Thoughts for Life: Praying With Confidence

Dr. Charles Stanley tells us, "We sometimes become impatient in our prayer life. Read Matt. 7:7-11

We might get angry or simply throw up our hands and decide God is not listening to us when He doesn't answer our prayers immediately or in the exact way we hoped.

The truth is that God delights in answering our prayers and has provided plenty of promises that should motivate us to talk with Him. {Be sure to check out Jean's post tomorrow, Who Am I?}

Read today's passage one more time. If we understand what Jesus was saying in Matthew 7, we will be able to pray with greater confidence.

To ask is the easy part. We request aid in our jobs or protection of our children.

We also ask to be drawn closer to God.

The next step is to seek — this is the action stage of asking.

Oftentimes we need to do something before the Lord will bring about an answer to our prayers.

For instance, if we pray, 'God , please help me understand Scripture,' we must proceed to open the Bible and start reading.

Finally, to knock demonstrates that we're coming to the Lord with a sense of dependence upon Him.

We recognize that we cannot manipulate an answer to our petitions but instead must rely upon His power.

What's more, our ability to "knock" is unique—our God is personal and intensely interested in us.

Jesus uses the words ask, seek, and knock in the present active imperative tense. That means "ask and keep on asking; seek and keep on seeking; knock and keep on knocking."

In the Scriptures, prayer is compared to incense, which implies an unbroken stream that flows from us to heaven.

Are you providing a continuous fragrance to the Lord with your prayers?"

This message was taken from the April 2013 IN TOUCH magazine of Dr. Charles Stanley.

(Used by permission customercare@intouch.org)

Let’s pray:

Father, we realize that our prayers are important, and we do want to learn to pray more with confidence that You're listening, and that You do want to answer them.

May we understand that You see the whole picture, and You are interested in creating the best answer for us.

We see that we need to rely on Your wisdom in each prayer's outcome.

May we ask, seek, and knock with confidence in Your love for us, and that the outcome will be bring You honor, and be for our good, too.

In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

Today’s Bible verse: 2 Chron. 6:35 AMP "Then hear hear from heaven their prayer and supplication, and maintain their cause."

Today’s quote: Fran Pasch – “At the End of the Day

“At the end of the day when I'm weary,

And there’s no more work to do,

I take my tea and my Bible

And read a Psalm or two.

The verses give me a pick up,

They feed my soul and my mind,

They comfort and they guide me,

I leave my troubles behind.

I find the messages healing;

They strengthen my faith and my hope.

God’s promises nourish my spirit;

His words give me courage to cope.”

©Frances Gregory Pasch

Used with permission

Google images added to post

Some thoughts today: We can know God has obliterated the walls between us and Him. It is through Christ only, and He said it is accomplished when we put our faith in Him, ask for forgiveness of our sins, and receive Him. What He's done on Calvary is for you!

- Having peace with God depends on us and our determination to seek it. Forgiveness is readily available, my friend.

- If we want a relationship with God, then we must forgive, and be willing to allow God's grace to assist us in accomplishing it. We cannot forgive on our own. We need His help!

Sunday’s post: Who Am I? God's Promises

Tuesday's post: #39 Clergy Prayer in Other Nations C. Peter Wagner

Thursday's post: #40 Do Pastors Pray Enough? C. Peter Wagner

Saturday's post: What Defines You? Jean Oathout

A popular post: Do You Expect God to Answer Your Prayers? Sharon Jaynes asks us a good question: "Have you ever prayed about something, but didn’t really expect God to answer…I mean really expect it?"