When your prayers hit the ceiling...

Have you ever had times when you pray and it seems as if your prayers go no higher than the ceiling? I wonder sometimes, is God really listening on the other end? Or am I just talking to myself? It can be very frustrating, especially when you are pouring out your heart to God and you are not sure he is even listening.

When this happens, we need to remember that we cannot trust our feelings. We need to rely on what we know about God from the Scriptures. We need to remember that God loves us and he wants us to know his will. He is not trying to hide it from us or frustrate us. Granted, he may need to drive us to our knees to reshape our thinking or to get us to see things differently. Time spent on your knees is never wasted, even if you don't get any immediate answers or you don't "feel" like God heard. Each time we come to God and humbly lay our requests before him and examine our hearts and consecrate our lives, we are changing, little by little.

So, the next time you feel that your prayers are going nowhere, rejoice that God is using your prayers to change you and make you more like him. He always hears. He never sleeps or slumbers. Don't give up - keep praying and keep seeking him and be obedient to each request he makes of you. Always remember that God loves you and he knows what is the best for you to make you into all that you were meant to be.

Ask and it shall be given to you...

You are probably familiar with Jesus' words from the Gospels. "Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you". I wonder how many of us never receive from God because we just never bother asking. We need to become like little children, having a childlike faith and trust that whatever we ask for from God, he will give us. We need to think about God more in terms of a father. If you asked your earthly father for help, would he turn you down? Would he play tricks on you and make you guess what he wanted from you? Would he delight in having you fret and worry and beg him for help? If your earthly father would not do that, how much more would your heavenly Father not behave that way! Remember that God really loves you and he wants you to know His will for you and he wants you to ask for help when you need it. Go to God today and take your requests and discouragement and problems to him. And then praise Him for his wonderful goodness to you. Thank you, Lord, for being a father whom we can trust and believe in and who loves us unconditionally.

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