The Value of Prayer Even When Answers Haven’t Come (Yet)

It’s been almost a month since I last wrote. Over the last few weeks, I haven’t been sleeping well. I believe when this happens, the LORD is trying to get my attention. HE wants me to do something that I’ve either been ignoring because I don’t want to do it, or HE’s showing me something important since I may be too busy during the day to pay attention. Does that happen to you, too? 

 Today was the day it hit me that HIS message was for me.

We’ve been attending Collectivus Church for almost 2 months now. All of the messages have touched my heart and spirit in various ways. However, today’s message on PRAYER from Daniel 9 hit me the hardest. There were many valuable points to the sermon, but I’m only going to talk about the value and consistency of our prayer lives, or the lack thereof.

We should not make prayer a laundry list, to do list, or check list of our wants and needs.  If we change our prayers from “GOD, thank you for the blessings. Here’s what I need to happen today, tomorrow, in 2 weeks, or 3 days” to “GOD, you commanded me to be strong and not afraid of what’s ahead because you are with me (Joshua 1:9), but I’m struggling. Please show me how to be strong,” the value of our prayers will change… 

Through valuable prayer, we can have a stronger connection to GOD. This does not mean our live will be perfect and problem free. GOD’s love for us is not shown through the perfection of our lives. We may think that if life is going great, then the LORD loves us greatlye…(wrong). GOD’s love is HIS mercy given to us and by CHRIST’s death and resurrection. We should not be treating GOD as the genie from the magic lamp, granting our wishes.

Now…on to the sledgehammer moment…

Point 3 in the sermon, ‘Don’t stop praying,’ hit the hardest. You see, I stopped praying for myself. I pray at meals, for friends, for my grandchildren, my family, and Facebook prayer requests. Yet, I stopped praying for myself. For 2 years now, I’d been praying for healing, for understanding, for guidance….but only silence was in return.

I’ve be given Bible verses to help me:

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

How is going blind good for me? I’ve lost my color vision, my night vision, any clear day vision, and my freedom to drive. I take medication that makes me sick and susceptible to hospitalization because I can’t take antibiotics with the immunosuppressant…Exactly how is all of this good for me?

2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV “ For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 

I used that one as a play on words; I even have a t-shirt with the scripture. Yet, it’s so hard walking by faith when you feel left in the dark, literally and figuratively, about what GOD wants to happen in your life. 

So…I stopped praying, but I didn’t realize I had done it. I stay busy. I translate for work, grade college papers, bake, attend Bible study, Embrace Grace. If I stay busy to the point of exhaustion, then I don’t have time to think about anything, especially the silence from my prayers.

Daniel prayed for 70 years before his prayers were answered. He was consistent in his prayers, never failing, never wavering in his trust of GOD’s promises to him. Today’s sermon reminded me that I should be praying more consistently, not just during meal times or randomly, plus I should be praying GOD’s promises.

Isaiah 46:4: GOD promises to carry me.

Deuteronomy 31:6: GOD promises always to with me.

Nahum 1:7: GOD promises to be my refuge.

Romans 8:38-39: GOD promises that absolutely nothing can separate me from HIS love.

Matthew 11:28: God promises that I can rest in HIS presence.

1 Peter 5:7: GOD promises that HE can handle all of my problems, great or small.

Deuteronomy 7:9 GOD promises to keeps HIS promises and commandments.

**Weird to say, thank you, FATHER, for the sleepless nights and the hard lessons. But… there it is. Thank you. Thank you for the promises.

One of the lessons from the sermon on Daniel over the last few weeks is that our faith should be strong even if GOD does not answer our prayers (especially on our timetable or the way we want).

What I have learned from my ongoing blindness is that I have talked to more people about the reason I have a ‘stick’ and how I am ‘dealing’ with the struggles. I have also learned that I have close friends and family who pray for me daily, even when I gave up on myself, who want to help me without making me feel like a burden, as I battle losing my independence.

As GOD has reminded me with HIS promises, HE is faithful, generous, and merciful.

If you don’t have this type of connection with GOD, JESUS CHRIST, and the HOLY SPIRIT, it only takes a moment to repent of your sins, believe that Jesus Christ is the SON of GOD, and  your life will be forever changed.

Thanks for reading…GOD bless and Happy Thanksgiving

Matthew West: Don’t Stop Praying. https://youtu.be/8r0eA49MZ0w

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