Resting in Faith

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Hebrews 4:16

How many times have you found yourself begging God in your prayers?

Maybe it’s because you don’t think He’s heard you or maybe it’s because you think that the more you beg, the sooner He’ll answer. Maybe you think He needs to see your desperation or your sincerity before He decides to come through.

My anxieties surrounding my health are often the subject of these types of fear-driven prayers. I pray and utter for His help over and over again. When my back pain flares up, I fear that God has forgotten about all my progress and is allowing me to be set back. “But maybe if I pray harder or longer or say my prayer over and over, He’ll finally take it away for good…”

I recently became aware of how often I approach God from this fear-based heart posture and mentality. Yet, as a child of the Most High, we don’t have to beg and we don’t have to “get His attention.” He hears us the first time and He knows our requests even before we know them! He already has everything under control and knows His plan ahead of time. Instead of a fear-based approach, we can approach Him with faith-based prayers, trusting that He hears us.

While there is nothing wrong with expressing our desperation and emotions before Him, it’s important to uproot the false ideas about God’s character we might have. The underlying root about my view of Him was that I have to get His attention or pray a certain way or amount of times for Him to answer, which is entirely untrue!

Maybe you find yourself praying from a fear-based heart posture because you’ve been disappointed over and over again and it’s hard to have faith. Maybe you’ve lost hope after different things have gone wrong or you haven’t seen your prayers answered. Maybe you’ve stopped praying altogether because you don’t think it even matters.

With God, however, every prayer is heard and valued because ultimately, He wants our hearts to be centered and reliant on Him… even if the answer takes longer or it’s answered in a different way. As long as you are praying, you are cultivating your relationship with God and that’s what He wants.

What does God want from us when we pray?

• He wants us to come confidently to Him.

  “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” - Hebrews 4:16.

• He wants us to “cast” our cares on Him…and not pick them back up!

  “…Casting all your cares on him, because he cares for you” -1 Peter 5:7.

• He wants us to trust that He hears us.

  “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him”- Matthew 6:7-8.

• He wants us to believe in faith.

  “But he must ask in faith, doubting nothing, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind”- James 1:6.

• He wants us to rest in His will and desires.

  “And he said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will’”- Mark 14:36.

• He wants us to be thankful and at peace.

  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” - Philippians 4:6-7.

Take a Moment:

Have you been resting in faith or doubting in fear when you pray?

If you’re like me, maybe you didn’t even realize you were praying from fear instead of faith. With this awareness, consider noticing where you heart-posture is when you bring your requests to God and remind yourself that He has heard you and you can trust Him.

-Alina