Pray and Have Faith

by: BabesTan-Magkalas
Total views: 21 | Word Count: 728

You pray day and night with deep faith, but God does not seem to hear you. You remain jobless, your friend remains seriously ill and the man of your dreams is nowhere in sight. What should you do?

Waiting in prayer and doing nothing, you believe God will see your faith and take action. God may be teaching the virtue of patience while you ponder God's silence with a stoic resignation and a belief that the prayers have not been heard.

Perhaps you think that if you pray longer and harder, God will eventually answer your prayer. After all, isn't that what Jesus was implying in the parable he told about a man who kept knocking at his neighbour's door in the middle of the night asking for bread, until his neighbour finally got up and gave him the bread just to make him go away (Luke 11: 5-8)? What about the parable that Jesus told about the widow who kept coming back to an unjust judge begging for justice until she wore him out that he finally relented and granted her justice (Luke 18: 2-5)?

On the surface, it seems that you have to literally nag God and He will eventually answer and grant your heart's desire. Pray persistently and you will get what you want. But is this really what Jesus was saying? Will God give you what you asked for just to get rid of you so that He could attend to the countless others who demand His attention?

Surely, you know God is not like that. Jesus personifies the character of God in the flesh. The Bible shows various accounts of Him being prepared to help the needy and showing compassion towards them. God always hears and answers prayers. Sometimes, the immediate response to a prayer is a resounding 'Yes.' At other times He responds negatively despite persistent praying and patience you exhibit as the wait continues.

Still, have no doubt that God wants you to pray persistently. Why? Let's look at the life of the apostle Paul. He had what he referred to as "a thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7). He didn't say what it was but it must have been a chronic and debilitating problem which at times kept him from doing his work. He prayed more than once for God to take this 'thorn' away. But did he get what he prayed for? No!

Paul got something better. Paul prayed persistently with faith and heard God's voice. Paul learned God's will in his life. God told him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."(2 Corinthians: 9) Paul realized that his 'thorn in the flesh' prevented him from being conceited. Paul had many wonderful spiritual experiences and developed great preaching prowess and it was difficult not to brag. The 'thorn' kept him humble. Paul was aware of his weaknesses and knew that his achievements were gifts from God and not of his own making.

Returning to God in prayer keeps the lines of communication open. It allows God the opportunity to communicate with you. The silence of prayer provides the opportunity for you to hear God speak. Many times it is after praying that the words no longer come. This is the time, when you stop talking, that you will hear God in the silence.

Persistent prayer provides God the opportunity to give you the solutions you're looking for. You may have your own idea of what the solution should be, which guides you as you continue to pray. However, what you think as the solution may not be God's. There are times when God bends your will and allows the broken spirit to shine. It is in prayer that you realize that letting go is the answer that lets God work miracles in your life. God will reshape your desires and show the right resolution.

Hence, pray persistently not because you think that by doing so you will eventually get what you want, but because by doing so you are keeping your communication lines with God active which is what He wants. Don't lose heart. Keep on praying. Otherwise, you will miss out on a great opportunity, that is, allowing God to work through you, in you and with you.

Pray for the right reasons and experience His presence, experience His goodness, experience His mercy and experience His power in your life!

About the Author

Wondering why your prayers are not granted? Want to know what to do for your prayers to be granted? Check out www.how-to-pray-effectively.com and find out how to make your prayers more powerful and effective.  

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