Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for trusting us with what is on your heart even though it remains unspoken. God knows fully what you are carrying, what you have not put into words, and He is not far off but present with you wherever you are.
The first foundation for prayer is relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. If you are His child you can come to Him as Father, and that relationship opens the way for real and effective prayer. If that relationship is not yet settled, the prayer He most desires to hear is the humble cry for mercy, God be merciful to me a sinner, trusting in Jesus alone for salvation. Everything else in prayer flows from that restored relationship.
Prayer is not a way to make God do what we want. It is worship and communion that begins with God and His purposes. He makes His will known to our hearts, we return it to Him in prayer, and He then works to accomplish His will on earth as it is in heaven. That is why Jesus taught us to pray, Your kingdom come, Your will be done. The deepest purpose of prayer is not my will be done but Your will be done, and that surrender is what makes prayer true prayer.
Part of that surrender is bringing your burden to Him. Trying to please yourself or to carry life in your own strength is a heavy burden. Jesus invites all who labor and are heavy laden to come to Him for rest, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light. His burden was to please the Father, and when we learn of Him we learn that the Father is a God of love and compassion and deep concern for you. Living to please God is not crushing, it is satisfying and hopeful. Many burdens we carry are ones we or others have placed on ourselves that God never laid on us. You can cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you. Scripture says to be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to let your requests be made known to God.
Prayer also changes us more than it changes God, and we would not want it otherwise because God knows what is best. As you pray, the Holy Spirit can get hold of your heart and align your desires with His will. If there is sin regarded in the heart, Scripture says the Lord will not hear that prayer, so come honestly, confess what needs to be confessed, and ask Him to make your heart clean and willing to walk in His way. He has not intended prayer as a way to grant every wish, but as a way for you to cooperate with Him in what He has already purposed to do for your good.
You can bring this unspoken matter to Him now with reverence for His name, with submission to His will, and with trust that He hears His people. He does answer prayer, though at times the answer is not what we expect and the problem seems to remain for a season. In those moments do not quickly blame God, but keep seeking Him, keep asking that His will be done, and let your prayer end in praise. Like those who have gone before, you can thank Him in faith before you see the answer, confident that if God is for you nothing can stand against you.
We are praying that God will reveal Himself more clearly to you through Jesus, that you will sense His nearness and care, that you will be able to cast this burden fully on Him and find rest, and that His good and perfect will will be done in this situation and in your life. May He draw you closer to Himself, keep you in His peace, and make you usable for His glory as you walk with Him day by day.
The first foundation for prayer is relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. If you are His child you can come to Him as Father, and that relationship opens the way for real and effective prayer. If that relationship is not yet settled, the prayer He most desires to hear is the humble cry for mercy, God be merciful to me a sinner, trusting in Jesus alone for salvation. Everything else in prayer flows from that restored relationship.
Prayer is not a way to make God do what we want. It is worship and communion that begins with God and His purposes. He makes His will known to our hearts, we return it to Him in prayer, and He then works to accomplish His will on earth as it is in heaven. That is why Jesus taught us to pray, Your kingdom come, Your will be done. The deepest purpose of prayer is not my will be done but Your will be done, and that surrender is what makes prayer true prayer.
Part of that surrender is bringing your burden to Him. Trying to please yourself or to carry life in your own strength is a heavy burden. Jesus invites all who labor and are heavy laden to come to Him for rest, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light. His burden was to please the Father, and when we learn of Him we learn that the Father is a God of love and compassion and deep concern for you. Living to please God is not crushing, it is satisfying and hopeful. Many burdens we carry are ones we or others have placed on ourselves that God never laid on us. You can cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you. Scripture says to be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to let your requests be made known to God.
Prayer also changes us more than it changes God, and we would not want it otherwise because God knows what is best. As you pray, the Holy Spirit can get hold of your heart and align your desires with His will. If there is sin regarded in the heart, Scripture says the Lord will not hear that prayer, so come honestly, confess what needs to be confessed, and ask Him to make your heart clean and willing to walk in His way. He has not intended prayer as a way to grant every wish, but as a way for you to cooperate with Him in what He has already purposed to do for your good.
You can bring this unspoken matter to Him now with reverence for His name, with submission to His will, and with trust that He hears His people. He does answer prayer, though at times the answer is not what we expect and the problem seems to remain for a season. In those moments do not quickly blame God, but keep seeking Him, keep asking that His will be done, and let your prayer end in praise. Like those who have gone before, you can thank Him in faith before you see the answer, confident that if God is for you nothing can stand against you.
We are praying that God will reveal Himself more clearly to you through Jesus, that you will sense His nearness and care, that you will be able to cast this burden fully on Him and find rest, and that His good and perfect will will be done in this situation and in your life. May He draw you closer to Himself, keep you in His peace, and make you usable for His glory as you walk with Him day by day.
