We Often Need To Have Patient Prayer
We Ask The Question- Why Do We Often Need To Have Patient Prayer?
“With uplifted hands, we trust His knowing over our unknowing.”
Some reasons we may not get answers to our prayers:
Not many people are eager to be tested for patience. We know that patience is something that is hard for most, especially when we need it “right” now.
In fact, it seems we start to question, “what we have done wrong that you Lord, have not answered our prayer.” Patience is really a virtue and more of it we need, but patience does not cure all the reasons we do not receive answers to our prayers.
State Of The Heart
“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Psalms 66:18
If we have malice, unfaithfulness, a haughty spirit, spoken unkind words, jealousy, or have not forgiven someone, what should be our first request? These are just a few of the things that we can carry in our hearts and not be eligible for answers to our prayers until we mend our thoughts and ways.
These are not my words, they come from the scripture. Iniquity means sin or evil but, it also is expressed with the synonyms of, unfairness, offensiveness, injustice, wrongdoing, and cruelness.
If we have not striven to put aside all these things that interrupt us from hearing from God sooner, then it is our heart, not God’s lack of hearing us. He hears us, even in our sins or iniquity. However, He will not act upon our prayers of “give me this” until we have prayed the prayer of repentance. We must ask for forgiveness if we have committed unrighteousness.
It is essential that we keep a clean heart without anything that will keep our prayers from being answered. We know that every prayer will not be answered in the way that we seek. He is merciful and just, He understands when we do not, and He will never allow Christians to suffer more than they can bear. That is in His Word also but still, the heart must be right in His sight.
Why We Often Need To Have Patient Prayer – From The Word
The Scripture
“Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40: 28-31 (KJV)
He is willing to come to us if we have been in contact with Him as we should. Not just when we have a crisis. It is our duty to have communion with our Father and if we are communicating with Him on a regular basis, it is easier to accept His answers and His will. He is always there waiting to give us what He has promised.
We Grow In Wisdom
Patient Prayer is something I believe that we must grow into. It has often been said, not to pray for patience because should we, testing of our faith is possible. Usually, we want what we are praying for right now. Why, because we do not like to hurt or wait.
God has His own time for answering, healing, giving, and His own understanding. If we are where we should be. He will give us the strength we need until the time is right.
The scripture above states that He giveth power to the faint. That helps in our patience because He is always looking out for us, even while we must wait or suffer. Sometimes we suffer and the suffering brings us more control over our emotions.
We still must have emotional intelligence in our service to the Lord as well as within all human experiences. We have to know that we do not demand anything from God. That is not in our power, we must stay humble and pray as He did; “Father, not my will, but Thine be done.”
Faith
“And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed Him, crying and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. And when He was come into the house, the blind men came to Him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto Him, Yea Lord. Then touched He their eyes, saying According to your faith be it unto you.” Matthew 9: 27-29 (KJV)
We know that without faith, it is impossible to please the Lord. Why? Because without faith, one cannot receive salvation, nor know that God sent His beloved Son to die for our transgressions. Therefore faith is without a doubt one of the most important aspects of our Christian journey.
Sometimes we only have faith when we need something from Him and that of course is not acceptable in the sight of the Lord. Our faith must be evident “all” the time. It is in season at all times.
Sometimes our faith can grow dim when it seems that regardless of how much we profess to have. That is when we have to seek Him as the scripture saith:
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10: 17 (KJV)
Faith Without Works
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? James 2: 17-20 (KJV)
If we do not bear the fruit of a Christian, it does not matter how much faith we have. If we have faith but are lacking in our service to Him….we cannot expect the answer to our Patient Prayers. Works without faith are dead as well. We can give to the poor, help our fellow man, and go to Church on Sunday, but if we do not have faith, we cannot expect our prayers to be answered.
“Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)
Our hope comes from the Lord, our help is from His mercy and understanding. In Psalms 34… again…
“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. The poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.” v 4, 6, 7
