WHEN
WE DOUBT, GOD STILL HEARS AND ANSWERS
I
was sitting in my living room early in the morning, and I heard flapping in my
chimney. I knew a bird was caught, and I prayed it would somehow get out. When
I was praying, I listened as the Holy Spirit told me to put some bread in the
fireplace so the bird would come down and be free.
My
actions showed that I had some doubt about God answering my prayer. I went off
to work and automatically left the door open so Snowy, our cat, could get into
the living room. When I got home, sure enough, God had answered my prayer, and
the pigeon was sitting on the mantel. It was bedraggled and shivering as Snowy
prowled around below it. I picked Snowy up and put him in the bedroom. Then I
gently clutched the frightened bird and took him outside where he flew away to
freedom.
The
next day I was at a garage sale and found a painting of a pigeon. I hung it up
on my bedroom wall to remind me that God always answers my prayers.
There’s
a story in Acts 12:1-17 similar to mine, where people were praying but still
doubting at the same time. Their actions showed they didn’t expect God to
really answer their prayers. This is their story:
Peter
got thrown into prison, and Christians gathered at Mary’s house to pray. The
Bible doesn’t tell us what they were praying about, but we can pretty much
assume they were praying for Peter’s release. God answered their prayer
miraculously by sending an angel to lead him out.
Peter
showed up at Mary’s house where they were praying, and Rhoda answered the door.
She saw him and was so excited she ran in to tell the others and forgot to let
Peter in. She told them Peter was there in the flesh, but they said she was
crazy and decided it must be an angel. They believed in angels, but they failed
to really trust God was answering their prayer for Peter to get out of prison.
Peter
kept pounding on the door, and finally, they came to the door. They were astonished
and must have all been talking at once because Peter had to quiet them down to
tell the story of his escape.
Even
though I prayed, I didn’t really believe God would save the pigeon, and those
people didn’t really believe God would save Peter. My experience with the
pigeon was a turning point for me. It showed me that God ALWAYS answers my
prayers. He doesn’t always do it in the manner I expect or even in the time
frame I would like, but He does always answer. And many times, God answer is
right in front of us, but we do not see it. But we can pray that God opens our
eyes spiritually so we can be aware of His answers when they arrive.
We
can trust that He will answer our prayers every time. Jesus always tells the
truth: “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive
them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24). Notice He said, “when” you pray. At
the very time of praying, we need to tell ourselves that we believe God’s going
to answer.
And
as a fallback, there’s a beautiful verse in Mark 9:24: “And straightway the
father of the child cried out, and said with tears, ‘Lord I believe; help thou
mine unbelief.’” Jesus healed the child, even though the child’s father knew in
his heart that he had some doubt. We recognize our lack of belief, but that
should never stop us from praying.
Love,
Carolyn
QUESTIONS
AND EASY CHALLENGES
1.
Have you ever experienced doubt when praying for something or someone? Cite an
incident or two. Why do you think you had a doubt?
2.
Has God answered any of your prayers even when you were still doubting?
Describe an incident when this happened.
3.
Read Acts 12:1-17. How many people does it look like really believed Peter
would get out of prison?
4.
Take a look at Mark 9:14-27. What are some of the things the father may have
been thinking in this situation? Have you ever prayed the way he did in Mark
9:24? Describe the incident. Are there any things or situations right now that
you might think about praying for in this way?
FREE DOWNLOAD: PART 2 OF
WINGS: A JOURNEY IN FAITH
WINGS: A Journey in Faith from the Earthly to
the Heavenly is a compilation of stories—thoughts, musing, insights,
revelations and guidance gathered from my experiences living as a Christian in
Las Vegas.
The truths I find are not unique to Las Vegas; they’re just magnified here. We live in the middle of a desert. Survival here, whether in Red Rock Canyon or the casinos, is dependent upon preparedness, insight and wisdom. Learn quickly or die. Soar high or get crushed under foot.
I’ve put together this book to use as a workbook. There are 52 chapters, one for each week of the year, and separate chapters for special holidays. This section is PART 2 and contains chapters 10-23:
10. PAY ATTENTION!
11. SPEAKING FAITH INTO EXISTENCE
12. HISTORY IN THE HEAVENS
13. THE MISSING MANUAL
14. PRAYING AND SINGING IN TONGUES
15. POWER-PACKED BLESSINGS
16. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
17. PREACH YOURSELF HAPPY
18. PAYMENT FOR SIN
19. CALLING THE DOG
20. THE ADVENTURE OF PLANTING SEEDS
21. FIXING EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS
22. NIT-PICKING
23. THE QUEEN OF SHEBA HAS ARRIVED
The truths I find are not unique to Las Vegas; they’re just magnified here. We live in the middle of a desert. Survival here, whether in Red Rock Canyon or the casinos, is dependent upon preparedness, insight and wisdom. Learn quickly or die. Soar high or get crushed under foot.
I’ve put together this book to use as a workbook. There are 52 chapters, one for each week of the year, and separate chapters for special holidays. This section is PART 2 and contains chapters 10-23:
10. PAY ATTENTION!
11. SPEAKING FAITH INTO EXISTENCE
12. HISTORY IN THE HEAVENS
13. THE MISSING MANUAL
14. PRAYING AND SINGING IN TONGUES
15. POWER-PACKED BLESSINGS
16. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
17. PREACH YOURSELF HAPPY
18. PAYMENT FOR SIN
19. CALLING THE DOG
20. THE ADVENTURE OF PLANTING SEEDS
21. FIXING EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS
22. NIT-PICKING
23. THE QUEEN OF SHEBA HAS ARRIVED
If
you can’t get it on Amazon, let me know, and
I’ll send a pdf or word doc to your email. cjmolica@hotmail.com
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