“Your prayers aren’t answered!” THE lying thought came to mind this morning…Just after I awoke… Have you ever had similar disheartening thoughts come to your mind? LIE! The enemy seeking to discourage you from doing what God says, which is pray.
Psalm 34:6 is a favorite of mine. -” in my desperation I prayed and THE LORD LISTENED…” THINK about it, in the midst of a crescendo of unadulterated worship in Heaven, He is interrupted by the cry of one of His own and He listens to this cry… He is forever listening with compassion and love. Psalm 50:15,” Call upon Me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me.” “Come to the Throne of Grace to RECEIVE, mercy, grace to help in time of need…” {Heb 4:16}. Oh He hears your prayers,{1 Pet 3:12; 1 John 5;14}. He sees you and knows your circumstances,” And your Father who sees in secret will reward you”- {Matt 6:6}. He always HEARS YOU. He chooses to answer you as is best for His glory and your benefit.
At times I have often prayed and personalized Psalm 135;6– ” whatever pleases Him He does…” … I have prayed, “LORD, if it would PLEASE YOU, would You…” and then wait to see Him answer in a way that would be pleasing to Him… but never doubt that He does not hear or care for you, such thoughts originate from Hell, and seek to dishonor Him to you with accusations concerning His character and trustworthiness and seek to dishearten you and tempt you to quit praying and the result? “…you LOSE HEART…”{Luke 18:1}. YOU “lose heart,” become despondent and spiritually faint and quit, and you have yielded to the temptation to quit and the result is despair, and spiritually fainting! And in doing so, you open yourself up to yielding to evil temptation.”PRAY that YOU will not give into TEMPTATION.”-{Luke 22:40}.
PRAYER IS A SAFEGUARD FOR YOU…to keep you from falling into despair and yielding to temptation. PRAYER is His gift to you for your protection among other things. Have you ever seen prayer in that light?
Keep praying, even if it is “LORD, I believe help my unbelief…“or “HELP LORD,” in both cases you are turning to Him in prayer… and that is good. When you are tempted, to quit, Praise HIM for His character. Thank Him for people you know, and in each case you are glorifying Him. “He Who offers a sacrifice of praise HONORS/ GLORIFIES Me” {Psalm 50:23}. And like the one leper who came back to thank the LORD He said of him that he GLORIFIED the LORD-{Luke 17;18}.
When you don’t “feel” like praying, know the temptation behind the thought is for your destruction…you answer the temptation by CHOOSING TO PRAY. WHEN it’s hardest to PRAY…PRAY. He hears you and will answer you according to His time table, in the way that is most honoring for Him and as you submit to the desire to see His Name being honored.His kingdom reign come in the matter, you will see Him doing what He does best, answering prayers according to His good pleasure. Prayer is about seeing His NAME BEING HONORED ULTIMATELY! It is an attitude and act that is submitted first and foremost to His Name, fame being manifested in the situation!
You keep praying, for the alternative is to spiritually faint -{Luke 18;1}, and to yield to spiritual temptation if you chuck in the towel.
The thought to “quit” praying, does not and never comes from the Holy Spirit who among other things was sent to glorify, and make much of Jesus Christ.
You keep praying for it is HIS Will for you, it glorifies Him. It is an expression of love to Him and it is exercising faith in Him which is pleasing to Him-{Heb 11;6.} You PRAY ON… HE IS LISTENING, ALWAYS TO YOU, AND HE LOVES YOU!
“Pray without ceasing…for this IS the WILL OF GOD FOR YOU, in Christ Jesus”-{1 Thess 5;17-18}
“without ceasing,” was used of a hacking cough which speaks of regular interruptions. You see something beautiful, tell Him, you see or think of something that bothers you Pray and tell HIM. Turn your circumstances and thoughts into opportunities to talk to Him about it… and in doing so you are DOING His will!
PRAY ON… in the midst of glorious unadulterated worship in Heaven you have direct access to Him through His blood and He whoever lives to intercede for you, cares about what you care about. He Cares and is empathetic to what troubles you and cares about your desires, delights and doings, He is empathetic towards you. The word means He “feels the very feelings you feel.” In times of weakness, and temptation you have an emphatic High Priest! Talk to Him, tell Him all your troubles. You have the ear of Heaven!,-{Heb 4:15} Why would you listen and yield to the filth and lies of Hell?
You have HIM Who cares for you.-{1 Peter 5:7}..So PRAY ON…Don’t throw in the towel and if you have,… then begin afresh, for you have THE FRIEND in the HIGHEST place listening lovingly to you…”in my desperation I prayed and the LORD LISTENED;” He is always listening to …YOU…
PRAY ON…on in confidence, in reverence, in expectation, for you ALWAYS have an audience with the KING! {Heb 4:16}. Answer the LIE with the ACTION of continuing to… PRAY…to HIM!
YOU ARE GUILTY! YOU HAVE A HISTORY OF ANSWERED PRAYERS!
OH AND REGARDS THE LIE, “Your prayers aren’t answered!” Ask the LORD to remind you of prayers HE HAS ANSWERED…Praise Him for them and He who has answered your prayers in the past is the same yesterday, today and forever! He still answers payers! You have a long list of answered prayers!! As I write this, thoughts begin to come to mind of HOW and WHEN and WHERE He answered my prayers! And in my heart I begin to THANK HIM, who HEARD, and answered my prayers. To what end? To glorify Him, yes, but to make HIMSELF Known to me also, as He has and will to YOU also…PRAY ON!!!
GUILTY; For you are GUILTY! Guilty of having your prayers answered by HIM :).I am GUILTY, YOU are GUILTY. WE are GUILTY recipients of prayers answered by GOD :)…PRAY ON…
**SHARE His answered prayers for you with others, so as to EXALT Him and encourage them to PRAY ON…
ENCOURAGE YOURSELF IN THE LORD;
PERHAPS you can re-read the above thoughts and LOOK UP each SCRIPTURAL REFERENCE, and let Him encourage your heart and strengthen your faith to …PRAY ON…