“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”—Matthew 7: 7-11 NLT
We know that without faith, it is practically impossible to run the Christian race. “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him”. Hebrews 11:6 (NLT)
Treasure hunters embark on the hunt or journey because they believe the treasure exists. Believers pray because they believe and trust in the Father’s goodness and faithfulness towards His children.
I once heard someone say that when it comes to prayer, you should PUSH – Pray Until Something Happens! Prayer is not an opportunity to present God with a shopping list but an opportunity to develop a confident, persistent, child‑to‑Father relationship with God.
The effectiveness of prayer is not measured merely by answer to the prayer. Prayer provides us with a deeper intimacy with God, develops a transformed character in us, renews our minds, and strengthens our faith.
This relationship should motivate us to approach God boldly and trust Him as our Father, to give us good gifts, not necessarily what we request – “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.” James 1:17-19 (NLT)
Prayer is not an escape from responsibility but an empowerment for action. Too often, believers spend too much time praying rather than practically doing what is needful, such as meaningfully engaging and developing themselves. The fact is, God will not do for you what you ought to do for yourself, no matter how much time you spend praying.
We should expect God to respond when we pray, but be aware that the response may not be what or how we expect. Jesus said, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you”. This is by no means a blank cheque but a guarantee of divine fulfilling engagement with God the Father.
When we pray, we should look for God’s answers in unexpected situations, conditions, places and forms. This will help us interpret life through God’s divine sovereign involvement in our lives, not His absence.
Stay blessed,
LaraLex
Hills and Valleys 