O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. (Psalm 5:1-3 NLT)
There seems to be a common thread in many of the chats we have with different couples and individuals when they desire coaching or counseling. After sharing their challenges with us, it becomes very obvious that, although they say they have prayed about a particular situation, they don’t really trust that their prayers are going to be answered.
Why is it that we allow ourselves to go through the task of praying; but as soon as we leave our prayer closet, we go right back to worrying and fretting? Are we just practicing some sort of religious ritual with no real expectation of results? Shame on us!
Notice the end of this Scripture selection. David said that he will bring his requests to God and wait expectantly. In the King James Version, it states, “Oh Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” It’s one of my favorite passages of Scripture because it’s so clear that this is someone who trusts that his prayer is being heard and therefore, he is willing to wait with anticipation for the answer.
In Hebrews, the author tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). We can pray and pray and pray some more, but if we don’t really believe God is going to deliver, why even bother? It’s just an exercise in futility, and it’s not pleasing to God. God is moved by faith, not pity. He doesn’t just answer our prayers because He feels sorry for us. He answers them because of our faith in Him and His desire to bless us.
You may be going through a really tough situation in your marriage or life, in general. God desires to fix the brokenness, but you must believe that He can. Cry out to God for help and then look up because you have faith that He will answer your prayers. Do not nullify your prayers by unbelief and worry. Have confidence that God has heard you, and you will receive the answers you so crave.
Is it true that God doesn’t always answer our prayers exactly the way we want Him to? Absolutely! Again, though, this is where our faith has to be that God knows what He’s doing, and His timing is always best. He never wastes an opportunity to “grow us up”. He will always allow the fruit of the Spirit to be developed in us. Patience is part of that fruit, so sometimes we have to wait on the answer we want from God. Even that, though, shouldn’t diminish our faith. Continue to look up with anticipation because His desire is to always do what’s best for His children.
Sacred Covenant Ministries 