Seek His answers
1 Samuel 1:9-16 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. She was bitterly distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. And she vowed a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” As she continued praying before the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the LORD. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my anxiety and vexation.”
Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 86:3 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for to you do I cry all the day.
Psalm 91:14-15 Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.
Psalm 116:2 Because he inclines his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
Psalm 141:2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Daniel 6:10 When Daniel knew the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
Matthew 6:7 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret, will reward you.
Luke 18:1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
Luke 21:36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we don not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer
Ephesians 6:18 . . .praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the LORD always’ again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace that surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts
Colossians 4:2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Peter 5:7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
It is so wonderful that God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit hear our prayers and work to answer them. AS we all know, not all our prayers are answered in the manner we want them answered. Sometimes, even when many are praying for a healing, God does not grant that request. A loved dies, a child is returned to an abhorrent situation repeatedly, a child, sibling, parent has an addiction that cannot seem to be shaken and shed, a loved one is homeless and you are not ever sure where they are or what condition they are in, and we all have family and friends who do not know the LORD.
We pray for all of these concerns, and others we learn about as we walk in this life–accidents, severe sicknesses, and sudden deaths. Frequently we cannot do too much more than pray for those who are dealing with painful things in their lives. But prayer is big. And even when the answers are not what we prayed and hoped for, we have the assurance that God has a plan. That does not always make it easy at that immediate time, but in time, especially if one knows God, has a relationship with Him, peace and comfort are easier to come by.
Sometimes, I have nothing new to ask God to grant. It is a daily request for my family members who do not know Him to open their hearts and because I know God wants no one to perish, and He wants all to be in heaven for eternity, not suffering in the dark and stench-filled hell. He created us to be near to Him. I also know if I pray sincerely and believing, that my prayers will be answered. So I pray for my family, I thank Him for them as each are much more loving and giving then me and I am blessed to have them, so with thankfulness I pray their eyes will be opened. But there are some stubborn minds and they believe they are responsible for their life, their success, and their blessings.
I truly have no idea how anyone can look at the beauty of the world He created for us, and not believe. Each area has different things–different mountains and ranges–the mountains in New Mexico and Arizona are certainly different than those of Colorado and Vermont and New Hampshire, or mountains of southern Germany and northern Austria. He created beauty and loveliness everywhere–birds, animals–some not “pretty” as in alligators, hippopotamus, and some others, but still impressive, unique. There are so many others–elephants who can remember a keeper from many years ago and rush to the person at the sound of a voice or perhaps it’s a scent–but they recognize and show love. There are dolphins we get to see play, splash and jump and give us a thrill. There are Dall sheep that stand looking like they are 90* on the side of a mountain. According to the laws of gravity, they should be rolling off. There are huge whales down to colorful hummingbirds and butterflies which fly several hundred miles during their life span. God created all this. And many do not believe in our Creator. That hurts my heart.
As I was writing this, I had just over 1200 words, and we to check something, or change something–totally unsure, but the entire writing was GONE. I prayed, “Please return this. Please let me find it. This was a lot of writing and work. Please?!”
OK, All right, I am writing that sometimes prayers are not answered in the manner we want. And You are providing an example when I do not want to repeat all that work. “PLEASE?!” I will admit to a few minutes of anger and frustration. But yes, I am writing about being persistent in prayer, but also recognizing that we do not ALWAYS get the answer we desire. This was a little blip in the day.
But Hannah had prayed for a child for a long time. Finally, she prayed and God granted her a son which once he was weaned, Hannah dedicated him to service in the temple, only able to see him once yearly. David prayed that his first son with Bathsheba be spared and he would grow healthy and be well. God said no to that. Paul asked that his physical torment be relieved and God said no to that and reminded Paul that His grace was sufficient for Paul to deal with it daily.
God sees our hearts. He sometimes wants us to continue the prayer and finally will answer in the manner we request, such as with Hannah. He chose not to heal David and Bathsheba’s son, but David had done evil in that situation. As much as he wanted to follow God and so forth, he was not always doing the most righteous of things. God did not want Paul getting arrogant so He had him deal with the physical malady, but ensured he had strength and grace to deal with the issue.
I am very blessed that I can freely pray and give thanks. There is so many things for me to praise Him for, and I will continue to praise Him for my family, and ask Him to send others who will also open their eyes to Jesus and what He has done for us. So much of my life is easier now handing God the worries and anxieties I used to carry. So thank You, Lord for all you have blessed me with for me and ‘mybellaviews,’
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