Recently my mother has been sick and in talking to my father I asked him how he was doing and was he praying? He voiced his disappointment with God because he didn't feel that He was hearing or answering his prayer. Mainly because my mother is not getting better from what we can see. I make sure I phrase it that way because God is always doing something, but it may be beyond our understanding.
I think we can all remember a time when we have gone to the Lord in prayer, but felt God simply wasn't listening based on what we were asking and what we were seeing. I was quick to encourage my father with the typical "You just have to trust the Lord." I know it is the truth, but not exactly what you want to hear when your heart is crying out for the one you love.
So I went to the Lord and asked "What is the difference between standing in faith and making a prayer request an idol?" When your prayer is an idol you are trying to manipulate God to give you what you are asking for! You are adament with the Lord in both situations and you could also say you are asking in faith. His reply was quite simple.
"When you stand in faith your focus is on Me (God). When you make your request an idol your focus is on your request and receiving what you have asked for."
In the first stance in prayer you really are trusting God that He knows best. In the latter stance you simply want what you want in a sense saying "I know what is best for my life or the life of another." Interesting enough God will answer both prayers, but the results can be quite different. If you go with trusting God, His ways are always best even if we don't think so. When we receive our way we often suffer things that we never anticipated and it usually isn't good.
Believe me I want my mother to be healed and I am standing in faith believing for God's best. I have come to realize that Jesus really does want what is best for me and for my mother. I have given up trying to understand why some people are healed and others are not. I have chosen to focus on the love my Heavenly Father has for me and that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purposes. That is the voice of destiny for my life and for yours.
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