Believing God

And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matthew 21:22

I believe in Jesus Christ.  In February of 1974, I heard the amazing story of God’s love for me and I surrendered my life to Him.  In the 38 years since that day, I have called myself a Believer.  So why, after all these years of walking with Jesus, in and out of trials and triumphs, is it so difficult to really believe Him for the daily battles?  Hurt feelings, unmet goals, disappointments, bills, loneliness, and a million other things we secretly stuff inside.

Yes, I am a believer, but what does that really mean?  Believe what?  If a father tells his young child not to touch the pan on the stove because it us hot and will burn him, the child can either believe his daddy, and walk away from it, or he can reach out and touch it.  In both instances, the child will end up believing the truth about the hot burner.  Of course, God prefers we learn by just trusting that what He says is true.  He is a loving Father, and wants us to obey His Word and thereby avoid the pain.  But most of the time, we have to learn to trust Him the hard way...by getting burned.

God wants to teach us how to live our lives’ daily battles by believing He will do what He says He will do.  It is a matter of trust.  Will our lives be trouble free?  No.  But if we truly believe, and we are abiding in the Vine, drawing our strength, wisdom and guidance from Jesus and His Word, we can ask anything and He will do it. (John 15:7)  That means when we pray, we don’t immediately try and figure out a way to answer our own prayers.  We live our lives in Christ, and as we encounter daily battles, we trust Him to answer our prayers in the best possible way for everyone concerned.