Pray and Have Faith

Do you really need to pray persistently? You pray day and night in full faith. Still, God doesn't seem to hear you. You are still joblessyour friend is still seriously illthe 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. Just remember Jesus who personifies the character of God in the flesh. The Bible shows various accounts of Him always ready to help the needy, hearing their cries and showing compassion. The truth is God always hears and answers prayers. At times, He immediately responds to a prayer with a resounding 'Yes' but there are also times when He responds differently in spite of persistent praying.

Have no doubt. God wants you to pray persistently. Why? The life of the apostle Paul is an example of faith. Paul was believed to have "a thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7). There is no description but readers believe the "thorn" was a chronic and debilitating problem that kept him from doing his work. Paul prayed many times asking for God to take the 'thorn' away and waited in patience for an answer. But God didn't take the "thorn" away.

Paul got something much better. He prayed persistently with faith and heard God's voice and learned His 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 boastful and proud. Paul had 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 accomplishments were gifts from God and not of his own making.

You see, returning to God again and again in prayer keeps your communication lines with Him open. It gives God an opportunity to communicate with you and more importantly, gives you an opportunity to hear Him. It is usually after you have prayed and prayed that you run out of words and then, you stop talking and hear God in the silence.

Persistent prayer affords God the opportunity to give you the solutions you seek through the silence. You may have your own idea of what the solution should be, which guides you as you continue to pray. Your solution may not be God's answer to the problem at hand. There are times when God bends your will and allows the broken spirit to step forward. It is in times of prayer that you soon realize that letting go is the answer that lets God work miracles in your life. God will reshape your desires and show the sensible resolution.

Pray persistently because you know the communications lines are open and God is listening. Actively speaking with God opens the way for resolution. Do not lose heart. Keep praying. Hold on to the greatest opportunity by 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? Do you want to know how to pray so that your prayers will 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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