How would you
respond if someone came to you and said that the reason they did not pray is
that it doesn’t make a difference anyway?
Have you ever felt this way about prayer? I once felt that way; as a new believer, I
wondered why other people could be so excited about prayer. I marveled how they could pray and share how
God answered their prayers whereas when I prayed it seemed He did not. For the longest time, I just said cursory
prayers. I said just enough to sound
good and get by but there was no real desire or meaning behind what I
prayed. Why? I really did not think God would do anything
about what I prayed for. Why should I
put any faith behind my prayers I could not see results? I was praying at the same level as my
knowledge of God and Who He was. I
started to change as I grew older in the Lord.
The more I read my
Bible the more I gained understanding about God. Did I believe He could do what I
requested? One of the first things that
caught my attention was Matthew 19:26. I
learned that no matter how impossible something seemed God could do it. Wow!
After grasping this I started praying in earnest, just waiting for Him
to come through in response to my requests.
Did He always answer just as I expected Him to? I am so glad He did not, for in His wisdom
there were many things I prayed for that I just did not need. For quite some time I had my eyes on a 1975
black 911 Porsche with red pinstripes.
Needless to say one never appeared in my driveway. But as I grew in my relationship with the
Lord there came a time when I was without a car and people would give me rides
to and from church, doctor appointments, even work. I asked the Lord for a car so I could in-turn
pay those deeds forward to other people in need of transportation and I was
given, free of charge, a Lincoln Town Car that had been well taken care of
which in turn gave me a number of years of luxurious driving. In His wisdom, He knew I needed a car and He
gave me the best.
When I wanted to go
to mission school I had no savings in the bank and it was going to cost me
$1,500 tuition plus airfare for the outreach portion of the school. I asked God to provide what I needed and I sent
in my application. I was accepted and
yet I still had no savings and no source of income except work (which just
covered my bills at the time). One month
before I was scheduled to go I received $2,200 from an unexpected source. This was enough to cover my tuition, airfare,
and leave me at least $20 spending money.
Many of you know how
sick I became two years ago. I was in
end-stage heart failure. My cardiologist
had basically given up on me. Yet, I felt
God wanted me here on this earth for a while longer. I started asking Him for a new heart. Long story short, I moved to Montana,
received some unique medical care, and now I feel better than I have in years.
I have many more
stories of God doing the impossible in friends’ lives and my own but I think
you are getting the picture. Prayer is
no longer boring and something I have to do, but rather an adventure and
something I enjoy doing. It is talking
with God, and He ALWAYS answers!
So, let us not
forget, that which is impossible with us (mankind) is possible with God (Matthew
19:26).
