Prayer Journey
Matthew 21:22 “and whatever you ask in prayer, you will
receive if you have faith”
Sounds pretty simple, right?
If only it was….I know that we all struggle with this is verse. We just have to ask……and then, when the answer is
no or wait or there is no obvious answer that we can see we begin to question
our faith and the strength of our beliefs.
Even worse, sometimes we question if God is really listening or if He
really cares. There….I said it and wrote
in black and white. It’s time to get
real and be honest instead of being the “Sunday morning Christians” that fill
our churches. If there is one thing I
want to be in everything I do and write – it’s to be real and honest and caring
and loving and more like Jesus every day.
There is a BIG two letter word in that verse….”IF”. I love studying the word and circling the ifs
and therefores , in’s, so that’s and
for’s (I’m sure that was grammatically slaughtered!!); it adds so much more
depth and real meaning to the Word. So
here – the word “if”…what does that mean to us?
For me it means realizing again and again and again (to infinity) that I
have to do my part in resting in faith.
I have to understand that those prayers where I seek His will above my
own are the ones that will be answered.
Here is the amazing part – when we finally let go of what we want….
telling God our plan and waiting for him to catch on, we are FREE and at
peace. Tell me I’m not the only one who
has to keep coming back to this place of realization!! You would think the first time it happened
and you felt the burden literally lifted off your shoulders, when you wanted to
just run and jump and yell praises that we wouldn’t go back to carrying that
heavy load of trying to do it ourselves.
But we do. Over and over
again. Or at least I do. Oh, Lord help me to realize that your plan
will ALWAYS give me more joy that I can even begin to comprehend and your plan
is so much bigger than mine could ever be!!
In verse 21 it says that if you have faith and do not doubt
– even the mountain can be thrown into the sea.
I love this part because He already knows the plan. His Will is already
set to be accomplished. We just have to
be faithful and obedient to understand that we are riding His train and the
tracks have already been set. Think about
that for a minute – do you get on a train and midway through the journey tell
the conductor to stop, get out and re-lay the track to change the path of the
train? Silly question and imagine how
labor intensive and time consuming that would be!! Why do we try to do that in our own lives
when he already has the tracks laid and ready for us? There are three words in verse 21 that hit me hard "it will happen" - my study bible explains that beautifully when it says this shows the immeasurable power of God, unleashed in the lives of those with true faith. When we believe in God's plan for our lives - it will happen and it WILL BE amazing!!!
“We think that we understand better than He does when and
how our prayers should be answered….We make use of prayer to convince God that
we see the matter in the right light,
that the answer should be given immediately, and should be as we planned
it….We are afraid that God will not permit Himself to be convinced by our
prayer, but will do as He wills regardless of our supplications…When,
therefore, the Spirit has taught us that God is inexorable on this point and
that He Himself decides when and how our prayers are to be answered, then we
shall experience rest and peace when we pray.”
O Hallesby
I love that – we think we should convince God and are afraid
that His mind will not be changed by our petitions. Oh, how sadly true of so many prayers that I
have prayed. But, when I really (and I
mean not just saying it but really after wrestling with God) let go of what I
want and how I think things should be accomplished, then and only then do I find
rest but even more than rest is pure joy unknown in any other way. Then am I free to discover more about God and
his glorious plan for me and then I am free to worship and serve in truth and complete
vulnerability!!!
“The meaning of prayer is that we get hold of God, not the
answer” Oswald Chambers
Lord, thank you for giving us the beautiful act of prayer to
lay down our desires and burdens understanding that in YOUR GREAT POWER we find
unspeakable joy and peace no matter what the answer. Thank you so much for allowing us to engage in prayer to find YOU!! Show us your unending mercy as we seek your
will and path for our lives and grace to deal with the difficulties and
challenges that we will encounter. May
we find joy in the journey you have planned for us know that if we are faithful
we will find the peace your promise in your word.
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