Since around March of 2020, I’ve been praying for a quick end to all this craziness. It hasn’t come yet. At least, in my opinion, crazy is still here. But I’ve still been praying for several things constantly. Here are a few items that are consistently on my prayer list:
- An end to the sickness that is hurting so many
- An end to the divisiveness in our society
- A renewal of unity in the church
- A surge of opportunities to share the gospel
- A surge in spiritual and numerical church growth
There are two things that I must keep in mind.
First, I pray for His will to be done.
I believe without a shadow of a doubt, God will answer these prayers. It might not be on my timeline nor in the way that I would have done it. But I believe God will give me what I desire. I believe these are in His will.
James 4:13-15 teaches us that our lives need to be centered around what God will is. We can’t plan or pray for something that goes against what God has planned for us or what He wants for us. James says, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”
Second, I keep on praying no matter what.
I believe in the power of prayer because I have seen how God uses it in my life. I have seen God work, and I am sure you have as well. I know there are times that I have slacked off in my prayers, and maybe you have too. But I know that if we are consistently asking God for His will to be done and for the outcomes we desire to be in line with His will, He will give them to us. At least, that is what I see Jesus teaching us in the parable of the persistent widow.
Luke 18:1-8 says, “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect any person. Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he was unwilling; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect any person, yet because this widow is bothering me, I will give her justice; otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge *said; now, will God not bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night, and will He delay long for them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
I know prayer can be a challenge. I know that it might be hard to know what to pray for. But know this… I will be glad to visit with you and help you develop a powerful prayer life. For now, start praying with me, and let’s consistently pray for God’s will to be done.
I love you,
Alex