I often blog about
praising God during trials and storms. Sometimes
the best way to gain spiritual wisdom and empathy is through a “no” or “wait” answer
to prayer. But does practicing long-suffering produce complacency and low
expectations for positive answers? It can, if we don’t guard against such habits from seeping
into our spiritual lives.
In my post, Confident Prayer, I
wrote about the importance of recognizing God’s sovereignty in our lives.
Failure to do so can lead to low expectations because we want our
answers to prayer—not His.
Despite belief in God, if we
don’t fully embrace His sovereignty, we yield a fraction of what He desires while
banking on receiving the totality of our requests.
What starts out as an
effort to exercise faith becomes portion control over what we surrender when
anxiety sets in regarding the unknown. We don't completely trust Him to get it right!
Maybe we’re really saying: Does
God care about my day-to-day existence? Does He care about my needs and
desires?
God does care. He wants full
surrender. He wants us to approach Him with faith rooted in boldness.
“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.” Hebrews 4:16
What is your greatest need
today? I want to encourage you to go to the Throne of Grace with an unabridged heart,
yield control, and lay down your anxiety about the answer. Exercise faith
through confidence that He will respond.
“Faith
does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in
that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man's power ends.” George Mueller
As we go to the Lord in prayer,
let us remember to lift up past requests regarding health, employment, family,
and mental health issues.
My request this week is for Emily, a 12-year-old girl battling bone
cancer. She’s having a tough time with treatment. Also remember to lift up Karen Redding who is at home with
hospice care. Pray for healing, comfort, and wisdom for her and her family.
Please leave your requests in the
comments section so others can pray for you, or email me confidential requests.
My contact info is listed in the “Talk to Me” section above.
Now as we approach the Throne of
Grace boldly together, take a moment to worship with Mercy Me’s song, “Bring
the Rain.”
Laura
