A Prayer God Will Always Say Yes To (third in a series of ten)

I’ve been talking about prayers God will answer all the time, because they are things He’s said He desires to give to us, and desires to do for us. If we search for Him with the earnest desire to find Him, God will make sure we do. If we want to be His instrument of love and mercy, and to help someone, God will show us who to help.

And if you and I are feeling afraid, then we can ask the Lord for courage, because it’s something He very much desires for us to have. Over thirty times in scripture, God says to have courage, to take courage, to be strong and courageous.

When you say to God, “Please give me courage,” you’ll find that one of the first things God will likely do is give you the nudge you need to start moving, to apply what He’s given you to do in His word, and through prayer, to follow the wisdom He’s shared with you.

Often times fear gets us to stop moving, and once you and I are standing still it’s pretty hard to get going again, we convince ourselves it’s too hard, it’s too scary, it won’t work, it’ll turn out bad. That’s physical, or emotional, or spiritual inertia. But the wonderful thing about God’s little nudge, is that once you and I get moving, even if it’s the tiniest little step, the next step is a little easier, and the next one a little more easy. That’s momentum!

And that’s just the start. Once God gives you courage, it doesn’t just end there. Your courage can grow every time you face what you fear, trust God, and do what’s rght, according to His word. Like all virtues, courage is a muscle that increases in strength every time you exercise it.

It takes time to overcome fear, There are bound to be setbacks, bound to be disappointments and so on. But every time you are willing to pray for courage, and use what God gives you, you will discover a bonus gift – perseverance. The apostle Paul said that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. That’s because when we’re weak, we’re in a perfect position to receive abundant grace from God.

So if you’re feeling very afraid about something this morning, you are in a wonderful place to discover just how much God has for you, if you ask Him with the determination to put into practice what He gives you.


**********************************************************************

These thoughts on prayer are taken from the Catholic author Anthony DeStefano's delightful book, "Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To: Divine Answers To Life's Most Difficult Problems."

If this post got you to thinking, please leave a comment and join the conversation