Let Your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, Your salvation according to Your promise; then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in Your Word.
Psalm 119:41-42

I’ve seen a lot of people pray, and when God doesn’t meet their expectations on their schedule, they conclude that “prayer doesn’t work.”

Real prayer means putting my trust in God. Prayer doesn’t mean that I get what I want from God; prayer puts me in a place to receive what God wants for me.

God isn’t the Genie of the Lamp. We don’t invoke Him, command Him and expect Him to slavishly obey us. That’s the old, backwards, “I want to be God” way of thinking that got us into trouble in the first place.

Instead, in prayer we humbly lay our needs before Him and ask Him to take care of them. We often make “suggestions” to Him about how we think He should answer our prayer, but we always have to remember who’s in charge and who isn’t. The question is, once again, “Will I trust Him, or not?”

Abraham was a good example. He had a promise from God that He would be the father of many nations. But the years went on and he had no children. He was a hundred years old, his wife was ninety, and still no kids.

In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”
Romans 4:18

God honors faith, in His own way and on His own schedule. Trust Him. Wait for Him. You’ll be glad you did. Abraham is.

Lord, give me faith that trusts in You to keep Your Word: not in myself, not in my prayers, not even in my own ability to believe hard enough. Let Your good, loving purpose be accomplished, here. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles