From Waiting to Wonder

posted in: Sunday Stuff 0

Why do we struggle to pray? Scripture has certainly mandated it and exemplified it. Beseeching and crying out to the Lord is a dominating characteristic of the Psalms. It’s clearly emphasized by Christ and the great saints of the Bible like David, Nehemiah, Daniel and Paul. Even still, prayer remains one of the more challenging and neglected disciplines of the Christian faith. I believe one of the reasons we struggle with prayer is because we can’t fully understand how it works, or why God does not always answer prayer despite His many promises. Jesus said in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” He also states in John 15:7, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Waiting for God to answer prayer has left many wondering if God even cares or if He truly means what He says. We find this to be the case in the life of the prophet, Habakkuk. Like Habakkuk, we may feel alone and estranged from God when He seems silent and allows evil to persist. We are inclined to grow impatient, apathetic or perhaps even frustrated with God. What we seem to forget is that prayer is more about a relationship than it is a task to perform and results to enjoy. Prayer has all the idiosyncrasies of a relationship because it is the way we relate to God. Rather than primarily focusing on a circumstantial change, let us approach the throne of grace with the intent of “abiding in Him” and communing with our God. May we embrace His promises and pray for His will to be done instead of questioning God’s character and growing impatient with His timing. When we make this our focus, we will grow in confidence  and in our understanding of His will as we enjoy a closer walk with Him. May God’s will be done. Why? Because we know that “He works all things for good for those who love Him, who have been called according to His purposes” (Rom 8:28). Though our tongues may stammer and our knees may hurt from praying, one day soon we will see Him face to face only to find that our prayers have been answered in ways we never thought to ask. – Pastor Nate Wagner

Sunday at Liberty

9AM: Pastor Rory–Titus 2:9-10–Redeeming Relationships, 3

10AM: Pastor Rory–Habakkuk 1:1-11From Waiting to Wondering (sermon notes)

6PM: Missions Emphasis Night 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *