"Prayer, and only prayer, restores my vision to one that more resembles God's. i awake from blindness to see that wealth lurks as a terrible danger, not a goal worth striving for; that value depends not on race or status but on the image of God every person bears; that no amount of effort to improve physical beauty has much relevance for the world beyond." Philip Yancey
I was on my break the other day at work, and decided to sit in my car a bit and listen to the radio. I was just in time for David Jeremiah's Turning Point which I used to listen to all the time. He was talking about prayer and reading from one of Philip Yancey's books. In it, he described a man, a desperate alcoholic who prayed and prayed to be released from his terrible cravings, and yet every morning his first thought was not God but Jack Daniels. At one point in his process of prayer he realized that it was God's mercy that kept the desire there. He realized that the prayer was changing him from the inside out.
Ever prayed for something for so long that you wondered whether it was doing any good at all? I know I have. But then I realize something else. Maybe that change in myself or someone else is not happening as fast as I think it should, but while I am praying about it, something else is changing.
I am drawing near to God........my faith is not weakened but strengthened. My frustrations in what I feel are unanswered prayers draw me to the Word of Life......and that in turn gives me the peace I need to wait......because I know in the waiting, something very powerful is happening.
And be assured, that thing you're praying for will happen when the time is right......
I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:13,14
I join with many today in the Gratitude Community.......#700-710
Thankful list: Hanging onto cool mornings for a bit longer, answered prayer about the sale of a home, green offerings from the garden, snatched times of peace away, continued good health, air-conditioner on borrowed time that still rumbles to life, good health of my parents at 81,82, beautiful Arizona sunsets, laughter, always laughter that has continued even through stressfulness of caretaking.....friends who pray.
Only our God would know the need for prayer.
ReplyDeleteGod knows that we need it to know Him. I have prayed for many things over my life; some of them seem unanswered [thankfully] and others were answered on the spot. He knows what I need; I'm glad it's not up to me to determine that changes in my life.
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.
:)
Hey, I like the new profile pic. I really need to get me one of those. Every day I say I will do it and things keep getting in the way. Thank you as always for being such a faithful reader and for you comments, which are always insightful. I wish we could sit on a front porch swing and talk....Maybe someday this side of Heaven :-) Lori
ReplyDeleteYes, I have prayed for things long and still have no answer. Yes, the praying changes me. I know God hears my every word.
ReplyDeleteAt this point, I am at the place where I recognize that God is sometimes mysterious. We don't always know what he is doing and why. We experience his will on the grid of time and space, and so it can seem slow and long before the answer comes.
Cassandra, it is a true gift when you know that God hears. I have always known, and I know this is not anything I have done but it is a gift from the Spirit and we all have different gifts. And you are right, sometimes it seems so slow that we lose heart, and have to be content that God hears our spirit prayers and not the prayers our lips utter. He understands that, and still hears the cry of our hearts, and it is a blessing when others who know our need, brothers and sisters pick up the prayer where we leave off....Thank you so, for commenting. Moonboat is always a regular part of my "blog rounds" Always, always look forward to what you have to say :-)Lori
ReplyDelete