Will My Prayers Ever Be Answered?

I believe in Holy Ghost timing. In God's own time, all our prayers will be answered-in one way or another.

The trouble is, we are afraid to submit our prayers to Holy Ghost scrutiny. Some of our prayers need to be purged. Some of our faith is being misspent on requests that are not mature.

We are so convinced that if our request is "in accordance to His will, we should get it." We simply do not know how to pray, "Thy will be done!" We don't want His will as much as those things permitted by His will.

The only test we require of our prayers is rather self-centered: "Can I find it in God's catalog of things permitted?" So we can search all through God's Word and cleverly lay out all the reasons why we should be granted certain blessings and answers.

We match the promises to tailor our specific requests. When we are convinced we have a good case and have garnered enough promises, we march boldly into the presence of God as if to say, "Lord, I've got an iron tight case-in no way can You turn me down. I've checked my faith. I've got Your Word on the matter. I've done everything according to plan. It's mine! I claim it! Right now!"

Is That All That Faith Is About?

Simply A Tool To Pry Out Of God Benefits Of Promises?

A challenge to His faithfulness? A test of His word? A key to unlock God's blessing room?

It seems to me we are marching into God's throne room with our faith banners waving, armed with an arsenal or promises, ready to violently claim all that is due us.

All the while, we picture our approving Father congratulating us on unraveling the mystery of faith and therefore entitling us to the bounties of heaven.
Until God restructures our desires and ambitions, we are going to keep on squandering our precious faith on things created, rather than the Creator.

How corrupt our faith becomes when it is used simply to acquire things. What a tragedy that we should boast that our faith produced for us a new car, an airplane, a financial bonanza, a new home, etc.

Faith is a form of thought-albeit positive, divine thought.

But Jesus warned us not to give one thought to material things. "Only Gentiles (heathen) seek these things." How very clear Jesus is on this matter, saying, "ThereforeTake no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things" (Mathew 6:25, 32).

Even the wicked prosper at times-and it can't be said that faith produced it. God rains His love and blessings on the just as well as the unjust. Show me a prospering Christian, and I'll show you a reprobate prospering even more.