At What Point......

[kat8585]

do you stop praying for something and figure it's not God's will for it to happen? I'm talking about good things.

[MorningGlory]

do you stop praying for something and figure it's not God's will for it to happen? I'm talking about good things.

I'd venture...never. The Lord brings us what we need on his timetable. It's frustrating at times but He always knows best. Don't get discouraged, kat.

[Believer1997]

I would keep the prayer in place and ask for God's Will. Never give up. Sometimes He doesn't answer the way we expect or want - but He does answer. Praying, Kat.

[OneLight]

do you stop praying for something and figure it's not God's will for it to happen? I'm talking about good things.

Good question. I look at it this way. I have a desire in my heart, so I bring it to the Lord. Since He lives in me, I believe that the Holy Spirit will lead me in prayer or remove the desire, not being in His will. Until either happens, I will continue to go before Him until the desire is fulfilled or gone.

[Fraught]

do you stop praying for something and figure it's not God's will for it to happen? I'm talking about good things.

Good question. I look at it this way. I have a desire in my heart, so I bring it to the Lord. Since He lives in me, I believe that the Holy Spirit will lead me in prayer or remove the desire, not being in His will. Until either happens, I will continue to go before Him until the desire is fulfilled or gone.

I like that. It makes sense. Can you give any examples from your own experiences?

[georgedrw81]

Amen MorningGlory you said it right.

Thank you God and Jesus

[OneLight]

do you stop praying for something and figure it's not God's will for it to happen? I'm talking about good things.

Good question. I look at it this way. I have a desire in my heart, so I bring it to the Lord. Since He lives in me, I believe that the Holy Spirit will lead me in prayer or remove the desire, not being in His will. Until either happens, I will continue to go before Him until the desire is fulfilled or gone.

I like that. It makes sense. Can you give any examples from your own experiences?

I'll try ...

I had a desire to move south, where there are more Christians. The North East is a dark place to live. I prayed about it and asked for His direction. I can remember praying for this for a long time, not wanting to just get up and leave on my own. After a long time, maybe 6 month, I felt the Lord tell me that He needed me right where I was, that He had work for me to do here. The desire left and I was glad to be in His service here. Now, He gives me something to do every day. It could be something as simple as an encouraging word to someone who is down, or it could be feeding the poor at a local supper. I have been busy helping with peoples homes, building add-ons to a local church, refurbishing a church office. There is a lot to do here where people need to see His hand in things, to encourage them to help others. But, most important is being where there are few Christians, so the lost can see Him through me.

[Paul 84]

I have to agree with MorningGlory and georgedrw81 unless as OneLight said the Holy Spirit takes this desire out of your heart.

In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus tells the parable of the widow and the unjust judge, which speaks of the importance of Prayer. Jesus Christ ends this parable by saying: "(7) And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with them? (8) I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless WHEN THE SON OF MAN COMETH, SHALL HE FIND FAITH ON THE EARTH?" IMPO Jesus Christ is saying here that man will ceased to seek God answer to prayer because of what they feel is God indifference to them. But in the OT we have an example of a man who prayed but the answer was delayed by "the prince of the Kingdom of Persia" (Daniel 10:13), the man was Daniel. Many times our prayers have a spiritual battle they must get through, so don't quit. "Pray without ceasing" (I Thessalonians 5:19). Remember God is faithful (I Corinthians 10:13; II Timothy 2:13)

"Delight thyself also in the LORD: and He shall give you the desires of thine heart." (Psalms 37:4)

One other thing make sure you are asking the FATHER in the name of Jesus (John 16:23-24). This is the pattern and order of prayer (I Corinthians 14:40)

[Fez]

I have examples of two prayers one that took 15 years to be answered and the other 16! My brother prayed for 15 years for me to be saved, and now I am, and have been for 10! He never told me he was praying for me (I would have scoffed, or laughed at him, and told him not to waste his time), until the day I answered the Lords call. He told me he had prayed every day for 15 years! Who can understnad the Lord's timing, I don't even try.

My 16 year old niece was born with her right eye very squint, the family has prayed about this, and asked the Lord for his healing grace. Last month, I testified about this at church, and on chat, at a youth meeting her brother, who leads the youth group, had everyone listen to a cd on healing, after the teaching he prayed for healing, and a miricle occured. Her eye is now straight. When I spoke to her she said it was as if there was someting behind her eye which was turning it, she could physically feel it. Her eye is now straight. Thr Lord performed a miricle after 16 years of prayer! Praise His Holy name! I can testify to this because I have known her for 16 years, have always just taken her eye for granted, and now when I look into her eyes, I am looking at a miricle.

I now pray as my brother and my nephew have been doing for so long, for my daily bread, and daily bread should be prayed for daily, should it not?

Mat 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Mat 6:26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Mat 6:27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Mat 6:28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,

Mat 6:29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Mat 6:30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Mat 6:31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

Mat 6:32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

Mat 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Mat 6:34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

The above, I consider to be my daily bread. And 6:33 says "all these things will be added to you". It does not say how long the Lord will take to answer your prayers, but He will, even if sometimes the answer is no!

Hope this helps you

God Bless and never stop praying.

[Rhonda Lou]

do you stop praying for something and figure it's not God's will for it to happen? I'm talking about good things.

It is difficult to know God's will for certain. The Bible says,"This is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us, and if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

My first step is always to make sure that what I'm asking is God's will. To know God's will, I spend time with Him each morning, reading and studying His word, because I first seek out general will. For instance, if I am asking for better relationships between family members or marriages, I assume it is His will to improve those. If I'm asking for another to draw closer to Him, again, I'm assuming that is His will. If I'm asking for an improvement in my character, that would also be His will -- as long as I depend on Him to live through me. If I'm asking for material things (cars, houses, etc), I do not honestly know His will, and in truth, I don't ask much for those things. God has promised, as has been pointed out here, that if we seek His kingdom and His Righeousness, then He will give us everything we need. If it is healing -- now that is a tricky one because some healings bring us closer to Him and some farther away. If I'm having problems with supervisors at work (when I worked, I'm retired now), I ask God to change me and not them. In all prayers, this is my focal point: What brings God the most glory. That is His will, and those are the prayers I KNOW He'll answer.

Once that is decided, I put no time limit on Him. I pray daily. I don't say it over and over again in the same day, that seems desperate to me, and desperation is a lack of faith, but I do say it daily because I believe that is the meaning of persistent in the parable about the persistent woman. I also realize that God has to change all parties involved in each prayer request, and so it takes massive coordination. And I have discovered that most of the time, when I start praying for something, it gets worse before it gets better. Either Satan is attacking, or God is increasing faith, but it almost always gets worse before it gets better. On simple requests, sometimes it will get better immediately. Either way, if there is a change at all, I assume that God is working, and thank Him for whatever changed. This helps me build confidence that it IS in His will. I always pray for that, and if He is working, He is answering that, so I have the confidence that it will be a done deal in His own timing. Each change in the situation brings a different thank you for two reasons: one is God is glorified when we thank Him, and two, I remind myself constantly what He has already done to answer my prayer, and this increases my faith.

Rhonda

http://servantanna.blogspot.com/