Pray More Worry Less

Many times we grow weary, tired, and doubtful when we pray for something repeatedly with what seems to be no response from God, so we worry about the outcome and spiral into worst case scenarios rather than hoping for the best knowing God is in control.

I’ve definitely been there! I learned that God does answer us, in a way… (See image below):

The following passage was the focus for the fourth message in the Lent: The Life of Surrender message series.

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ ” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ NIV

God doesn’t get annoyed with our persistent prayers in order for us to get our way like the judge in this parable of “The Persistent Widow.” In fact, God longs to hear from us! He wants to answer our prayers. Even though he doesn’t always give us the answer we necessarily want or expect, he gives us the answer that we NEED. God delights in doing more for us, in the best way, than we could ever imagine. I am SO THANKFUL for the prayers God didn’t answer the way I wanted because he had a much better plan in store! God has protected me from my own desires many times. He has also been tenderhearted in my moments of asking “why not?” and “when will this come to pass?” I imagine God shaking his head in the most loving way saying, “If only you knew…” when I question the way life is turning out. God wants us to TRUST him with our prayers.

We should go to God in prayer for EVERYTHING! No prayer request is too big or too small for our loving Father. Every problem you come across in life, God wants to help you through it! When we pray, we can be confident that even if we don’t get the answer we want, God has a way of working everything out for good. The first step is seeking him and humbling yourself before him confessing that you’ve tried to do this on your own for too long, don’t have it all together, don’t want to place whatever the problem is in the hands of flawed people any longer, and that you NEED him! God has ALL the answers to your problems, to your questions, to your wonders! We should see God as our friend that we cannot wait to share good news with, or the one we know we can lean on for comfort. God is with you for every circumstance, every season, every moment.

When you pray to God, rest assured he is listening. God knows your heart and wants to cleanse you and heal you. Get on your knees. Approach the throne with gladness and eagerness to speak to and hear from God. Pray anywhere and everywhere! One of my favorite places to talk to God is in my car, driving down the road with a worship song on that just moves me into conversation.

God is SO GOOD! He wants the ABSOLUTE BEST for his children! Sometimes, we limit God in our minds by being so specific in our requests, but if we stay open to the will of God, he can lead you to far greater places in life than you could have ever reached on your own. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pray for specifics because if your desires line up with God’s will, he will be faithful to provide what you are asking. Below are some verses that encourage us in prayer:

‭ The following passage in Philippians provides so much hope and encouragement to trust God with our prayers and may be my favorite of all listed here. It tells us that when we start to worry, to catch ourselves and pray to God instead, telling him our needs and remembering his faithfulness in the past to provide for those needs. The second verse is one of the longings of my heart each day to have God’s PEACE protecting us from the enemy.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians ‭4:6‭-‬7‬ ‭NLT‬

Consistent Prayer:
1. Helps Us FOCUS on God
2. Clarifies Our Requests
3. Prepares Us for the Answer
4. Strengthens Our FAITH

God will provide for EVERY need! God is faithful and trustworthy! Don’t give up praying to him! Worship him. Thank him. Seek him. Seek his will. Pray for your needs and ask for what your heart longs for. Pray for others. Pray for your relationships. Just PRAY and DON’T STOP until your breath runs out!

Below is a passage I wrote about my experience at church and response to the worship and message:

Just when I think I’m doing good, God has a way of reminding me that I am pushing my troubles aside and there is still work to be done that I NEED Him
Don’t be so closed off to specific desires allow God to work in his way and time and you will make room for bigger blessings
God should be your first point of contact not your last resort
BELIEVE in God’s power and desire to HEAL!

I’ve been depending on medical professionals and medications to help with my mental and physical health rather than praying consistently for God to be the one who heals me. I struggle with this because I’ve battled with the belief that God has a reason that I suffer that is bigger than my imagination. I’ve unfairly decided in the past that he doesn’t want me to be totally healed. I knew deep down that he could heal me completely with a simple whisper of a word or snap of his fingers. I just hadn’t offered myself to him in that way, asking for healing and TRULY believing is the challenge. I’ve learned that God doesn’t want any of his children to suffer but that he will make beauty from ashes. Many times, I have felt burnt by what life has thrown my way, but I must remember that God is the one who can turn it all around. After all, we were formed from dust anyway!

It’s easy to be tempted not to go to your Heavenly Father in regular prayer, but the enemy will use that lack of excitement to talk to God to his advantage. Temptation is not just about doing wrong but believing lies from the enemy, who wants to lead you astray from trusting and depending on God. The enemy will gladly shout lies over God whispering truths, so regular conversations with God will help you decipher who is telling you what. The enemy wants you to fail and feel defeated. God wants to remind you that you are already victorious and that he has it all under control!

The closing song for this service was “Lord I Need You” which has always been an impactful song for me.

Draw NEAR!
DO NOT be tempted to give up!
Remember you NEED God every moment!