God Answers Prayers

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7 (NIV)

One thing about God, He is so faithful and beyond gracious. Even when we do not deserve it and continuously fall short, He still shows up and opens the door. God loves His children and wants nothing more than to see us content and blessed with the life that He has given us here on this Earth. You may be going through hell right now and wondering, “Well, why is God allowing this to happen?” What you do not realize is that the storm that you are facing was never designed to take you out but to strengthen you, equip you with knowledge and wisdom, reveal areas that you need to work on within yourself, the amazing qualities that you possess, and even to prove the enemy wrong. Do you remember the trial that Job went through?

“One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”
Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” Job 1:6-12 (NIV)

Job was a righteous man. “He was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil,” (Job 1:1). Of course he was not perfect but he lived life in obedience to God, honoring Him in all that He did. Just like you and I. And yet, he was tested. Through it all, Job kept his faith when others turned their back on him and God. In the end, God blessed him with so much more than he ever lost. That is the kind of God we serve.

Whether the storm that you are facing today is brought on by the enemy or by God, remember that you will make it through just like Job did.

Every year in December, I create a vision board of the things that I would like to see come to pass for the new year. Some of the things were: 1) to get involved in some kind of physical activity and be committed to it; 2) to go on vacation; 3) to develop positive and healthy friendships; and 4) to find a church home where I can be a part of small groups. Can I tell you that today is July 20th, 2022, and God has answered all of these prayers and so much more that was on the board? He has answered in ways that I did not even expect. I went through so much at my job this past school year and if I was to tell you what I went through right now, you will be left speechless. If it was not one thing, it was another. In all the 3 years that I have been there, I have never experienced what I experienced this past school year. I did not deserve what I went through because I know that I am a good person and that I bring so much to the table yet it happened. Believe it or not, there was a blessing in it because it allowed me to develop so much confidence in myself and my capabilities as to what I do as a school psychologist. I learned so much from it that it even scared some to know that I was able to rise above it and still stand strong. I was not expecting the storm, but just like Job, I came out with even more than I ever had prior to it. I prayed for wisdom, knowledge, and confidence in my role at the school and little did I know that I had to go through to come out with it. God kept me and He will do the same for you.

I want you to continue believing for things that you are praying for. The reason why I went a step further and created My Prayer Request Journal was so that you can write down things that you are praying for on one side, and when God does answer, you can write it down on the other side. And don’t forget to date it all! I believe that when you start writing your prayers down, it holds you accountable to not lose sight of what you have yet to see, and it also reveals just how big of a God you serve. One who blesses you in unimaginable ways. God wants to do so much in your life. All He requires is faith and obedience. My answered prayers were because of it. I still fell short of the glory of God daily but what made all the difference was that when I messed up, rather than run away from Him I ran to Him. I sought His forgiveness. I reflected on my mistake and thought about how I could do it differently the next time I am ever faced with the same situation.

“You do not have because you do not ask God,” James 4:2 (NIV). Don’t be afraid to ask God for the things that you desire. And I always say that if God’s answer is “no” to whatever it is that you are praying for, it just means that He has so much better in store for you. Don’t be surprised if some of the things that you are believing God for requires you to go through some things in order to obtain it. Sometimes, with every blessing comes a test so that when the blessing does come, it holds so much value to you that you won’t ever take it for granted.

My prayer for you today is that you continue praying. God hears and He will answer!

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