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Are you listening, God?

Regular columnist Ruth Lilley reflects on the different ways in which God answers her prayers.

I am certain that I am not the only one: I have this prayer that appears to have gone unanswered for a number of years now. God seems very silent on the matter! I absolutely know that God’s ways are higher and better, so I trust Him for all He has planned for my life.
 
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  (Isaiah 55:8-9)
 
However, this sometimes has a bit of a negative effect on my prayers. I might feel there is no point in praying because God will not hear, or He is not going to answer. I do know that this thinking comes only from me; for I know, deep within my heart, that God hears me.
 
Again and again, in the Bible, I read of how God hears and answers my prayers - it’s just my human, wobbly way of thinking. God is sovereign and steadfast.
 
Instead of allowing doubt to affect my prayers, I feel I should keep reminding myself of those verses in Isaiah. God sees the bigger, higher picture. He hears my heart’s cry, and because God is so loving and kind, He takes time and care over answering my prayers. How amazing that our awesome, creator God is mindful of me.
 
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? (Psalm 8:3-4 NIV)
 
Instead of allowing doubt to affect my prayers, I feel I should open my eyes to see how God can answer prayer in different and unexpected ways. Recently, I had prayed for something over a few weeks and a short conversation opened my eyes to the wonderful way God had answered that prayer.
 
Knowing that God will answer, and often in a completely different way to what I had expected, is what should motivate my prayers. Knowing that God is marvellous and is always at work and understanding that, actually, it might not be about me! God is always near, always working His purposes out, and because God weaves all things together it might be, that as He works on my heart, He is working on something else at the same time.
 
Therefore, when God seems silent, my part is not to over-think but simply know I am in His Hands.


The picture above is courtesy of pixabay.com.


 

ruth starkings 150CFRuth Lilley has recently returned to teaching at an infant school in Norwich. She also enjoys writing, and writes a regular blog called ‘With Every Sun Comes A New Day.’

 
 
 

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