Christian Prayer
Do we pray often?
Do we have doubts when we pray or do we pray with confidence?
Why are some prayers not answered?
Does God actually hear me?
Can I change His mind?
Who among us who prays regularly has not had some form or occasion for doubting the efficacy of our prayers. Usually we would pray when our hearts or minds are troubled. Some of us do make it a habit to pray several times a day, either alone or with family or even attending Mass daily. All of us at some time have found to our dismay that God did not answer some prayer that was extremely important for us. It could have been the dream job we were awaiting, or for the gift of a child of a specific gender, or a multitude of other intentions.
Do we question God for not answering our prayers? It can be frustrating that you don’t get an answer even when you question. Someone once said that it’s not that God did not answer our prayer or said no. Apparently, God doesn’t say NO to our prayers, He merely delays fulfilling our requests as the specifics of our intention may not be suitable for us and God will eventually answer our prayers but in a modified form that is according to His will. God hears every request of ours.
Herein lies the secret to our frustrations when prayers are not answered. Note Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked the Father to remove the cup of suffering but went on to say that He shall continue with the Mission if it’s the Father’s will. We should always pray for our intentions and ask God to fulfill them only if they are His will.
Similarly, we should pray with confidence when we ask for something, as Jesus advised us. How do we pray with confidence - well as Jesus always did - by thanking the Father first before submitting the request. Again the caveat is that God will not be coerced into answering us simply by our confidence as again it depends if the request is within His will for us.
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