make you think that God won’t answer your prayers, won’t listen. Remember – back in Genesis this is where he tripped Eve up by causing her to doubt the goodness of God. Dearest reader – please know that GOD HEARS YOU. That HE LOVES YOU. The Bible says in Matthew 7:11:
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
It is God’s pleasure to see you do what He created you to do in the first place – converse with Him! He knows so much more than we – our walk IS a trust walk, but when you think about it, this makes sense… Think about this – part of being in a personal relationship with ANYONE is having a foundation of TRUST. And if that is how we are supposed to be in our relationships with people, how much more so with God? I have found this to be the one area that I have had to work on throughout my walk with Him. Trust does not come easy for me – are you the same? God wants us to know that we can trust Him, because we can.
Once we bring our request before Him, believing that He hears it, trusting that He will answer it – according to His will (which is His Word) we close by thanking Him for the answer, “Father, thank you that I know you hear me. Thank You for answered prayer. Thank You for making a way where there is no way…” (again – use your own words… However Holy Spirit leads) and then close your prayer (conversation) “In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.” (Because it is ONLY because of Jesus that we have the privilege of entering into prayer with the Father. So this part is a must – it reminds the Father that it is His Son who by His blood paved the way for us to come before the throne room of Heaven with our prayer requests. Again, you can see in Matthew 6:9-13 where Jesus was teaching the disciples how to pray. As it was for them, it still holds for us today.
“Father, thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross for forgiveness of our sins and for making a way to enter into conversations with You. Thank You for loving me, for caring about what I care about, for being concerned with what concerns me. I love You so much Father…. If there is anything that I need to change within myself, anything at all – I pray that You help me by Your Holy Spirit to change it. If there is anything displeasing to You – forgive me and help me. Lord, I know there are times when I have “prayer-rage” where I am waiting to hear an answer from You, and I get impatient. Forgive me. Lord, if there is ANYTHING that is blocking that prayer request to come before You, I pray that You would change it, rebuke it or do whatever needs doing so that my prayers and their answers will not be delayed. I plead the precious blood of Jesus on this prayer and I ask Lord that You fill me with Your Holy Spirit and calm me down, increase my faith Father. I want to trust You more. Thank You for answered prayer. Thank You that while your Word tells me in Philippians 4:6-7“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.” and in 1 John 5:14“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” That You hear us. I can have peace in that. YOU ARE THE GOD THAT HEARS. Please be glorified in my life. Thank You Lord for Your good and perfect will, and for answered prayer. I pray this prayer in Jesus name. Amen.”
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