Half-Hearted Prayers

HALF-HEARTED PRAYERS

By: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly

“So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him...Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!” “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.” - Acts‬ ‭12:5, 13-16‬ ‭MSG

This passage pokes at one of my weaknesses.  How about you?  We pray and hope, but when the Lord answers we are shocked, even when we see it with our eyes.  It is a strange place that we find ourselves—with enough faith to pray, but not enough faith to believe God will answer.

After the woman who was healed of the issue of blood reached out to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, Jesus said,

“Daughter, your FAITH has healed you. Go in peace." - Luke 8:48.

I wonder how many times our half-hearted prayers and lack of faith have been stumbling blocks to what God intended to do.  How can we believe Him for miraculous answers when we stumble over the mundane ones?

“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” - Mark 9:24.

Lord, blow on the embers of our faith.  You are sovereign and know what is best.  So we ask for the mind of Christ to pray according to Your will.  Then exchange our timid, half-hearted, prayers for ones that are full of faith and trusting in Your goodness and power.  May our faith be met with Your glorious answer.

Lord, You call us to pray, because You intend to answer.  Help us to not only answer the door at Your first knock, but even now be looking out the window in hopeful expectation. Increase our faith to ask, believe and receive.  And may none of the blessings You intend to give, be left on the table due to half-hearted prayers! In Jesus’ Name!  ❤️

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