When my father died of cancer, the inevitable question in my heart was whether he would have lived if I had shown greater faith. I lived with significant guilt that his death was somehow my fault. Rather than bringing hope, every sermon I heard on healing was like salt on an open wound. I felt spiritually attacked and harassed whenever I read verses about Jesus healing the multitudes or verses like Isaiah 53:4 and James 5:15. And I was convinced my prayers were powerless.
Our spiritual enemies want nothing less than to convince us that God is far-off, distant, and unwilling to respond to our prayers. From our human perspective, God’s response or lack thereof can make the lies of our spiritual enemies feel real. But God wants us to persist in prayer (Luke 11:9- 10). Not because we want to get our way. Not because He’s hard to please. Not because He delights in our pain. Persistence has a way of purifying our lives of any idolatry. Ultimately, prayer means acknowledging that only God is God. He wants us to give Him our everything, and He wants to be our everything.
A man of great faith and obedience, Elijah showed on Mount Carmel that God alone would be magnified (1 Kings 18:36-37). His faith kept him focused on what he knew was true—God was in control, worthy of deep reverence, and sovereign above all. Elijah heard with his spirit what he could not see with his eyes (1 Kings 18:41).
Prayer isn’t supposed to be simply a crisis response or a passing thought. It’s a position of consecration before the Lord, a place of continued dwelling, or— as Colossians 4:2 reminds us—an act of devotion. Prayer means staying facedown until we see God’s answer—not the answer we want (1 Kings 18:44).
More:
He went on a little farther and bowed with His face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine” (Matthew 26:39).
Next:
What significant experiences have shaped the way you view prayer? How does your prayer life reflect persistence?
AManofGod on November 17, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Thank you for that awesome blog. I used to think God was ignoring me when I didn’t get what I asked for. However, without a doubt, every time I didn’t get what I asked for I later found out that what I was asking for was really not that good [for me]and in fact could have hurt me. Even when God brings pain into our lives He has a reason…although at the time we may not see that reason. I remember that song “Thank God for Unanswered Prayers” and sometimes we have to keep that in mind. What we want may not always be best for us!
anj1990 on November 17, 2010 at 1:50 pm
I thank god for giving this message to you today, i desperately needed it 🙂
regina franklin on November 17, 2010 at 3:12 pm
Dear manofGod and anj1990,
I am so thankful that God continues to use places of difficulty in my life to bring hope to others. Even now as I write this response, the Christian school where I teach is gathering in prayer for a student who is critically ill. Please pray for his healing and pray for our students’ understanding of God to be enlarged, their relationships with Him to be more intimate and their faith to be strengthened in whatever answer God gives.
cindy_cog on November 17, 2010 at 7:23 pm
i thank you for the insights that was written. my father is having late stage cancer and was given few months to stay. we have been praying all the while for healing & praying for God’s best for him. Nevertheless, there were times when we felt that, our prayer was unheard. This message has given me strength and has indirectly answer my dilema.
regina franklin on November 17, 2010 at 7:48 pm
Dear Cindy,
Praying for the peace of God to encompass you and your family during this difficult time.
bunde on November 19, 2010 at 5:57 am
True! Believing even when it hurts we keep holding on for HIS sovereign will to be done.