I don't know about you, but sometimes it just seems like I am saying words in my prayers, that I wonder what God is doing or is He even listening.
He is listening, He is hearing everything that we ask for, every thanksgiving and praise we utter. His timing is not always our timing, but He is working and I just have to have faith.
What is Faith, it says in Hebrews 11 "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for." And then Hebrews 11 goes on to talk about faith in action, it is a good passage to read. When I pray, I must have faith to believe that God is working, that He is doing what I may not even see, maybe it will take minutes or years, but He is working. I just have to have faith like a mustard seed as it is written in Matthew 17:20 "He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." When we pray all we need to do is have faith that what we are asking for will be revealed in Jesus's timing.
My devotional this morning talked about prayer and I wanted to share that story with you. It brought tears to my eyes, because the power of prayer. We may not realize why we are praying, but God knows just what to do with our prayers. What ever you do, don't stop praying.
by Cheri Fuller
The missionary rose and prepared to leave the campsite where he had spent the night en route to the city for medical sup‐plies. He extinguished his small campfire, pulled on his canvas backpack, and hopped on his motorcycle to continue his ride through the African jungle. Every two weeks he made this two‐day journey to collect money from a bank and purchase medicine and supplies for the small field hospital where he served. When he completed those errands, he hopped on his bike again for the two‐day return trip.
When the missionary arrived in the city, he collected his money and medical supplies and was just about to leave for home when he saw two men fighting in the street. Since one of the men was seriously injured, the missionary stopped, treated him for his injuries, and shared the love of Christ with him. Then the missionary began his two‐day trek home, stopping in the jungle again to camp overnight.
Two weeks later, as was his custom, the missionary again made the journey to the city. As he ran his various errands, a young man approached him—the same man the missionary had ministered to during his previous trip. “I knew you carried money and medicine with you,” the man said, “so my friends and I followed you to your campsite in the jungle after you helped me in the street. We planned to kill you and take all the money and drugs. But just as we were about to move in and attack you, we saw twenty‐six armed guards surround and protect you.”
“You must be mistaken,” said the missionary. “I was all alone when I spent the night in the jungle. There were no guards or anyone else with me.”
“But sir, I wasn’t the only one who saw the guards. My five companions saw them, too. We counted them! There were twenty‐six body‐guards, too many for us to handle. Their presence stopped us from killing you.”
Months later, the missionary related this story to the congregation gathered at his home church in Michigan. As he spoke, one of the men listening stood up and interrupted him to ask the exact day the incident in the jungle had occurred. When the missionary identified the specific month and day of the week, the man told him “the rest of the story.”
“On the exact night of your incident in Africa, it was morning here in Michigan, and I was on the golf course. I was about to putt when I felt a strong urge to pray for you. The urge was so strong that I left the golf course and called some men of our church right here in this sanctuary to join me in praying for you. Would all you men who prayed with me that day stand up?”
The missionary wasn’t concerned with who the men were; he was too busy counting them, one by one. Finally he reached the last one. There were twenty‐six men—the exact number of “armed guards” the thwarted attacker had seen.
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Remember, when life gets busy, we are still called to pray, we are called to reach out and praise God even in all of it. It is by putting Jesus first in all that we do, that prayer will become not a chore, but a choice. He wants to hear from us, He wants to hear our voice, call out to Him today and every day. Don't let the sun go down without a seeking Him.
Have a wonderful day.
