As I’ve been meeting with my mentor each week over the past few months, we have talked about prayer a ton. And it’s been a hard topic of conversation. Prayer is not something I feel like I’m good at or comes naturally to me at all. So I feel like I’ve been on the strugglebus in knowing what to pray for or how to even begin to pray as I prepare for this journey on the World Race.
The last week that my mentor and I were able to meet, prayer got brought up like it typically does. And I was challenged greatly by her words about praying specifically for things in expectation that the Lord will answer them. I think a lot of times when I’ve prayed, I’ve been pretty general in what I’ve prayed for. I think it’s because I never wanted to cross the line between sounding demanding to what I think the Lord should do and being cautious in case God has a different plan than mine and not wanting to be disappointed in the process.
But that’s not the case in what prayer is. Repeatedly in Scripture, it talks about asking God for things and praying with faith. It makes me realize that God can’t give you what you’re asking if it’s just a generality. I guess it showed me my lack of specific prayers came from a fear that God wouldn’t answer me.
So I decided it was time to really leap out in faith and give it another honest shot at praying from my heart. To really get into prayer and be honest with God, especially since He really already knew what I really was asking for.
[Sidenote. The past month or so, my support has been coming in, but definitely not like the first couple of months. So I was really feeling unsure of what to do next as far as fundraisers and any other steps needed to be taken in raising support.]
Financial support for the World Race has been something heavy on my heart for about the past month. And yes, I would every now and then say a prayer, especially in the discouraging moments when I felt so overwhelmed and on the verge of tears. But for some reason, at the beginning of this week, I felt a prompting to really pray a big prayer for my support. And the number one thousand immediately came to mind. At first, I felt a little guilty or presumptuous with that number. But I decided to pray for it anyways. For a couple of days now, I have been praying specifically that God would bring one thousand more dollars into my World Race account.
Monday I checked my account, only to actually see it had gone down a hundred dollars. God certainly likes to keep me guessing in what He will do, I guess. I kept on praying, though, with faith that God was certainly able to provide that large number by the end of the week.
In the back of my mind, I was trying to think that even if $1,000 wasn’t added to my account by the end of the week, that was okay and I was still going to trust God that His plan was bigger and better than I could comprehend. So I don’t know if that’s my own compromise to human doubt coming to mind, or if it is the Spirit within me helping me to give up the rights to tell God what He should and shouldn’t do.
Anyways. The days of the week continued, with no movement of the increase in support. Then today, I checked my account. And PRAISE THE LORD because a donation was made of EXACTLY $1000. Praise be to God that He not only provides but He provides because HE HEARS MY PRAYERS and He answers me because He loves me.
Just such a cool way that God has revealed Himself and reassured my faith in Him. Such an encouraging lesson for me as I’m still continuing in this prayer journey and still preparing to go on this race. I hope you are encouraged as well that we serve a God who listens to us, hears our prayers, and answers us because He loves us.
