Nancy Hughes: Praying with disappointment

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
I have a love/hate relationship with my IPhone. Being able to contact anyone, any time, is a great feature – unless I am in the middle of quiet time and get one call after the other.

And as a person who is directionally challenged in small closets and bathrooms, I love that my phone can direct me to my exact destination – unless I miss my turn and have to listen to a very irritated voice spitting out “recalculating, recalculating.”

But my love/hate of my IPhone is the most obvious when I use my voice to text a message. How wonderful that I can touch one little spot on my phone – a mic – and I can talk my message rather than trying to type what I want to say. That is, until my phone decides to interpret my voice conversation on its own. Let me explain.

I call my sister at 7 a.m. every morning, almost without fail. We both have busy schedules and it makes sense to call before the day gets crazy for either of us. One particular morning I was running late and decided to hit the mic button and send her a text by voice.

What I said was “Getting ready for dentist appointment. Will call in a bit.” But what my phone picked up when I spoke was “Getting ready for disappointment. Will fall in a pit.” Mercy.

Fortunately I glanced down just before I hit the send button and corrected my message. But later, as I recalled that text, I thought about my prayer life and wondered if that is exactly how I pray sometimes.

Getting myself ready for disappointment by not believing that God will answer as I have prayed. Hoping He will answer; wondering if I said just the right words in just the right way. Maybe even feeling deep inside that what I am asking is too hard for God or that He really doesn’t care one way or the other.

Have you ever done that? No, you say? What about praying that the cancer will disappear but thinking “It’s spread too much. There’s no way my husband can be healed.” or praying for a prodigal child while thinking “she is too far gone. Nothing will ever change her mind.”

May I just remind you who you are talking to when you pray? The Creator of Heaven and Earth, the God of the Universe, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and End, Jehovah, Lord, The Most High God.

He gave up everything He owned to purchase us, His children He loves more than anything in all creation. And we wonder if He can or will answer our prayers?

Our Father raised the dead, parted seas, gave sight to the blind, caused those who could not walk to run, closed the mouths of lions and opened prison doors. He is very capable of hearing and answering our prayers.

It comes down to this: pray with confidence. Pray with assurance that He hears and answers. Your words do not need to be fancy because He is faithful to His children. Will you always get the answer that YOU want? No because the wisdom of the Lord covers everything in our lives. That is where trust comes in. Trust that the Creator of the Universe, the Creator of our beating hearts, knows what is best for us in our lives
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So the next time you pray, resist the urge to pray with disappointment; instead approach the God of the Universe with boldness and confidence. He hears, He understands and He answers.

Father, forgive me for praying but not believing that you can or will answer when I call on your name. You are a faithful Father and I love you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

· Have you ever prayed but felt like your prayer was not heard or would not be answered?

Application

· Write today’s Power Verses on note cards and keep them paper clipped together in your Bible.

· Before your prayer time each day, read the Scripture on each card and praise the Lord for hearing and answering your prayer requests. 

 
Power Verses

· James 1:6 (NIV) “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

· Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

· Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

· Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

· Ephesians 7:24 (NIV) “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”