I remember reading or hearing the story once about a girl who was away at school. In the wintertime, she needed a coat. So, she called her father and told him that she really needed a new coat, and her father told her that it would be in the mail to her the next day. She thanked him and went about her business. A few days went by, and someone asked her if she needed to go get a new coat, since it was getting colder. She said, “No thank you, I have a coat.” She had not yet laid eyes on the coat, but she still said that she had a coat, because she believed her father who had said he would get the coat in the mail the day after she spoke with him. When the coat finally arrived, she was not surprised, but she now had in hand what she had been expecting since she first talked to her father about it.
To me, this is a wonderful illustration of pray, believe, and receive. In Mark 11:22-24, Jesus speaks about prayer when He says, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.”
What can I pray about and really BELIEVE that I have what I am asking for? I think we put more limits on that than our Father does. When I was a little girl, about 4th grade, I wanted a dog so badly! It seemed impossible that I would ever get one, because my dad was allergic to dogs. However, one night I prayed with all my heart for a puppy. I was in my room, not praying in front of my dad or mom, just to God. The next day, my dad brought home a puppy that would be a part of our family until I was in college. I so clearly remember that puppy as an answer to prayer! God really was listening to MY prayers!
I am not saying that our heavenly Father will answer every whim that comes into our minds, but I believe that He is interested in the desires of our hearts. When I began to pray about getting married, someone suggested that I make a list of qualities that I really desired to have in a husband. I did that, and God answered my prayers – even though I didn’t see all the qualities I had prayed about in Kelly Warren at first – God saw them! I believed my Father gives the best gifts, and I received His answer.
Through the years, I have not been afraid to ask God for things that are on my heart. Sometimes, after I have prayed about something, God moves the desire for that thing to the back burner. Sometimes, He shows me something better, and sometimes, He beautifully answers my prayer above and beyond what I would have imagined. I’ve never been disappointed in God or His answers to my prayers. The key is to have that trust in Him as a good Father who loves me, and to believe that He knows how to meet my deepest desires better than I do.
Pray about everything! Believe that He is listening! Receive His answer, even if it looks different than you had imagined.
We want to thank Sheri Warren for sharing this post.
Women's Ministry 