When is the Right Time to Pray?

When does God say to pray?

God says to pray when we are TROUBLED: Psalms 34:17 - "[The righteous] cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles."

God says to pray when we are in NEED OF WISDOM: James 1:5 - "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

God says to pray when we are HAPPY: Psalms 37:4 - "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

God says to pray when we are BURDENED: Psalms 55:22 - "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."

God says to pray when we are ANGRY: Ecclesiastes 7:9 - "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools."

God says to pray WHEN OTHERS NEED PRAYER: James 5:16 - "Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

God says to pray in time of LOSS: Matthew 5:4 - "Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."

God says to pray ALWAYS: 1 Thessalonians 5:17 - "Pray without ceasing."

There are so many instances in the Bible that God tells us to pray. He tells us to pray through the good times and the bad times, and every time in-between. I think that a lot of Christians, including myself have become so accustomed to only praying when it is convenient or if we need something from God, that we don't consider that we need to be praying the rest of the times too. I've found that God answers prayers when I'm faithfully praying everyday for something. If you were to have a baby, would you only take care of it when it was hungry or needed a diaper change? Of course not. You would take care of it always. Prayer needs to be taken care of in the same way. Prayers are answered when they are honored and attended to. Show God you are faithful to your prayer, and God will give you an answer. 

Praying For The Wrong Things.

James 4:3- "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."

So many times in my life, I find myself praying for the wrong things. Things that I know are against God, but yet, I still pray for them out of my own stupidity. No joke, I prayed for the longest time that God would let me marry a famous boy band member. I mean, how crazy I must have been! This specific guy has no relationship with God, he drinks, smokes, curses, and parties. I have no idea why I would want a guy like that in my life, but I thought that he might change if I pray hard enough. Though, the truth is, this boy has to decide to let God change him, and its God's choice whether He wanted me to be with this celebrity or not. 

Praying for the right things is a key determiner in staying on God's path. When we pray for the wrong things, we are asking God to do evil. God is not of evil; He is only goodness, and He is looking out for us. He wants us to be happy, which is why He doesn't let us choose our path for our lives. I mean, just imagine if God would've answered my prayer to be with a boy band member; there is no possible way that I could have kept a good relationship with God while dating someone in so much sin. God knows what is best for us, and He will provide us with whatever that is, but on His time and way. 

Instead of asking God for what we want, we should be praying that God would do what He wants in our life. We have no possible way of knowing what God has in store for us, so maybe it's best to throw our arms up and admit that we have no idea what to pray for. It is better to not pray for specific things, than to pray for the wrong things. God will take care of everything, afterall, He already knows what our future looks like 20 years from now. With God in control of our future, we have nothing to fear, so let Him work; a bright future is ahead.

To My Future Self, A Mother.

Genesis 1:28 - "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth."

Psalms 127:3 - "Lo, children [are] an heritage of the LORD: [and] the fruit of the womb [is his] reward."

For me, having children is something that I've dreamed about since I was little. From the time I could sit up, I always had a baby doll with me. As I got older, I began to realize more and more how much work children actually are, and I almost decided against having children altogether because of it. Though, God says that children are a blessing to us, and when I rededicated my life to God, I saw this. Children aren't something that should be expected, but they are a gift from God that should be cherished. 

Recently, I started watching a family on YouTube, and they have really been a true blessing in my life. Their name on YouTube is Sam and Nia, and they have two children. They're devote Christians, and they raise their children to love God. Each morning, they set aside time to read their Bibles together, and discuss what they have read. These types of things is what the children is going to remember when they are older; their parents doing everything in their power to teach them the things of God. It's what is going to keep them serving God, and continuing those traditions with their own children. When watching them, I can really see the love between them, and this comes from their efforts to lead their family in the right path. 

Sam and Nia have done a very well job in teaching their children the love of God from what I can see. They are some of the most well-behaved children that I've seen, and they withhold the love that only God can give. Recently, Nia had a miscarriage, and their oldest child was so empathetic toward Nia, and she is only five. She was so genuinely caring toward her mother, and she wanted to comfort her. Care like that only comes from God, and I pray that if God blesses me with children one day, I can be a Godly example for them.

