A cry of recognition and of love
Within each of us there is a singular and solitary place for God. It is the soul, a sanctuary where a covenant relationship exists between one’s self and God. It is a place for reflection and conversation, joy and sorrow, honesty and trust. It is where prayer is made and prayer is answered.
In teaching us how to pray, Jesus tells us that “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” God knows what you truly need rather than what you think you need. And that is why we often believe that our prayers go unanswered. We pray and pray, fervently asking God to help us, give us, cure us, free us, save us. When our pleas go unanswered we shake our heads in frustration and blame Him for our misery, for our failures.
But, did God ignore our prayer or did we ignore his response? God knows what you need, even when you don’t. It is our failure to understand the purpose and power of prayer that gets in the way. It is our misconception of our relationship with God that turns our prayer inside out. God is our creator and it is He who is in control. We owe our existence to the One who made us; He owes us nothing, we owe Him everything. Our prayers to God should not be pleas of supplication but rather “a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”
God always responds but He responds to us in His own time and His own way. As long as we look toward Him for the answers that we expect when we expect them, we will miss the response that He will provide. Praise God and He will reward you with the gifts of His grace and love.
