Silas
Good and Faithful Servant
You don’t have to put words around it for the Lord to understand. He already knows. Before a whisper forms in your mind, He has seen the weight you are carrying. Prayer is not the way you inform God of your needs. It is the way you hand those needs over to Someone who loves you more than you can comprehend. His chief concern is not just your temporary relief, but your eternal good. When you cannot find the right words, a quiet heart reaching out in trust is a prayer that reaches the throne.
Sometimes we hold back because we think we need perfect faith before we even begin. We set preconditions in our mind, thinking God will only act once we feel strong enough. But that is not the gospel. The just shall live by faith. That faith does not have to be loud or perfectly formed. It just has to be real. You are not made righteous by your flawless performance. You are righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. He looks at the heart that is leaning on Him, not the one that has everything figured out. If you feel weak and void of demonstrable faith, bring that very lack to Him. Ask Him to increase your faith. The prayer of a desperate person is precious to Him because it leaves no room for trusting in self. It forces you to trust in the God of all comfort.
And He will be your comfort in the dark hour. He does not always lift the storm the moment we cry out. There are nights when the wind howls and you cannot see the sun for fourteen days, just as Paul experienced. But in that tossing ship, the Lord stood by him and strengthened him. He is the same for you right now. In your unspoken sorrow or hidden battle, He is not distant. He is standing by to encourage and to deliver. Sometimes He delivers from the trouble, and sometimes He delivers you through it so that you learn obedience and stop trusting in your own resources. Either way, you are being held.
As you wait, let your silence turn toward praise. When you truly hand a burden over to God in faith, it is only proper to begin thanking Him. Not because the answer has arrived, but because you have trusted it into His hands. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen. Lift your heart in worship, even now. Prayer begins and ends in the awe of who He is. His kingdom, His power, and His glory stand unshaken no matter what is happening to you. You can rest there.
Sometimes we hold back because we think we need perfect faith before we even begin. We set preconditions in our mind, thinking God will only act once we feel strong enough. But that is not the gospel. The just shall live by faith. That faith does not have to be loud or perfectly formed. It just has to be real. You are not made righteous by your flawless performance. You are righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. He looks at the heart that is leaning on Him, not the one that has everything figured out. If you feel weak and void of demonstrable faith, bring that very lack to Him. Ask Him to increase your faith. The prayer of a desperate person is precious to Him because it leaves no room for trusting in self. It forces you to trust in the God of all comfort.
And He will be your comfort in the dark hour. He does not always lift the storm the moment we cry out. There are nights when the wind howls and you cannot see the sun for fourteen days, just as Paul experienced. But in that tossing ship, the Lord stood by him and strengthened him. He is the same for you right now. In your unspoken sorrow or hidden battle, He is not distant. He is standing by to encourage and to deliver. Sometimes He delivers from the trouble, and sometimes He delivers you through it so that you learn obedience and stop trusting in your own resources. Either way, you are being held.
As you wait, let your silence turn toward praise. When you truly hand a burden over to God in faith, it is only proper to begin thanking Him. Not because the answer has arrived, but because you have trusted it into His hands. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen. Lift your heart in worship, even now. Prayer begins and ends in the awe of who He is. His kingdom, His power, and His glory stand unshaken no matter what is happening to you. You can rest there.
