“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Oh God, please let him like me.”

“Oh God, please let me do well on this test.”

“Please God, don’t let my parents find out.”

Ah the wishes of a child. I would think that we all probably said similar “prayers” when we were children. They sound a little silly now that we are adults, don’t they? We can look at them and say, “I know why God didn’t say yes to any of these prayers. They were either contrary to His will and/or we were to learn something in the process.”

What makes those prayers any different from the ones that we make today though? Maybe they are about more adult matters, but nonetheless, a little silly.

“Oh God, please don’t let the check hit my account before I can get the money in there.”

“Oh God, please let me win this Jackpot/Lottery.”

“Please God, please don’t let me get a speeding ticket.”

Any of those sound familiar?

Now, don’t get me wrong. God does answer our prayers. He may not always answer them the way we want Him to, but He answers them. Sometimes, He just says, “No”. Sometimes, He answers our prayers and we look back and cannot even understand why He would say yes (like dodging a speeding ticket). But God’s ways are higher than ours and He was probably increasing our faith in Him at the time. And, sometimes, He says, “Not right now.”

In John 15:7, We see that if we are seeking after God and all that He has for us, we can ask ANYTHING and it will be done for us. Does that mean that we will win that Jackpot or get out of the ticket? No. This verse isn’t speaking to what God will do for us. It is speaking to our hearts. It is saying that if we are trusting God, walking with Him, and desiring His will above ours, the prayers that we utter will be for His will first. Our desire will be for His glorification, not our fleshly desires.

Jeremiah 29:11 says “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. When our Heavenly Father wants to prosper us and not harm us and to provide us with hope and a future, don’t you think that, regardless of the circumstance, His will would be best?

But instead of seeking God’s will, glory, and our growth in Him, we tend to treat God like a genie in a bottle. We do not pray to Him without ceasing. We don’t talk to Him as often as we do our girlfriends or guyfriends. No, instead (typically when we have an issue), we pull out that old genie bottle, rub it, and toss up a few wishes. Then, we tell Him to get back in the bottle and we put the bottle back on the closet shelf where it came from.

Our Heavenly Father who gave us life deserves better than that.

He longs to hear your voice lifted up to Him in prayer… even if it is a “silly” prayer 😉 . There really are no “silly” prayers where God is concerned. He desires to hear the petitions of your heart. He may say no, but He will still listen and love the fact that you are even talking to Him.

We have an adoring Heavenly Father who yearns for us to climb into His lap and speak with Him. James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”. But our desire must be to seek God and His goodness and love, not the thing(s) that we want. Psalm 145:18 tells us that “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

Precious one, I pray that today you would feel the adoration that our Father in Heaven has for you. I pray that you would seek His will in your life and that you would lift your voice to heaven, even if it is just to express gratitude for another day here on planet Earth. He loves you and longs to hear your voice.

If you don’t know Jesus as Lord of your life, I pray that right now, in this very moment, that you would begin to seek God with all your heart and lift up a prayer to Him. Because he tells us in His word that, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with your whole heart.” If you don’t know what to pray, go to our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/) and pray the prayer outlined there. Then, reach out to me at admin@forgiven-n-loved.com and let me know so that I can be in prayer for you and help you get connected to a bible study or church that can support you in your new found faith.

Luv Ya,