“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV)
I am a classic overthinker, especially if I am dealing with a difficult life situation. At night I lie in bed devising all kinds of ideas, scenarios, and solutions. I think about how I should have said or done things differently, and what I will say or do better in the future. But, the other day, I was scrolling through social media and saw a quote which stopped me dead in my tracks. “Pray about it as much as you think about it!” When I read this I literally flinched. “OUCH!”
Yes, in that moment I felt the Holy Spirit’s conviction. However, I know God loves me and only brings things to my attention because He wants to help me change. So I really had to do some soul searching. Why do I tend to pray about things as a last resort, after I have tried my best to solve life’s issues on my own?
So, I made a list. Perhaps you can relate to a few of the reasons I came up with:
- This isn’t important enough to ask God about.
- I feel unworthy of God answering my prayers.
- It’s my own fault I am in this situation. So I should fix it on my own.
- I feel hopeless. God won’t answer.
- I have prayed about this. But God hasn’t answered yet.
- I don’t even know what to pray or ask God for.
When I looked at my list, I was shocked. I knew my first three reasons were all lies! Of course I am important enough. After all God said, “You are precious and honored in my sight” (Isaiah 43:4, NIV) God loves me so much he calls me His child. (1 John 3:1) And I am worthy, but not because of anything I have done. I am worthy because Jesus died to give me his righteousness. (2 Corinthians 5:21). In fact, “He died for each of us, even when we were at our worst” (1 Timothy 1:15) Thus, even if we created the mess, God has proven he will help anyway. And God promises this. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24, NIV) And God is true to His promises. (Psalms 33:4-5)
And if God’s promises are always true, then even if we feel hopeless, He will still answer our prayers. Because feelings are not facts, but they are fueled by the enemy’s lies. The enemy is the one who wants us to feel hopeless and give up. So, we can’t let our emotions rule our actions. No matter how we feel, we should pray.
And when we pray we must know, just because something hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it won’t. If we prayed, God heard. And He is working right now behind the scenes to bring about His perfect answer in His time, not ours. Sometimes we have to let go of our expectations of what and when the answer will be. We have to have faith because “God works for the good of those who love him.” Romans 8:28). God’s plans may be even bigger and better than anything we could hope for. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”” (1 Corinthians 2:9, NLT)
And lastly, we shouldn’t worry if we don’t even know what to pray for. You see, we have the Holy Spirit living inside us. “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” ((Romans 8:26-27, NIV)
I am so thankful God has answers for all our doubts and fears right in the pages of His word! The bible promises He listens to our prayers and acts. We can be sure this is true, even when we don’t see or understand. So, we must keep praying and believing “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV)
Dear Heavenly Father, Please forgive me for the times I haven’t remembered to pray first, and the times I didI am a classic overthinker, especially when dealing with a difficult life situation. At night I lie in bed devising all kinds of ideas, scenarios, and solutions. I think about how I should have said or done things differently and what I will say or do better in the future. But, the other day, I was scrolling through social media and saw a quote that stopped me dead in my tracks. “Pray about it as much as you think about it!” When I read this, I literally flinched. “OUCH!”
Yes, in that moment, I felt the Holy Spirit’s conviction. However, I know God loves me and only brings things to my attention because He wants to help me change. So, I really had to do some soul-searching. Why do I tend to pray about things as a last resort after I have tried my best to solve life’s issues on my own?
So, I made a list. Perhaps you can relate to a few of the reasons I came up with:
- This isn’t important enough to ask God about.
- I feel unworthy of God answering my prayers.
- It’s my fault I am in this situation. So I should fix it on my own.
- I feel hopeless. God won’t answer.
- I have prayed about this. But God hasn’t answered yet.
- I don’t even know what to pray or ask God for.
When I looked at my list, I was shocked. I knew my first three reasons were all lies! Of course, I am important enough. After all, God said, “You are precious and honored in my sight” (Isaiah 43:4, NIV) God loves me so much he calls me His child. (1 John 3:1) I am worthy, but not because of anything I have done. I am worthy because Jesus died to give me his righteousness. (2 Corinthians 5:21). In fact, “He died for each of us, even when we were at our worst” (1 Timothy 1:15) Thus, even if we created the mess, God has proven he will help anyway. And God promises this. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24, NIV) And God is faithful to His promises. (Psalm 33:4-5)
And if God’s promises are always true, then even if we feel hopeless, He will still answer our prayers. Because feelings are not facts, but they are fueled by the enemy’s lies. The enemy is the one who wants us to feel hopeless and give up. So, we can’t let our emotions rule our actions. No matter how we feel, we should pray.
And when we pray, we must know just because something hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it won’t. If we prayed, God heard. And He is working right now behind the scenes to bring about His perfect answer in His time, not ours. Sometimes we need to let go of our expectations of what and when the answer will be. We can have faith because “God works for the good of those who love him.” Romans 8:28). God’s plans may be even bigger and better than anything we could hope for. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9, NLT)
And lastly, we shouldn’t worry if we don’t even know what to pray for. You see, we have the Holy Spirit living inside us. “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” ((Romans 8:26-27, NIV)
I am so thankful God has answers for all our doubts and fears in the pages of His word! The Bible promises He listens to our prayers and acts. We can be sure this is true, even when we don’t see or understand. So, we must keep praying and believing. “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV)
Dear Heavenly Father, Please forgive me for the times I haven’t remembered to pray first and for the times I didn’t have enough faith in myself or you to keep praying. Please grow my faith and help me trust You hear my prayers and will act in Your time and according to Your goodwill and purpose for my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
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