Relationship

  " And He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to lose heart." Luke 18:1


 When I was a little girl I was taught by my momma that it was important to pray to Jesus and ask Him for the things that I needed help with.

 I remember thinking it was kinda strange just talking out loud to something or someone that I could not see.....
I found it very confusing at times to pray for something in hopes that my requests would be made known to God...but then sometimes my prayers were not answered. At least not answered in the way I wanted them to be answered. :)
  I couldn't understand why I should spend so much time praying for God to do something, when in the end...it really wasn't based on my prayer, because ultimately whatever God wanted to happen was going to happen regardless of how hard I prayed.
    I think at some point many or even all of us wonder how well prayer really works. 

Have you ever wondered that?
Have you ever doubted or questioned if your prayers are being heard....or if its even worth it to spend time praying for certain results when its ultimately in God's hands?
Do you find yourself praying for something and then as soon as you are finished go right back to thinking that nothing is going to change and you are still worried and anxious???
  I mean if we truly believed in the power of prayer...wouldn't we all ache to do it more????
Wouldn't we long to make our requests known to God....

I am going to be very transparent and share with each of you that even as I grew up...prayer was always a struggle for me. I truly believed in the Lord, but even as I prayed to the Lord for things, people and circumstances in my life I always questioned if any of it really mattered.
   I would pray believing for things to change...
   I would pray that God would give me courage...
   I would pray for the salvation of loved ones....
   I would pray for a man who would love me unconditionally and have the courage to stand by my side through thick and thin....
   I would pray for someone to be healed from an incurable disease....
BUT...because those things didn't happen...I would lose heart.

I wondered...how much did my prayers really help.

Friends, I want to encourage you today that what I have learned through studying about the power of prayer is that it is not about getting the results you want! Prayer is about developing a deep, personal relationship with the Creator and Savior of your life!
He longs for you to come to Him and share your burdens, cares, hurts, joys and concerns with Him. Prayer is growing closer to the Lord and learning to cast all your cares on Him and then learning to leave the results up to Him...no matter how hard that can be sometimes.
Prayer is about faith. It's trusting with your whole heart that God desires to be near you and help you!
In Luke 18 Jesus gives a parable of a persistent widow that gives me so much comfort in my prayer life.
 The story is about a widow who continually goes to a judge, who did not fear God or respect man, and she is persistent in asking the judge to give her justice against her adversary. Time after time the judge refused the woman! Until one day he says that even though he does not fear God or respect her...he is going to grant her request because she has been so persistent in coming to him. 
 Christ uses this story to explain that if a man who does not fear the Lord, or have any respect for people can grant the request of a widow...how much more does our Father love to see us coming to Him with persistence and an urgency to have our requests fulfilled! 
 Verse 7 says, " And will not GOD give justice to "his elect" who cry to Him day and night?"

This parable is a reminder to us that no matter how many times you have to come to Lord for an issue in your life...He wants to know and in one way or another He is going to answer you! It might not always be answered in the way you wanted, but I promise that as you seek Him diligently He will give you a deeper faith and help you to get through whatever answer you receive! 
   
 There is a saying that people say all the time. It says, " there is power in prayer". 
If you struggle with believing that I want to encourage you not to lose heart! 
Christ tells us at the beginning of this story that we should always pray and that we shouldn't lose heart! As you draw near to Him...He will supply you with the faith you need to get through whatever you are facing!
  
 I encourage each of you to spend time journaling your prayers to the Lord, and watch in expectation at what He will do in your life! 

To build a strong relationship with someone you have to spend time talking to them, listening to them and enjoying them. 

That is what the Lord wants to do with you through prayer. 

Whatever you are facing today I pray that you would take a couple moments out of your day to talk with the Lord. 
Don't lose heart my friends...He is just a prayer away!

Oh how He loves you and me!