God’s
promises are cultivated in the soil of faith, and will come to fruition in
time. If we will but believe, we will see the mighty hand of God at work. When
applied and used properly, the promises are powerful tools in a Christian’s
hands.
I
invite you to embark on this exciting 40-day journey, and partner with God in
standing on His promises. May your faith be strengthened through His mercy, authority, favor and
grace; and may your spirit be uplifted.
ANSWERS TO PRAYER
Today’s
verse is one that most people, who have walked through a church door know, but
don’t necessarily understand.
Ask
and it will be given to you, seek and you will find: knock and the door will be
opened to you. For everyone who ask receives, and he who seeks finds, and to
him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew7:7
Some people think of God as
the divine Santa Claus granting their wishes. They come to Him with a long list
of their wants—a nice car, a big house, a new job, a better salary and so on.
Others don’t believe God is interested in their lives and they shouldn’t bother
to ask Him for anything except when they’re in trouble or when someone dies.
Both extremes miss the idea of what prayer is about. God wants us to pray in
this manner
Ask—according
to His will, not ours. “If we ask
anything according to his will, he hears us.”(1 John 5:14). But how can we,
in our limited understanding know the will of God? As we spend time with Him in
prayer and read His word, we will come to know the heart of God and His will.
How do we ask? Jesus tells us, “Ask in my name” John 16:23. What do we ask for? We can ask for
God’s protection, His provision, guidance, strength and wisdom. But asking is
only the first step. Next we are directed to:
Seek—to
discover. Be actively involved in searching the topic of prayer. In the New
Testament, Jesus gave us guidelines when He prayed the “Our Father.” Each
phrase represents a certain topic. The prayer begins with praise to the Father,
then moves to petition for our daily needs, to confession of sins, to
forgiveness of others, and affirmation of God’s position on the throne. If we
use this as our guideline when we pray, we will receive a fuller understanding
of the role of prayer as communication. We also need to search the scriptures
for the many verses about prayer and use them during our quiet time with God.
Another way to gain insights is to read books about prayer that broaden your
understanding. However, seeking is not enough, we also need to:
Knock—on God’s door. When a person goes to a friend’s home,
they first need the right address. When they get there, they knock (beginning
of change) on the door, believing their friend will answer if she is home. The
same goes for prayer. Knocking gets God’s attention. When He hears it, He draws
near to heaven’s gate. Now, we need to knock in such a way that God will
answer. Have faith. He is always home, so keep on knocking. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16).
Sometimes God asks us to persist in prayer and not give up. I’ve prayed for
many years about my marriage and my career, and it has paid off.
The first year my husband and I moved
to Vermont, I
had a good job teaching art. Then I got pregnant and gave up my position to
stay home with my precious son. For years I wanted to get back into teaching
art, but we moved to an area where there were many artists looking for jobs. I
decided to work in a Christian school as a resource room teacher and taught art
on the side. I then worked at a college and several public schools, but I
continued to pray for a job teaching art. One day I got a call from a director
asking me to interview for an art teacher position with special needs children.
I went and was hired. God opened the door after many years of my knocking.
But in order to know the right door to
knock on, we need to listen to God. Prayer is communication between God and
man, so we need to be willing to listen. God speaks to us in His still small
voice, through His Word and in the circumstances of our lives. It’s important
to listen after we pray and read the Word. Then we will be able to hear God’s
answer.
Answer—God always answers our prayers, but we don’t always
recognize it. Sometimes He says, “yes,” other times “no,” and more often “wait,
it’s not time yet” as in the example above. Now and then His answers come
wrapped in a different package than we expected. For years I thought God wanted
my husband and I to have a ministry helping people with troubled marriages.
While living in Vermont,
we thought we would start a retreat center, but that never happened. Instead,
we learned a lot about overcoming problems in our own marriage through
experience! I hadn’t bargained on that. Now I am able to minister to women in
difficult marriages in a different way than I originally thought. God is
creative in the way He answers our prayers.
Whether you’ve had a thousand prayers
answered or not, I encourage you to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking. “Pray without ceasing” (1 Timothy 5:17). Keep your heart and mind lifted
heavenward in all you do. Your answer is awaiting you on the other side of the
door or just beyond the gate. Just remember, it might look a little more unusual
than you originally thought.
Prayer
Dear Father,
Praise Your name, O Lord. You are indeed Almighty and
on the throne in all situations. Teach me how to pray according to Your will.
Let me have Your mind in my prayer life, and not just a list of what I want. At
the same time, help me not to shy away from approaching You with my needs. Keep
me in touch with your heart and listen to the cry of my heart. Thank You for
hearing me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Application
Keeping
a prayer journal is a great idea to encourage your prayer time. On each day,
write down one thing to pray about. For example, Monday pray for family needs,
marriage, children etc. Track whether you have received an answer—remember
there are three choices: yes, no or wait. Add prayers to your list, as you feel
appropriate.
Night Time Reflection
He
will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel,
shall neither slumber or sleep. Psalm
121: 3-4
Do
you sometimes feel like your prayers are bouncing off heaven’s gates, posted
with a “Do Not Disturb” sign? If so, be reassured that God is watchful of
everything, but like a parent He doesn’t always interfere. There are lessons we
need to learn without God directly intervening. However, He is watching. Like a
Father, He cheers for us on the sidelines.
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