Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own. Jeremiah 33:3 MSG
As a young child, I learned the importance of prayer. I’m not completely sure why because I didn’t grow up in a Christian home. I received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior through Daily Vacation Bible School at the age of six. From that time forward my heart was tuned to God’s. My only explanation is the inner working of the Holy Spirit. All I knew is that God wanted me to pray.
At such a young age, I didn’t realize prayer could be a two-way conversation. So, I flooded heaven with my requests. I was talking, not listening.
As I matured in my faith, prayer became vital to my daily walk with the Lord. (I think we have the tendency of making prayer much harder than God ever intended it to be.) Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you.” He wants to hear from our hearts. No fancy words or platitudes. I started to listen to God, not talking as much.
Psalm 138:1-3 gives us much hope as it relates to our life of prayer. I will praise you, O LORD with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.
That is what I want to be: stouthearted, sturdy, courageous, and resolute. That is how I want my prayer life to look.
This picture of being stouthearted means “Praying Through.” We need to remain steadfast with courage and resolve that God answers prayer in His time. It is not giving up. It is fervent with faith-believing.
We know that God answers our prayers in one of three ways—yes, no, and wait. We love the yes answers and in time come to accept the no answers. The wait answers are the hardest. It’s not easy to be steadfast when He’s asking us to wait. I remember as a child praying for my Dad’s salvation. I would plead with God for his salvation for 23 years. I shared the plan of salvation many times but I never knew if he truly understood and accepted Jesus as his Savior when he died at age 51. I didn’t give up my prayers. God isn’t willing that any should perish. I believe that and we don’t know what happens in the heart of the last seconds of one’s life. It’s my prayer-filled hope that one day I will see my Dad.
As a leader, what do you need from Jesus today or tomorrow? God wants us to keep praying “through” until the answer comes. After we have prayed “through” then we can praise Him for His coming answer, always knowing that His answer is the best. It is always right. Sometimes it just takes time for our hearts to catch up.
You may remember the words of this song; “Someone is praying for you, remember someone is praying for you. When it seems you’re all alone and your heart would break in two, remember someone is praying for you.”
Abba, thank you that You hear us, that You never give up on us and that You always have our best interest closet to Your heart. Amen
Question: What is your biggest need from prayer right now?
