Have you ever been in a meeting or at an event where everyone has someone to talk to but you are alone? Recently, I attended a conference on my own. I felt awkward as I stood by myself.
If that wasn’t enough, as I looked around, I realised not one but two other people were wearing the exact same outfit as me. And one of them was a child!
I had that sinking feeling in my stomach and started to feel sorry for myself. Why was I alone again? It didn’t feel fair, so I started to pray, “This is awful, please Lord…” But with those words, I felt a check in my spirit. Immediately, I knew what to do.
How to get the best
The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
This means that our prayers of petition must but be full of faith. We need to come to God expecting a rich reward. I can’t feel sorry for myself and be full of faith at the same time! So I told myself, “Jo, buck up and believe!”
Over the next two days, several “pity me” prayers nearly popped into my heart. There were lots of different reasons. Promises were delayed. People let me down.
Pretty please
Each time, I sensed the same correction from the Holy Spirit. I needed to drown out the: “Pleeeaase God!”, and replace it with: “Praise God!” And then continue, “Thank You Lord that my answer is around the corner.”
Proverbs 23:18 says, “The expectation of the righteous shall not be cut off.” That means we get what we expect. If I expect the best, heaven will respond. If I expect the worst, things will probably not turn out so well.
“Pretty please” prayers are based upon disappointment and doubt. Pleading is what we do if we have to persuade someone to be good to us. God already has the best in store for you and me. We need to push out self pity, then buck up and believe!
Hide and seek
I once heard a preacher say, “He doesn’t hide things from you. He hides things for you.” Have you ever seen a child pleading with their parents while playing hide and seek. “Please, please show me where you are, please let me find you?”
No. Full of fun and excitement, the little ones run around the house looking. Our lives are meant to be a bit more like that. We know God has great things in store, so let’s enjoy the journey of discovery.
We don’t have to pray every prayer that rises up inside. It’s one thing to tell our Heavenly Father how we feel. It’s something else to try and twist His arm by telling Him about our pitiful lives.
Faith pleases God and releases His blessings. Let’s silence satan’s whispers and listen to our faithful Lord. His word is His word to us. What He promised, He will be faithful to do.
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