Praying, Without Holding Back
Dawn Waggoner / Executive Administrative Assistant
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| Olivia Snow on Unsplash |
I found myself struggling lately with praying for some loved ones dealing with especially difficult situations in their lives. I felt as though I was holding back, afraid to pray believing that God truly could do a miracle in each of those situations. As I pondered why I would feel this way, I began to realize that part of it was my lack of faith due to past prayers not being answered in the way I hoped or expected.
But then I remembered, God does not ask me to pray so He can answer my prayers the way I want, but so He can answer them according to His good, pleasing, and perfect will. The root question becomes, do I trust Him to do good even if I can’t see it? Do I trust Him to bring healing and help even if it seems to take too long? Do I trust Him to answer my prayers even if it is a "no," or "not now"?
But then I remembered, God does not ask me to pray so He can answer my prayers the way I want, but so He can answer them according to His good, pleasing, and perfect will. The root question becomes, do I trust Him to do good even if I can’t see it? Do I trust Him to bring healing and help even if it seems to take too long? Do I trust Him to answer my prayers even if it is a "no," or "not now"?
My faith cannot be based on what I think the answer should be, but on who God is … His character and His goodness. I think of the verse in Job, “though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” (Job 13:15) So, no matter how He answers my prayers, He is trustworthy and I can pray without holding back, knowing He will answer in the best possible way.