So what have I been praying about recently? Ironically, prayer. The last several weeks have been full of "I just don't knows" for me and some of my close friends. Some of my friends are making some big life changing decisions regarding their careers, locations, finances, etc. Personally, I have been struggling with giving my future to the Lord and admitting that I just don't know what is next....and being at peace with that. On top of that, I have had people close to me dealing with unexpected illnesses with their friends and families. Through all of these things, God has lead me to focus on prayer and how to pray. For the past several days I have been reading and studying what the Bible says about prayer and what I have learned is how without even realizing it, I have been doubting God. Here are several of the verses that I found...
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know he hears us- whatever we ask- we know that we have what we asked of him." - 1 John 5:14-15
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." - Psalm 37:4
"But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord." - James 1:7
"When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." - James 4:3
"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?" -Matthew 7:11
and finally....and this is a long one....
"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth. If anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." - Mark 11:22-24
What I found reiterated over and over, is that we are commanded to not doubt God, and to believe that what we have asked has happened. I then started to think about all of the "safe" prayers I have prayed over the years. I have simply not asked for things so that I didn't run the risk of ever being disappointed in him. How selfish of me and how silly to even try and put God in a box. I am called to pray bold prayers and to believe in those prayers. For those who are sick, God will heal them. For those who are lost, God has revealed himself to them. For those suffering that God will comfort them. And for the desires of my heart, God will bless me with those. I guess I am now challenging myself in this new year, to pray in a new way. To pray boldly and to be confident that my prayers will be heard and answered. Below are a few people that I ask for complete healing for and I ask that you do as well.
I'll just end on one final verse and it is off to bed.
"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." - James 5:13-16
LOVING ALWAYS,
thank you! i love you!
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