Iron Rose Sister Ministries

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Published: 10 February 2016

• prayer

“Return to sender, address unknown.” Ever feel like that’s what’s stamped on your prayers? You don’t get an answer and wonder if you even directed your prayers to the right person.

Thankfully, in Christ, we have direct access to the Father and no longer have to go to the temple or tabernacle. There is no priest to offer a sacrifice on our behalf so that God will hear us. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, once for all.

So, then, if I trust that I am able to lift my prayers directly to God, why am I not getting an answer?! Or are you?

Sometimes God answers our prayers in the affirmative and sometimes with a resounding “no.” And he often has us wait on the answer, causing us to doubt his sovereignty (gracious control) and whether his attentive ear understood our request.

However, there is a way in which God always answers our prayers: with spiritual growth.

As a general rule, we are not patient people. And, we are quite selfish. We want what we want and when we want it. We may not throw a temper-tantrum like a practiced two-year-old, but we have learned the art of masking our impatient selfishness. We pout, whine, complain, suggest, withdraw, demand… we each have our methods.

And when God asks us to wait, we pull out all the stops, bargaining with our divine Creator and loving Father, sure that we have a clearer understanding than he does.

And while we wait, what do we begin to learn?

·      Our divine Creator really does know what’s best for his creation.

·      Our heavenly Father loves us more than we can begin to comprehend.

·      Our sovereign God is in control and has an eternal perspective.

·      Our gracious Savior longs to bless us and even to save us from ourselves.

God may not answer your prayers when you want or how you want, but God always answers our prayers with spiritual growth, if we let him.

You don’t have the wrong address because your think your prayers aren’t being heard. You are experiencing an opportunity to increase your faith, just like the persistent widow (Luke 18).

Details

Published: 09 February 2016

• prayer

I love to hear children pray. Their simple requests and childlike faith remind me that no prayer is too small or too big for God.

• “Dear God, thank you for my family. And my dog. And my blanket. And my Legos. And my mac ‘n cheese. And my juice…”
• “Dear God, please heal Nana. She’s sick and it makes daddy sad.”
• “Dear God, please make the monsters go away. They’re scary.”
• “Dear God, thank you for my new shoes that help me run super-fast!”
• “Dear God, my puppy is lost. And I miss my puppy. I want him to come home. Please keep him safe and help him come home soon.”
• “Dear God, please help me obey my mommy and daddy. Sometimes it’s hard, but when I disobey, it makes mommy sad.”

The honesty, vulnerability, and trust that a child places in God through their simple prayers are an example of the spirit with which we should approach our Heavenly Father.

Here are a few things I learn from faith-filled, childlike prayers:

• Nothing is too small for us to give Him thanks.
• God is the ultimate healer and Great Physician.
• God shares in our sorrow.
• God protects us and calms our fears.
• God rejoices with us in the small things.
• God longs for all those we love to come home to Him.
• God honors our confession of sin, forgives us, and strengthens us to not sin the next time.

What do childlike prayers remind you about the character of God and your approach to Him in prayer?