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Prayer is an act of faith. Prayer is talking to someone you can’t see, about something you don’t have, with no visible means of obtaining it. So, why should we pray?
What is the first question you usually ask yourself when confronted with a decision? What can I do? This question looks at your capabilities. Or sometimes you may ask, What should I do? This deals with morality—doing what’s right, fair, just. When it’s time to make a decision, the best question to ask is, “God, what do You want me to do?”
In the heat of the moment and under the pressure of urgency, you might make a quick decision that requires months or even years to undo the consequences. If a quick decision is needed and there’s no time to pray about it, then the answer is no! No decision made without prayer!
Sometimes it’s hard to make good decisions based on the advice of close family members. Your relationship can color your judgment. And sometimes family members aren’t as spiritually mature as they should be. As a result, their advice is often tainted by emotion, sin, selfishness, or worldliness. But when you pray, you’re able to seek the mind of God rather than the mind of man.
It’s possible for many of your decisions to be influenced by the standards set by your culture. However, just because something is acceptable in society doesn’t make it right. Prayer forces you to ask, “God, what is Your standard? What does Your Word say I should do?”
When you don’t pray, your heart and emotions can dictate your direction and you can miss God’s will. What does the Bible say about your heart? It is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). To ensure that your feelings and desires don’t hinder you from choosing God’s will, make sure you pray. Pray until your heart and emotions are neutral. Then you can better “hear” God speak to you through His Word and through wise counsel.
Our trust at times may falter, but as the years go by and you see your prayers answered, as you taste more and more of God’s goodness, your faith grows. Doubts and fears will fade, to be replaced by a steadfast confidence in God. You can most assuredly say along with King Solomon, “There has not failed one word of all His good promise”(1 Kings 8:56).
RESPOND
Dear Lord, thank You that I can come to You in prayer. Amen.
RENEWING RESOURCES
The Remarkable Prayers of the Bible(on sale now!)— Jim George looks deeply into the prayers of some great people in the Bible—and shares what readers can learn from others who loved God and desired to follow Him wholeheartedly. Click to view this wonderful book on prayer!
REFLECT
Memorize this verse: “There has not failed one word of all His good promise”(1 Kings 8:56).
REMEMBER
If a quick decision is needed and there’s no time to pray about it, then the answer is no! No decision made without prayer!
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Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:
Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:
You need wisdom—God’s wisdom—and there’s no need to wait even another second for it. Why? Because God has promised you wisdom.
I’ve heard it said that you can tell the spiritual maturity of a man by looking at his bank account or his credit card statements. Well, how do yours look? What do they reveal about you and your spiritual maturity? What would another person see if they were allowed a peek at your accounts?