I was reading in my devotions today about how there are many times in the Bible God waits to take action until first we bring the need to Him in prayer. One such example is when He waited for Elijah’s prayer before sending rain to the people. (I Kings 18:41-46). This reminded me that while God doesn’t need our prayers in order to act; He wants our prayers and those are the prayers from which miracles come.
I love that truth because it brings me peace. Our family has been praying specifically for a situation for approximately six years now. When we first started praying, my prayers were selfish in nature and reflected fear, “God, please give us this and that and oh, yeah, this other thing too.”
In six years, my prayers have transitioned from selfish prayers to more surrendered prayers. “While I would love You to do ____, what I really want, God, is Your will in this situation. Teach me the lessons You want me to learn and use this situation to bring You glory, however that ends up looking. Don’t let us stay in this situation one day longer than You want and don’t let us leave this situation one day sooner than Your perfect timing.”
Once I started praying according to His will, the situation began to change. First with my attitude, then I started slowly to see physical changes. Next, God started speaking directly about how He wanted me to pray … and I obeyed. I’m excited to see how God is going to continue to move. I am not making demands … simply waiting to see how He’s going to show up and demonstrate His glory through this situation.
Is there something you’ve been wanting to change in your life? Have you prayed about it? Maybe God’s waiting for you to make the first move – approach Him and start a dialogue. Then sit back and watch to see how He moves in your life too.