P.U.S.H.
Today I'm writing as much to myself than to anyone else. I have a cap with the acronym in the title of this blog on it. It stands for Pray Until Something Happens. I believe in this. I practice this. I've seen results. Just this week a man from our church who has been in the hospital since the first of December, 2012 came home cancer-free. Our church and many others prayed diligently as he dealt with leukemia and then bone cancer. We prayed as he went through several rounds of chemo, dealt with pneumonia and other side-effects. Now we are praising God that he is home and headed toward a full recovery.
However...there are other prayers that have been on-going for years, and I've yet to see the answers. I've been praying for almost 2 years for a man in our neighborhood to be saved, and for opportunities to share the gospel with him. No result yet. I've been praying for years for God to intervene and provide for someone in our family. They have faithfully clung to God and yet they are still struggling financially and physically. I've asked the Lord to reveal anything in my life that may be hindering my prayers in these instances, yet to no avail. I've been praying for almost 2 years for my church to become a "house of prayer" ala Brooklyn Tabernacle. I've prayed for 14 months for God to send us an experienced choir director and worship leader. All of these are good requests. All of these are things I believe Jesus would pray for. Yet...no discernable answer. All I know to do is to keep praying. I keep clinging to the words of Jesus when He said "Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it." (Jhn 14:13-14)
Here is what I do know;
However...there are other prayers that have been on-going for years, and I've yet to see the answers. I've been praying for almost 2 years for a man in our neighborhood to be saved, and for opportunities to share the gospel with him. No result yet. I've been praying for years for God to intervene and provide for someone in our family. They have faithfully clung to God and yet they are still struggling financially and physically. I've asked the Lord to reveal anything in my life that may be hindering my prayers in these instances, yet to no avail. I've been praying for almost 2 years for my church to become a "house of prayer" ala Brooklyn Tabernacle. I've prayed for 14 months for God to send us an experienced choir director and worship leader. All of these are good requests. All of these are things I believe Jesus would pray for. Yet...no discernable answer. All I know to do is to keep praying. I keep clinging to the words of Jesus when He said "Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it." (Jhn 14:13-14)
Here is what I do know;
- Jesus doesn't lie, ever!
- God answers prayer; always!
- Some answers are not what I want.
- Prayer is the hardest work I've ever done.
- There is no formula that forces the hand of God or changes His timing.
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