Confidence in God

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Being a lifelong Catholic, I cannot tell you how much I have learned from other Christians about how to pray, in addition to the prayer habits I have grown up within the Catholic Church.  For my brothers and sisters in Christ, I am so very grateful.

Among the most important ways I have learned to pray, is naming the need.  I have a friend whose daughter has been posting specific prayer requests for her family, in detail.  This not only helps me be able to pray for them specifically, but has also inspired my own prayer life.

Of course, praying in detail must come with the humility to know that I am not telling God what to do. I must understand that every prayer is not going to be answered according to MY way of thinking, or necessarily in a way I can actually see.  

Having confidence God is near and listening, I must also accept that he knows what is best.  Perhaps waiting will be good for me.  Maybe I need a little pruning.  Or--and this is a big one--most likely what I thought I wanted was not what I needed. I typically cannot see this at the time. Sometimes I do not come to this realization until years later, but I must say, God has saved me from myself more than once!

A big benefit to praying in detail is that I can recognize when a prayer has been answered.  It never ceases to amaze me when I discover that God has already responded to a prayer.  Prayer has as much to do with humility as anything, however.

We must have humility before our God.  In a world where we are told that we are the ones in charge, coming to a place of humility can be a little challenging. The idea of leaving our decisions, indeed our life, to someone else, can be frightening.

But this is not just "someone else."  God created us.  We didn't self-create.  From our very conception, we are called by God, in love, to share in his work.  This is a big deal and not to be taken lightly, or dismissed as fiction.

Whatever you think you need, wait on God, and he will provide, eventually.  Sometimes he's faster than other times!

Thank you for the recent comments in response to my rosary post; I thank God it has been helpful.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.com

#prayerneeds
#humble
#prayerchallenges

 

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