(beginning originally written August 17, 2012)
I've been saved since 1982.
I have been praying daily since then.
I have experienced miracle after miracle,
I have felt His presence in such a way that I have no doubt
He is the LORD.
But, I am weak.
I am frail.
I am human.
This past year has been one of the hardest of my life.
It's made cancer look like a picnic.
At times I have surpassed my threshold of tolerance,
grace, and the ability to walk in firm faith.
When I cannot see results, my heart begins to wonder
if the Lord is answering my prayers.
I know academically the answer.
When I think of an Innocent Man possibly spending the rest of his life
in jail for a crime he did not commit, my heart is so weak.
I had to renew my heart and mind in Christ Jesus,
and read HIS words to comfort my heart.
I had to walk in faith again,
or I cannot walk the rest of this journey giving Him glory.
So what does God do with our prayers?
Jeremiah 33:3
‘Call to Me,
and I will
answer."
He answers them.
******************
Now, 6 months later,
grappling with a guilty verdict,
I still know
God
answers
prayer.
We know,
we don't always believe.
Even worse,
we stop praying.
The Lord sets the standard pretty high
when He encourages us to
pray without ceasing in I Thessalonians 5:17.
When we look at this as an obligation,
it becomes a burden.
We drudge through our prayer lists
like we were punching in a timeclock.
There.
Done.
Ya' happy, Lord?
He's not happy ifwe look at this verse as a demand on our time,
instead of what it truly is,
a welcome into the presence of the Lord.
We can boldly approach the Lord
without ritual or ceremony
if we've trusted Christ.
The Cross bridged that gap
between sinful man
and a Holy God.
God isn't demanding a standard we can never attain.
He's telling us
He is willing to listen,
He is available,
He wants to hear about everything,
and
He
will
answer.
So, He encourages us to pray without ceasing,
because He never ceases to answer our prayers.
If your answers aren't what you expected from the Lord,
don't give up.
Don't quit praying.
Don't lose heart.
He says YES.
He says NO.
He says WAIT.
He says I HAVE SOMETHING BETTER.
Because that's what God does with our prayers.
He
answers
them.
I'd have never thought that going through this kind of thing would be harder than cancer, but you are right: it is much harder.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are doing well, and for this I am much, much encouraged. Thanks for your thoughts on prayer - they were needed and helpful.
Better days are ahead, Mindy, I just know it!
ReplyDeletei've recently came across your blog and am very interested in the innocent man, i se you don't mention his name or crime he was accused of, maybe if you could, your blog readers could start some sort of petition to prove his innocense.God Bless
ReplyDeletesorry about all the spelling errors on my post before
ReplyDeleteWe are to pray without ceasing and yet, when we are weak and at the end of our tether, God knows the desire of our heart. What is difficult for us is to pray continually, thy will be done. While we never stop petitioning the Lord knowing his mercy, we must also arrive at a place where we are content in whatsoever place we are in.
ReplyDeleteHugs to you, Mindy. You have faced so much. I cannot explain how very closely I identify with your position. Perhaps one day we will meet and share. But thankfully in Glory, where we will indeed meet, these earthly trials will no longer afflict us. ♥