In life, when we go through trials, often we pray. But often
we pray with doubt and fear in our heart. These things are the opposite of
faith. How can a prayer without faith be effective? When we pray, we must pray
with confidence and know that prayers are always
heard.
If the answer that comes back is different from what we expected, it does not mean it is not the right one; it only means that there was a better solution to our problem. It is important for us to give the benefit of the doubt, to recognize the fact that we might not always know what the best outcome for a situation is. After all, there is a chance that there can be moments in our life when we might not know the best road to follow. We should not be stubborn, obstinate or inflexible, stuck to a specific idea. We need to trust and be aware of the fact that everything is perfect because God is in charge of our lives.
We must let things flow, with the certainty that in the
process we are learning and growing. We must be confident that our prayers are
being heard by a loving Father who would never ignore us and who has promised
to give good things to those who ask. He reminds us in Holy Scripture: Would we
ever ignore the request of one of our children? Now, if we, who have so many
faults and defects, are not able to deny our kids anything, then what are the
chances that He will ignore our requests? Think about how God is perfect; He is
love Himself. Now think about how He has made us, His children. Think about all
His promises and about His amazing love. It is simply impossible that He would
ignore our prayers.
Therefore, we need to make sure that we understand and know
in our hearts that even though at times it might take longer than expected, and
even though from time to time our need might be met in a way less than hoped
for or anticipated, our prayers are always answered. When we ask for help, we
must do it with the absolute certainty that help will come, and we must know
that invariably all things will come to us, with our welfare as a first
priority.
Jesus said, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will
find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9) If we pay
attention to this scripture verse, we will realize that it requires action on
our part. We cannot just pray for something to happen. We cannot just wish
things were different. We cannot just sit and hope for something to happen. We
need to contribute to the miracles in our lives by asking, seeking and
knocking. We need to try our best to make things happen. We must take an active
role in our lives and be participants in the miracles that we will experience.
We cannot just passively sit and wait and complain about how
we pray and pray and hope and hope and nothing changes. We need to be more
involved and take responsibility for the direction our life is going. And we
must know that through prayer that direction can always change. It is up to us;
it is up to God. Let’s learn how to pray and work on improving our relationship
with God. Let’s strengthen our faith and work hard at doing our part. And, as
St. Paul advises in Romans 8, let’s hope and eagerly wait with perseverance for
the best to happen. I guarantee you that then we can never be disappointed,
because hope in God does not disappoint.
Wisdom to contemplate:
“Learn to savor how good the LORD is; happy are those who take refuge in
him.”
(Psalm 34:9)
“If you have faith the size of a
mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,’ and it
will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)
“For in hope we were saved. Now hope
that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we
hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.…We know that all things
work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
(Romans 8:24-25,28)
“Hope does not disappoint, because
the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit
that has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)
“Faith is the realization of what
is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
