Some of us have been praying for something for a long time. Many of us can feel frustrated or abandoned as if God is ignoring us and our pleas. Even if your petition seems pure and unselfish, you may be thinking, “Why isn’t He answering me? Is He even listening?”
Prayer Is A Process
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
It is easy for us to fall into human thinking when it comes to God. Even the disciples needed to be reminded about the mystery of faith and the depth of humility and trust one needs to know, love and serve God. Jesus schooled Peter when he rebuked Jesus about His upcoming passion. Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:23, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
Let’s remember to love ourselves and be patient and kind in our journey. God has the best plans ahead, we just need to take each day as it comes. Make sure to be prayerful and talk to God and listen for His promptings throughout your day. He may not want to heal you yet because you might still be holding onto that sin in some way. It could also be for those who will witness your life and how you deal with the trials you face with faith, peace, and love.
Be Patient
“But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years* and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:8-9).
Love is patient and kind. We know how patient God is with us as we struggle to do and say the right things. We know how loving He is giving us the Sacrament of Reconciliation to repair our broken relationship with Him. He is so patient with us. Now we must return that favor and humbly ask God into our hearts to do what He wants, not what we want. Maybe we have much more to learn with our trial, so it isn’t going to go away until we get out of our way and allow God the freedom to do what is best and help us prune and kill the bad parts of our lives. This way we can grow even more fruitful.
Remember that God’s timing is perfect and His plans for your future is for prosperity and hope, not of despair. I try my best to remember that God is in control and allows things to happen, good and bad, to sanctify us here on earth. I also try to remember that He is omnipresent and always here, He controls everything and that I am just one tiny piece of the world He rules.
At the beginning of my journey, I prayed for my husband to come back to the Catholic Church. I prayed it all the time. For some reason, I stopped praying that prayer because I figured, “God knows what I want before I ask for it, so I don’t have to pray for this anymore.” I have since corrected this ridiculous thought and reincorporated praying for Him and many others for their conversion.
Every one of our relationships needs to be nurtured with conversation and good healthy dialogue. The same goes for our relationship with God. Most prayers of conversion are long and arduous, but the more we pray and believe it, we can hold onto the hope that God will take care of our loved ones. You are not alone in your petition to God for your family and friends to know God and participate in His Church. So many of us have this prayer, do not give up.
Be Persistent
“With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones and also for me, that speech may be given me to open my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains, so that I may have the courage to speak as I must.” Ephesians 6:18-20
I kept that last verse as part of this bible reference because I believe many of us need courage to speak the truth with love nowadays. Perhaps you are praying for detachment and vanity, caring too much about what people think of you, so you can speak your mind about what is going on in the world today. If you are afraid of being labeled, remember that you should live for The Audience of One – Jesus Christ. I don’t want to look Jesus in the eyes and say I didn’t speak the truth because I didn’t want to be called a name like a bigot, transphobe, right-wing supremacist, Christian Nationalist, etc. And don’t forget to be joyful when people come down on you and your beliefs. It takes time to be truly detached but the more you speak up, the easier it gets. One day you will be grateful for having courage and encouraging others to speak God’s ways and the truth about what is going on in the world today.
We should be persistent but also add some sacrifice and fasting to make our prayers even more meritorious. We should be talking to God every moment of every day. We should be seeing Him when we cook, feel Him in the breeze, thank Him for all creation and persist in praying for our own sanctification and for the conversion of our loved ones.
When you make a sacrifice and unite it to Jesus on the Holy Cross, pray as Our Lady of Fatima says, “Father, I unite this sacrifice for the love of God, the reparation of sinners and all who are indifferent to Our Beloved Mother.” As you may have read in my past two articles, I have had an amazing change of heart toward Mary and her unique role in my life and the Church.
It is as simple as the three P’s – Process, Patience, Persistence – because we don’t know God’s ways or timing, but we exercise our patience and persist with confidence! May God give you the strength to endure, humility to ask, and courage to speak. Previous Articles: 10 Ways to Reverently Pray The Rosary and Are You A False Devotee to Mary
