"Pray"

I couldn’t get an answer,

No matter that I prayed,

I even tried some fasting,

Long in the closet stayed.

But trouble seemed to dog me,

Couldn’t get my miracle,

I used the name of Jesus,

Filled up with scripture full.

But it seemed the Lord was silent,

And every door was shut,

I felt so discouraged,

And often in a rut.

Was tempted that the promise,

Was for them, not me,

For those who walked with Jesus,

Far more consistently.

Or those whose faith was stronger,

Than all that I could get,

I wanted to move mountains,

But mine seemed strong and set.

And then somebody told me,

The promises weren’t there,

So we think God will answer,

Every single prayer.

The way we would imagine,

Or in the time He should,

Sometimes it’s not now, later,

Or no, He never would.

And you can’t manipulate Him,

With any prayer technique,

It’s more about the Spirit,

Him helping when we’re weak.

And God has His own reasons,

Has the eternal view,

That’s why after you ask Him,

It’s best to just include,

It’s not my will, but Yours, Lord,

And in Your timing, too,

Bind us to Your highest, best,

And that’s what we will do.

And the wisdom of a man of God,

Who prayed his whole life long,

Said not every prayer is answered,

But with prayer you can’t go wrong.

The answer you’re expecting,

May be just what you think,

But if it really isn’t,

Don’t let your whole faith sink.

Keep trusting in the Savior,

Keep doing what you can,

He answers all the “Pray-ers”,

Our lives are in His hand.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything…” (Phil. 4:6, NLT)

God’s anecdote to worry is to converse with Him. If we will, and truly leave our burdens in His hands, there is great peace and relief. Whole libraries of books have been written about prayer, but some of the most profound biblical principles are very simple. We cannot use our faith to somehow manipulate God to do something that is not His will. We can make our requests, but need to leave the specific answer and timing in God’s hands. The more we trust the Lord, the more we realize just how trustworthy He is. His peace becomes a guard for our hearts and minds. And the peace comes when we pray. When all else fails? Maybe. But even better before…

Lord, teach us to pray about everything and worry about nothing, in Jesus’ name.

Art by R.S. Riddick, rsriddick.com. Used by permission. Thanks, and God bless you.