Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for trusting us with these four unspoken requests. God already knows each one completely, even though they remain unspoken to us. He knew what you would need long before you ever brought these burdens to prayer, and He knows what you will need months and years from now. Prayer is not telling Him something He does not already know.
That changes how we pray. Prayer was never meant to be a way to get our own will done on earth or to give God instructions. True prayer begins with God and His purposes. He makes His will known to our hearts, and we then express that will back to Him. In that way prayer opens the door for Him to do what He already desires to do in our lives, without violating the choice He has given us. The wisest and most peaceful prayer any of us can pray is simply, Lord, work out Your perfect will in my life.
He does hear the prayers of His people. The Bible affirms again and again that He gives ear when we cry to Him. At the same time, there are prayers that seem to bring no answer and problems that continue, and our first impulse is often to blame Him. Scripture reminds us to look instead at our own hearts and at what we are asking. If we hold onto sin in our hearts, it hinders fellowship with Him. And if we are asking only for our own wishes, we have missed the purpose of prayer, which is to cooperate with Him to see His will done on this earth as it is done in heaven. Prayer is also worship, an awareness of how great and good He is, not just asking for things.
Because God is good and because He loves you, He wants to bless you. That blessing does not come because we are good enough, but because He is good. You can trust Him even when it feels as though He is not working or when you cannot understand what He is doing. That trust is real faith, continuing to rely on Him when His ways do not match what we expected, believing that He is still at work.
So for each of these four needs, we will pray that the Lord does what is best according to His perfect wisdom and love, that He gives you guidance, comfort and assurance by His Spirit as you seek Him, and that He draws you closer to Himself through His Word and through prayer. And we will pray with confidence that He has heard, ending as faith always should, with praise and thanksgiving that He is able and willing to act for your good.
Father, in the name of Jesus we bring these four unspoken requests before You. You know every detail. We ask that Your will be done in each situation as it is done in heaven. Work out Your perfect plan, give wisdom and direction for each step, provide comfort and strength, and help this dear one to trust You fully. If there is any sin that needs to be confessed, bring it to light so there is nothing hindering fellowship with You. We thank You that You hear us, and we praise You in advance for what You will do, because You are faithful and good. Amen.
That changes how we pray. Prayer was never meant to be a way to get our own will done on earth or to give God instructions. True prayer begins with God and His purposes. He makes His will known to our hearts, and we then express that will back to Him. In that way prayer opens the door for Him to do what He already desires to do in our lives, without violating the choice He has given us. The wisest and most peaceful prayer any of us can pray is simply, Lord, work out Your perfect will in my life.
He does hear the prayers of His people. The Bible affirms again and again that He gives ear when we cry to Him. At the same time, there are prayers that seem to bring no answer and problems that continue, and our first impulse is often to blame Him. Scripture reminds us to look instead at our own hearts and at what we are asking. If we hold onto sin in our hearts, it hinders fellowship with Him. And if we are asking only for our own wishes, we have missed the purpose of prayer, which is to cooperate with Him to see His will done on this earth as it is done in heaven. Prayer is also worship, an awareness of how great and good He is, not just asking for things.
Because God is good and because He loves you, He wants to bless you. That blessing does not come because we are good enough, but because He is good. You can trust Him even when it feels as though He is not working or when you cannot understand what He is doing. That trust is real faith, continuing to rely on Him when His ways do not match what we expected, believing that He is still at work.
So for each of these four needs, we will pray that the Lord does what is best according to His perfect wisdom and love, that He gives you guidance, comfort and assurance by His Spirit as you seek Him, and that He draws you closer to Himself through His Word and through prayer. And we will pray with confidence that He has heard, ending as faith always should, with praise and thanksgiving that He is able and willing to act for your good.
Father, in the name of Jesus we bring these four unspoken requests before You. You know every detail. We ask that Your will be done in each situation as it is done in heaven. Work out Your perfect plan, give wisdom and direction for each step, provide comfort and strength, and help this dear one to trust You fully. If there is any sin that needs to be confessed, bring it to light so there is nothing hindering fellowship with You. We thank You that You hear us, and we praise You in advance for what You will do, because You are faithful and good. Amen.
