Press In Prayer

Dear Friend,

I had a student ask me the question, “Do wishes come true?” He felt like they didn’t because it looked like his circumstances (which was doing chores daily) was not changing. He felt like his life at 8 had some of the most grievous chores assigned to his life ever! In this moment I began to reflect how often I thought I prayed, but it was really wishful thinking and hoping. In this moment like him I’ve felt defeated and frustrated because I put my hope in something that will fail me every time. How many times have I done this?!?! The answer...Every time the expectations of my request were selfish and emotional. And I hadn’t asked the Father what His will was about the situation. I wasn’t praying His plans out. And so the result looked like my Father didn’t hear me.

Many times we will charge God wrongly and think He failed us or didn’t come through after we prayed. But the Word clearly states in 1 John 5:14-15:

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him.

A wish is defined as...

: a desire for something to happen or be done : a feeling of wanting to do or have something. : an act of thinking about something that you want and hoping that you will get it or that it will happen in some magical way. Or to feel or express a strong desire or hope for something that is not easily attainable; want something that cannot or probably will not happen.

But prayer is...

a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or an object of worship.

Wishes may never manifest, but prayer works! God has heard and answered EVERY prayer! God knows what I need before I ever ask! (See Matthew 6:8) Be confident in that today! Don’t lose hope! Seek His face and ask Him to give you His heart and fresh perspective. Love never fails! God never fails!

Press in Prayer,

Jess