A little girl went to a meeting with her parents. The gathering had a specific purpose, as the land had dried out, and it hadn’t rained for a long time. The congregation had decided to come together to pray for rain.
Everyone agreed: prayer is worthwhile, and it is now the only thing they can do together.
The girl entered the prayer room and looked at the adults who were taking their seats in the church pews. Why did no one else bring an umbrella, only she did? Was she the only one who didn’t want to get wet on the way home after the prayer meeting?
The Bible urges us to pray in faith: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)
We once prayed for someone who had a sore back. I didn’t doubt that God heard our prayer, and I wondered how the healing would happen – in that moment or gradually. When we finished praying, the person who had asked for prayer continued to speak in the same way as before. With her own words, she made it seem as though the prayer hadn’t benefited her at all.
We don’t pray just for the sake of praying, but with the expectation that we will gratefully await how Heaven responds. If we believe that God hears our prayers, we cannot think contrary to this, as if nothing supernatural will happen. We also shouldn’t focus on the person praying, but our faith is in Jesus, who has all authority. He uses the prayers of imperfect people to bring help to others.
The Holy Spirit brings answers from the Father’s throne to requests made in Jesus’ name. Let us be bold in praying and also in expecting answers, trusting in Him who has given us the promise that those who ask will receive.
Marja Toukola