Up until the point I started watching Sam and Nia, I honestly wasn't crazy about the thought of marrying someone that was fully devoted to God. I thought that marrying someone that was a fully dedicated Christian would take some of the fun out of life. Living for God can be hard. It takes a lot of time and efforts to do right, and I was afraid of what I would have to endure by having a Godly husband. I was completely wrong with this thought. God is the one that will give us a happy life, plus happy ending. Living for God will bring many blessings, and will it will lead to a Godly family. Parents must have God inside of them, in order to be a Godly example for their children. I want to find a husband that loves God, even more than he loves me, and will help lead our family with righteousness. 

Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

God said to raise a child in a Godly manner, so that they will never depart from God's word. I am so blessed to have had Godly parents that always kept me on the right path. They taught me the things of God, so that when I got older, I could make the right decisions on my own. Today, I am so happy with where I am with my relationship with God, and I have to thank my parents for that. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't even have heard about God, and I certainly wouldn't be living for Him. If God blesses me with the opportunity of starting a family, I pray that I can look down the line to see my children living for God as adults. 

If you're like me, unmarried without children, I pray that you will find a great, Christian spouse who will be all they can be for God, in hopes that you have a Godly family one day. Personally, I can't wait until I meet the man that God has for me, and I get to begin that journey of my life with him. Someone that I can always count on being beside of me, and standing up for the things of God. A man that will raise our children to be respectable and honorable in God's eyes. I also pray that I can be the mother that God set me out to be. I hope to be a Godly example for my sons and daughters to grow up seeing. 

Hannah's Prayer

In the book of 1 Samuel, the story of Hannah is told in the first two chapters. Hannah was barren, not carrying children, but she wanted a child terribly bad. One day, when Hannah was very upset and down about not having children, she cried out to God. She asked Him to give her a child. Along with her cries, she promised God that she would dedicate the child's life to God, and the child's life would always be in honor and praise of God and the work He did in Hannah's life. After being with her husband, Hannah's prayer was answered, and God gave her a child, Samuel. Hannah rejoiced and was merry because she had trusted God, and He answered her prayer because of her faith.

If we will leave our burdens with God, we can find peace within Him. Hannah had a burden, she told it to God, and in turn, He answered her cries. God is the answer to all prayer. There is not a prayer, too small or too big, that God cannot handle. Hand your burdens to God, let Him take care of them. Prayer is not for the weak, it's for the strong. Faith in God takes strength. Faith takes patience, trust, and believing that God will work in your life. Find the strength to hand your burdens over to God. Let Him take care of your worries, and He will do wondrous things.

Long Awaited Prayer

Praying for people can get really hard when you see no change in them. It can be very discouraging to see the person stay in the sin that they have always been in, or even get worse.

I have been praying for the same person for almost a year now. He is going down a really bad path at the time, and it seems to only get worse with time. I've been praying that God would open his mind and heart up, so that he can see that he needs to be saved. I have complete faith in God that He can save my friend, and I do believe that my friend will eventually see that he needs to be saved by God's grace, and I hope and pray that he will ask for forgiveness if God allows that to happen. Although I have faith that God will save him, I still get so worried and discouraged sometimes. My mind wanders to thoughts about what if he never asks God for forgiveness? What if my prayers for him has been useless? This leads me to the point of even doubting God. How could God, after a year of praying for my friend, not do anything to change his life? How could God hear me crying out to Him, and not reach out to my friend? This is when the true test of faith of patience comes in. At a church I used to go to, there was this man that said that he prayed the same prayer for twenty years before it came true. It wasn't that God wasn't listening, and it wasn't that he was punishing the man for something, it was simply that God was waiting for the right time to answer this man's prayer. The faith and patience that the man had even helped his testimony in God. Someone that is able to have that much faith in God, will receive blessings from God. God wants us to show our faith in Him. He wants us to trust Him to do what He says he will do. God states in the Bible, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." God doesn't want us to lose faith in Him, but instead, gain more faith through praying and praying continuously. God will see the pure desire in your heart, and He will answer your prayer. 

Therefore, I must have faith that God will help my friend. The desire in my heart to see my friend saved is too great to lose faith in. I believe that God will answer my prayer and He will answer yours if you will just ask Him.