So Real

We were talking about prayer.  Though no one actually said this, we were discussing the mentality of praying for rain and carrying an umbrella.  We did talk about how those first Christians had prayed for Peter’s release from prison and then didn’t believe he was at the door.  We talked about how sometimes God will withhold doing even what He desires to do while waiting on us to ask Him.  Someone challenged us to explain why sometimes he doesn’t get what he prayed for, though it was something he needed, he had prayed fervently, it would benefit more than just him – playing the devil’s advocate until someone finally stated that it was not God’s will to answer that prayer affirmatively. 

But what really touched me, moved me, inspired me; what I truly recognized as so real was when one shared how he had prayed for the life of his son.  His son died.  Yet he could go to The One Who had lost His Son for our sake.  We are never alone, we have One Who does understand and is full of compassion for us. 

This is real.  What he shared, not just his prayer, but his faith when the prayer wasn’t answered the way his heart so desperately desired.  Even such faith is a gift from God.

I believe that the more we use the faith He gives us, the more faith He gives us to use to honor and glorify Him.  I say this because I look back at my own time of relying on His gift of faith when faced with an answer to prayer that was not as I so desperately desired.  I had prayed for my marriage to be saved – believing that it would be because I knew that God hated divorce.  I had to struggle with what I believed about God answering prayers during and after my divorce.  I had been so confident that He would save my marriage that I refused to file for divorce, even though I had the scriptural grounds to file.  I was unrepresented at the proceedings.  I didn’t even attend the proceedings.  Sometimes I wonder what would have happened had I showed up and contested the divorce.  I’m getting away from my point, however, so to refocus – I can see how much my faith has grown since I questioned and worried about why He didn’t answer my prayer the way I was confident that He would.  It’s been a long process for me to get from there to where I am today – and I hope to not stay where I am today!  How we pray reveals the depth of our faith and also can increase our faith.  Not the act of praying, but rather His responses to our prayers and then in turn, our responses to His answers. 

I believe that we should share these experiences with one another because you never know just how or who you may touch with your personal experience with God’s response to your prayers.  I believe that this is what people need to hear.  And as I saw the tears glistening in his eyes as he shared this glimpse into his personal prayer life and faith, I thought how people need to see something so real in us as we relate our stories to inspire them.   This is real.