Patient Prayer/Day 1

Sometimes it just takes time. God has the full capability to answer our prayers right away, but sometimes it just takes time. A belief that I have had for a while now is that our prayers aren't answered right away because there must be something else that God has to teach us. 

I am going to be honest - I simply don't pray enough. I don't have a good excuse. When I do pray - I am often impatient and inconsistent. If God doesn't answer my prayer I start praying for something else...or I just don't keep praying for the same thing over and over again. 

There is a story that I just read in Daniel this morning - where Daniel fasted and prayed for 3 weeks. He had no food or drink, and didn't even put lotion on his body. On the third week he had a vision and his prayer was answered. 

Three weeks is a long time to pray and fast. Imagine how amazing our prayer life would be if we were able to be as consistent as Daniel. It's really motivating to me and I am going to commit to it. I hope you can as well.

Too often, answers to our prayers may be hindered by unseen obstacles. We can't expect God's answers to come too easily or too quickly. Prayer may be challenged by evil forces, so we must pray fervently and pray earnestly.

Then expect God to answer at the right time.

I am really big into building strong and disciplined habits. If I were to write out a prayer at the end of each post for the next 21 days would you be willing to follow along with me? 

Day 1: Dear heavenly Father. Thank you so much for another day where we could wake up, and honor you in all that we say and do. I am so thankful for the word of God and all the stories and lessons that are in there for us to learn about. Thank you for Daniel. He has been one of my favorite characters to read about in the bible because of his commitment to you and his discipline. Thank you for the story this morning in Daniel chapter 10 about how Daniel fasted for three weeks and then you answered his prayer. I know I am not good at praying consistently. I pray that by praying like this at the end of these posts, I start to become more consistent in my prayer life. I also pray for anyone else who feels the same way. Please change our hearts. Thank you for loving us unconditionally and I pray that you continue to fill all of our desires on a daily basis.