Silas
Beloved of All
Your cry for mercy has been heard, and it is right that you bring it to Jesus alone, for there is no other name by which we can come to God. He knows the request you are now keeping unspoken. You do not have to explain it in detail for Him to understand it fully, and you do not have to inform Him of what you need as if He did not already know. He knew your need long before you felt it.
The foundation for any prayer to be heard is relationship. When you can truly say Father to God through faith in Jesus Christ, the way of prayer is open. If that relationship has not yet been settled, there is one prayer He always hears, the prayer from the heart, God be merciful to me, a sinner. That prayer, offered in repentance and faith in what Jesus has done, brings forgiveness and makes you His child. From that place, prayer becomes fellowship and not just words.
It is also important to remember the reverence that belongs to His name and the true purpose of prayer. Prayer is not a way to make God do what we have decided must happen. Prayer is worship and cooperation with Him so that His will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. It begins with Him, with His purposes which He shows to our hearts, and we then return them to Him in prayer. For that reason every prayer needs the heart of Jesus in Gethsemane, nevertheless not my will but Yours be done. Without that surrender we have not yet understood prayer. God wants to bless you, not because you are worthy in yourself but because He is good, and His answer will always be what is truly best, even when it is not exactly what we asked.
I understand how painful it has been to have others mock what you brought sincerely to the Lord, even comparing it to great works of God in the past in order to belittle you. Mockery is often used to discourage those who are seeking God. When that happened in Scripture, the faithful answer was not to return insult or to seek to look better in return, but to take the hurt directly to God in prayer and then to continue walking faithfully and responsibly before Him. Prayer was never meant to replace obedient action, and obedient action was never meant to replace prayer. Bring the people who have hurt you to the Lord, ask Him to guard your heart from bitterness, and keep doing what is right before Him day by day.
You said you must believe your prayer has already been answered. Faith does indeed thank God before the answer is seen, as Abraham gave glory to God while still waiting for the promise. That kind of faith ends in praise because it trusts the character of the One who promised. At the same time, faith waits on God and trusts His wisdom about how and when He will answer. We all know what it is to pray and see the problem remain for a time. When God does not answer as we expect, our first thought should not be to blame Him, but to look at our own hearts, to confess any sin we are holding onto, for if we cherish sin in our hearts the Lord will not hear us, and to ask whether we are seeking His will or only our own. Sometimes His answer is to show us that His grace is sufficient and His strength is made perfect in our weakness, which is itself a gracious answer.
So keep bringing this unspoken burden to Jesus with fervency and sincerity, for the earnest prayer of a righteous person, made righteous through Christ, has great power. Ask Him above all to work out His complete and perfect will in your life and in this situation, to make you worthy of His calling and to fulfill His good purpose in you. Worship Him for who He is while you wait, lift your hands and your heart to Him, and trust that because He is good and because He loves you, you can safely surrender the outcome to Him. He will give ear to your voice and He will answer in the way that brings Him glory and brings you lasting good.
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ alone we come to You. Have mercy on this dear one who is hurting and longing for Your help. Forgive sin, cleanse the heart, and draw this life into close fellowship with You. You know the unspoken request better than any words could say. We ask not for our will but for Yours to be done, and we trust You to do what is right and loving. Guard against discouragement from mocking words, give peace and assurance by Your Spirit, and teach a heart to wait on You with praise. Amen.
The foundation for any prayer to be heard is relationship. When you can truly say Father to God through faith in Jesus Christ, the way of prayer is open. If that relationship has not yet been settled, there is one prayer He always hears, the prayer from the heart, God be merciful to me, a sinner. That prayer, offered in repentance and faith in what Jesus has done, brings forgiveness and makes you His child. From that place, prayer becomes fellowship and not just words.
It is also important to remember the reverence that belongs to His name and the true purpose of prayer. Prayer is not a way to make God do what we have decided must happen. Prayer is worship and cooperation with Him so that His will may be done on earth as it is in heaven. It begins with Him, with His purposes which He shows to our hearts, and we then return them to Him in prayer. For that reason every prayer needs the heart of Jesus in Gethsemane, nevertheless not my will but Yours be done. Without that surrender we have not yet understood prayer. God wants to bless you, not because you are worthy in yourself but because He is good, and His answer will always be what is truly best, even when it is not exactly what we asked.
I understand how painful it has been to have others mock what you brought sincerely to the Lord, even comparing it to great works of God in the past in order to belittle you. Mockery is often used to discourage those who are seeking God. When that happened in Scripture, the faithful answer was not to return insult or to seek to look better in return, but to take the hurt directly to God in prayer and then to continue walking faithfully and responsibly before Him. Prayer was never meant to replace obedient action, and obedient action was never meant to replace prayer. Bring the people who have hurt you to the Lord, ask Him to guard your heart from bitterness, and keep doing what is right before Him day by day.
You said you must believe your prayer has already been answered. Faith does indeed thank God before the answer is seen, as Abraham gave glory to God while still waiting for the promise. That kind of faith ends in praise because it trusts the character of the One who promised. At the same time, faith waits on God and trusts His wisdom about how and when He will answer. We all know what it is to pray and see the problem remain for a time. When God does not answer as we expect, our first thought should not be to blame Him, but to look at our own hearts, to confess any sin we are holding onto, for if we cherish sin in our hearts the Lord will not hear us, and to ask whether we are seeking His will or only our own. Sometimes His answer is to show us that His grace is sufficient and His strength is made perfect in our weakness, which is itself a gracious answer.
So keep bringing this unspoken burden to Jesus with fervency and sincerity, for the earnest prayer of a righteous person, made righteous through Christ, has great power. Ask Him above all to work out His complete and perfect will in your life and in this situation, to make you worthy of His calling and to fulfill His good purpose in you. Worship Him for who He is while you wait, lift your hands and your heart to Him, and trust that because He is good and because He loves you, you can safely surrender the outcome to Him. He will give ear to your voice and He will answer in the way that brings Him glory and brings you lasting good.
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ alone we come to You. Have mercy on this dear one who is hurting and longing for Your help. Forgive sin, cleanse the heart, and draw this life into close fellowship with You. You know the unspoken request better than any words could say. We ask not for our will but for Yours to be done, and we trust You to do what is right and loving. Guard against discouragement from mocking words, give peace and assurance by Your Spirit, and teach a heart to wait on You with praise. Amen.
