Can I Encourage You To Pray?

Can I encourage you to continue praying? I can still remember one really big prayer that I prayed that God answered. Janel and I had really felt called to go into the ministry but we had a significant amount of debt getting in our way, and along with the call, came the realization that we couldn’t do this if we were under this amount of debt. So we waited. I worked a little, tried to get things done in my own steam, even tried correspondence seminary for a while- all the while incurring more debt. I was discouraged- nothing was happening. One day I was hanging out with a good friend and we were just carrying on and all- then the conversation got really serious. He asked me, “weren’t you planning on going to seminary?” Yes, I said but some things got in the way. Really, he said what was that? I explained about the debt, and how we were working to pay it off and all. He wanted to know why that was a problem. I laughed, for me it was a problem. He told me that for him that didn’t seem like much of a problem. More nervous laughter. But then he got serious again, “What about if I pay that debt for you? Then would you go?” Well, to make a great story shorter…. He did, we went and here we are. Since that time I have seen God answer tons more prayers… kids that are dear to me following Jesus, Babies that weren’t supposed to happen and there they are; Couples that weren’t supposed to get along and yet there they are talking, Hardened folks who weren’t supposed to love Jesus- and yet there they are, Folks who weren’t supposed to survive and there they are! Parents who thought they couldn’t possibly respond with wisdom with raising that kid- and yet they did. Ok, to be fair, there have been tons of prayers that haven’t been answered too. But you know, that doesn’t seem to bother me much. Because I know that God is listening. I love the passage in Hebrews 11:6 that reads… “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

That is the ticket. Have faith, Believe that God is listening and that he rewards those who come to him believing that he exists…

Let me encourage you to keep praying.