I'm excited to talk to you about prayer and confidence today. I was at the summer bible study I was co-leading last month last night. We were discussing how when you are a Christian all your life it is sometimes easier to take God for granted. Sometimes it is hard to turn to God in the mundane tasks of life because you've never really been without God in your life. Those of us that may have found God later in life or maybe were Christians early in life and then came back to Christ after some life changing event occurred sometimes have an easier time imagining God would answer our prayers even if they seem trivial.
I think despite what our background is at one time in our lives we will struggle with knowing how to pray for something and have the let down when God doesn't answer our prayers the way we expect him to. One of my best examples of this is I have a friend who has been diagnosed with cancer six times in the last five years. She has undergone three gamma knife procedures for brain cancer. She has had a double mastectomy. She has had lymph nodes removed and has undergone countless rounds of radiation and chemo. My prayer is for God to heal her. But this is a double edged sword. I'm asking God to heal her but that doesn't necessarily mean her will let her live. His ultimate plan may be for her to touch many lives and bring many to him just to take her away and give her the ultimate healing in heaven. Some may see this as a let down of their prayer not being answered, but I look at it with confidence that God's will will be done and that God healed her which answered my prayer.
Right off the bat in this section Joye gives us the following verse:
You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! ( John 14:13-14 NLT)
It doesn't give any conditions on what you can ask. As long as you have faith and ask in Jesus's name he will do it. Joyce also reminds us to keep asking. This isn't just a one time God please heal my friend. This is an every evening when I pray to him I ask over and over and over again until he answers my prayer.
As I read this section it reminded me of another scripture:
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. (Matthew 7:7-11 NLT)
This scripture says keep on asking and then it goes on to say "for everyone who asks, receives." Are you ready to have the confidence that God will answer your prayer? Keep asking in Jesus name and you shall receive.
Dear God,
Please give my sisters in Christ the strength to ask for what they want. Please give them the confidence to know that you will answer their prayers. My prayer is for them to always seek you. Thank you for all the prayers you've answered for this group so far. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Until next week, Kara
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