A beautiful day to sit with a beautiful Savior! Thank You, Father, for all Your many blessings!
Acts 5:12-16 (<<click here to read the passage)
Faith is a very simple thing. We tend to make it complicated. Part of our problem is the fact that there are many situations where we need something so very desperately, that we pour ourselves into great times of concerted prayer. We get everybody we know to pray with us and are eager to have any church that has a Prayer Chain or List to note our need, as well.
Verse 15 of today’s passage gives an example of desperation that we can at least relate to.
As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by.
Many of us would do just about anything for our pleas to be answered. In faith believing, we pray that God, in His grace and mercy, will answer our prayers. And I will say that He most definitely does answer, each and every time we pray. Oft times, He answers with the answer we want but where we struggle is that then there are times, He answers with what is best…even though we may not understand.
I am grateful that in most circumstances knowing that God might not answer in the way we desire, doesn’t deter us from pleading our case. For our God is merciful. He is full of compassion. He hears our prayers. He feels our pain and we know without any shadow of doubt that He understands.
So, with all that being said, I would encourage all of us – myself included – to do as the Apostle Paul admonishes us,
Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 AMP
Know with the utmost of certainty, that God hears our prayers and in that alone we can find great comfort. And that gives us great reason to rejoice and take delight in our faith. Know with confidence as well that He will answer with the best answer. And regardless of how our prayers are answered may we continually be grateful for His love, knowing that it is unfathomable. For it will carry us through beyond that point where we stand before Him face to face. We are most surely blessed!
Feb 8th, 2022, Tues, 1:05 pm