Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Matthew 6:8 NIV

There is nothing more confidence-boosting than when God answers our prayers. We can’t help ourselves: shamelessly shouting His praises like a middle-aged football dad, enthusiastically spreading His goodness like a kid with a jar of Nutella. We asked for something, He pulled through, and we’re happy campers! Knowing He truly hears us when we speak fills our hearts with excitement, relief, and gratitude.

Yet, we don’t feel that same confidence when God seemingly sends our call to voicemail. We start to wonder, God, do You hear me at all? Are You even good? Why are You not intervening in the way You should?

It’s easy to trust God when His answer is “yes.” But when His answer is “no,” or if there is silence, our faith starts to shake. During this time of uncertainty is when the enemy loves to strike: “See? God doesn’t hear you. He doesn’t love you. Quit praying, it doesn’t work anyway!”

However, Scripture tells us that prayer is something we should do without ceasing. God doesn’t just welcome our prayers of gratitude and praise, He welcomes our prayers of confusion and anguish. We see King David do this throughout the book of Psalms—in one breath he praised God by dancing in the streets, in the next breath he cried out to God in despair while hiding in a cave.

Matthew 6 tells us that our Father knows what we need even before we ask Him. As much of a bummer as it feels to have a prayer go unanswered, God is always up to something. He is either protecting us, teaching us, or guiding us in a way that aligns with His perfect will. How easily we forget Whom we’re talking to: the God of the universe, the God who holds the future, the God who loves us so much He sent His only Son!

Hold tight in prayer today, no matter how He answers. Your precious heavenly Father knows exactly what you need. Be confident today knowing that He not only hears you, but He is holding your broken heart in the palm of His hand! God, I will not stop praying. 

God, I will not stop praying.  I trust You hear me, and I trust Your answers no matter what. Amen.

 

This is an excerpt from A Confidence That Changes Everything: Devotions to Shine Bright in This Topsy-Turvy Life, the new book by Hannah Crews!