We just walked in the door from soccor practice, the phone is ringing, it's raining again, and low and behold I see a beautiful rainbow in my backyard. I grab my camera and run in the backyard snapping pictures. My son opens the back door and tells whoever is on the phone how mommy is in the backyard in the rain taking pictures of this rainbow. What my son doesn't know is that I prayed for that rainbow.
Does that happen to you? You see evidence of God! I know we see it when we look around this vast universe. You can't ignore the majesty of it. But do you see it in your own backyard, in your life? Is He answering your prayers?
What made me even pray for a rainbow? Well, when I wrote about Somewhere Over the Rainbow last week, I asked God for a picture to go with it. I didn't raise my hands toward heaven shouting a claim over this rainbow and I didn't even bow my head with a gentle plea. I simply said, "I would love to have a rainbow to go along with my blog entry, God." That's all it took. I prayed specifically.
Praying specifically, challenges your faith. You ask yourself, will God answer my prayer? It gives God an opportunity to show you personally who He is. After all, God is personal because He "created my inmost being; knit me together in my mother's womb" (Psalm 139:13 ). He wants more than anything than to reveal Himself to you. In Jeremiah 33:3 it reads, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know". Your prayers have significance because you are significant to God! "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear" (Isaiah 65:24)
However, praying specifically does not mean we tell God what to do. For example, when my husband was looking for a job, I knew what would be great for our family. I prayed specifically for those things but I did not presume to know where this job was or what it should be. When my husband did get his new job, everything I prayed for was met!
Sometimes we don't pray specifically because we don't want to put God on the spot. What if He doesn't answer my prayer? Will others not believe in Him? Let me assure you that God is a big God and can handle His own reputation! When you pray a general prayer, He can't disappoint you. But when you pray specifically you allow Him to show you who He is! What has the bigger impact?
Blessings,
Lisa
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