Look for Answers not "Coincidences"!

             Prayer is a powerful comfort in times of stress.  Often, even those who don’t express a belief in God will still covet prayer in their times of need.  For those who do have faith, prayer is, or at least should be, our first line of peace, strength, and encouragement when we face the troubles that this world constantly throws at us. 

            Why is prayer so powerful and so comforting?  Perhaps, it is because we are communing with the only One in the entire universe who can change the situation that we face.  Only God can work miracles or change our circumstances.  That knowledge can uplift and sustain us in the most difficult of times.

            Why then do we so often talk about “coincidences” when our prayers are answered?  You know what I’m talking about.  We pray for the cancer to be removed and when the doctors operate and find no cancer, our response too often is “The doctors must have made a mistake” or “The tests must have been wrong”.  NO!  The doctor was right; the tests were right!  God did what only God can do!

            If these thoughts bring to mind your own “coincidence” answers, you are not alone.  We’ve probably all walked into that Satan-trap a few times, and we are not alone.  In Judges 6, Gideon, one of the Judges of Israel, was called by God to deliver Israel from the Midianites.  Gideon’s faith was small so he asked God to give him a sign:  He proposed that he would put down a fleece on the lawn and if God put dew only on the fleece and kept the ground dry, he would know that God was with him.  God did exactly that, but Gideon still doubted.  Did he think it was just a “coincidence” that only the fleece got wet?  I seriously doubt it!  For whatever reason, he asked God for another sign and only when God responded did he finally trust God with the battle plans (Judges 6: 36 – 40).

            In Acts 12, the early Christians had a similar problem.  The apostle, Peter, had been put in jail, so the believers were gathered, praying for his release.  When the angel of the Lord freed him and he showed up at their door, what was their response to the servant girl who excitedly announced his arrival?  “You’re out of your mind,’ they told her.  When she kept insisting that it was so, they said “It must be his angel.” (Acts 12: 15).  They were praying for deliverance but when God answered, they didn’t believe.

            I think that’s why we often see “coincidence” when we should see God at work.  We simply doubt that He can do what we ask.  Prayer and faith must go hand-in-hand!  James sums it up very well: “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind (James 1: 6 NIV84).

            The next time you pray for God to move in your life or the life of another, do not doubt.  Instead, be looking for how God might respond.  It may not always be the answer that you want but never doubt that He will answer.  God always hears and always answers!  Don’t doubt! Believe!

James 1: 6 - 8

I John 5: 14, 15

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hi, I'm the Sun Porch Lady

  Hi, I’m the Sun Porch Lady. I recently retired and while most of the world thinks that is a wonderful thing, I've found it to be anything but wonderful. I've been going to school and/or working since I was six years old so finding myself with nothing, but free time is a whole new experience.   I have no structure, no daily schedule, and seemingly no purpose in my life.   While that may sound like heaven, I believe that Christians never retire.   God just repurposes them. As I struggled to find new purpose and bring some structure back to my life, I turned to writing.   Over the years, I have often written devotional thoughts or put various ideas to paper.   I can’t say that I’ve ever been very good at journaling but from time to time, I have written about events in my life that taught me values or made me more aware of God working in my life.   So, to keep busy and hopefully spark an interest in others I've decided to create this blog. I’m callin...
Read more

Freedom Isn't Free!

             On Christmas night, 1776, George Washington engineered a surprise attack on Britain’s German allies, capturing 1000 Hessian troops.   The story of him and his troops crossing the icy Delaware that night gave hope to a new nation fighting for its life.   Regrettably, the celebration was short-lived.   Just a week later, the enlistments of most of his troops were ending, and it seemed unlikely that they would stay to continue the fight for freedom.   As he faced that prospect, Washington lined up his troops and offered this plea. “My brave fellows, you have done all I asked you to do, and more than can be reasonably expected; but your country is at stake, your wives, your houses and all that you hold dear. You have worn yourselves out with fatigues and hardships, but we know not how to spare you. If you will consent to stay one month longer, you will render that service to the cause of liberty, and to your cou...
Read more

My Mom's Legacy

                       As we celebrate “Mothers” this week, I wanted to take this opportunity to remember my Mom and celebrate her legacy.                 It’s hard to know where to start.  After all, she wasn’t famous.  She never went to college.  She never worked outside of the home until after my father retired, and she wasn’t rich.  By the world’s standards, she was pretty ordinary.  So, what makes her special?                 Her legacy starts and ends with family and friends.  She was an extrovert and never saw a stranger.  She would take your arm off if you let her, and she loved being with family and friends.  That was probably one of the few areas of contention between her and my “introvert” father.  He would have...
Read more