- How do I pray?
- Prayers from the Bible
Unfulfilled expectations lead to frustration
This is my wife. Do you remember you prayed for me last June to get married? We got married in August.
I wish ALL of my prayers got answered so quickly. I wish prayer were always so highly effective. This guy recognized me at Bible conference and asked me to pray. I didn’t even know him. He knew me because he had seen my picture in the testimonial reports magazine from previous years.
The vast majority of prayers are answered only after a looooooong time. Sometimes it takes days, sometimes weeks, sometimes months, often years, sometimes decades. Failure to understand the nature of prayer accounts for:
- Christians not praying (they see it as a waste of time because they expect instantaneous results)
- Backsliders turning away from God (why didn’t God answer my prayer? Maybe you gave up too soon)
- Atheists denying the existence of God.
Yeah, when we get bored we take the bear out to play on the trampoline, and you? (Photo thanks to Andy Duann)
Sometimes, God flatly denies our petition (and we don’t know why). Other times, we just give up too soon. Occasionally, there’s an instantaneous answer.
Why do we understand intuitively:
- Schooling takes time and perseverance
- Athletic training takes time and perseverance
- Making a marriage work takes time and effort
- Anything good and worthwhile is a long uphill battle
but when it comes to pray, we assume it must be instantaneous?
Mustard Seed Budget 
The picture of the cat is hilarious. The message is great too!
I loved it!
Wow, that is so true! Our pastor says that God isn’t like a vending machine although we want Him to be! I’m guilty of that sometimes. I love the pictures you use!
😀
Love the pic!!!
thanks! love your blog title!
Thanks. No one has ever said that before. 🙂
maybe not too many people know what it means… I’m not sure I know what it means exactly. I think I just have a vague idea! 😀
lol Same here but I think it’s significant that you, whose blog (correct me if I’m wrong) is Faith driven, recognized some meaning that might not be negative and instead more spiritual? Anyway, thanks again for your comment. It made my day.
negative? I didn’t pick up anything negative…
Well good 😉 cause that’s not what I was going for. lol Do you like the story of the prodigal son?
sure!
Excellent! I’m going to be doing a post about it soon with I must say some fine touches and I’d be very interested in your reaction.
ok. will be on standby
True true true…sometimes I have even thought my praywr wasn’t answered but it was just in a totally different way than I expected. Great post!
Thanks! And congratulations on your blog name…. but don’t you think it is a bit long?
Yes way to long :))
Excellent point, and one I have experienced throughout my life.
Thanks. How’s the church going in Japan?
God’s timing in all things! ( Thanks for the message)
I remember thanking God for saying no to things that I asked for many years later. He is already at the finish line..I can never forget that!
Good point about the finish line!
I think also, God can’t answer a prayer in our life until we have learned a lesson. Instant gratification teaches us very little, but if we have to work towards something (or grow into something), we appreciate it so much more. The request to God maybe something that is extremely good for us, we just aren’t ready to receive it yet. But He will bless us at the right time! 🙂
Yes ma’am! That’s true too!
We need to accept God’s timing, as you say all things take time. And also sometimes we pray for things which are not important and then we forget about it. God knows what is important and does the right thing. We need to trust him!
😀
BTW, the pics really made me smile 🙂 🙂 🙂
😀 😀 😀
Great post. I really need to have patience with when or in which way my prayers will be answered. I have noticed a great sense of calmness when I actually do let go and trust God about my prayers.
By the way, thanks for liking my blog.
Patience grows as we grow
Patience is a great thing we should alwayspray for God to give us. Thanks for the post.
thanks thanks thanks
My husband loves the bear on the trampoline. He has a video clip of it on his computer that he plays again and again. I guess that was an instantaneous result for the cops 🙂