HH, Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div
Day 11 – Prayer and the Process
“How do I know God is going to say yes to my prayers?” This is a common question many people have as they seek to have a confident prayer life. However it’s important to recognize that prayer is not just about the answer, but it’s also about glorifying God in the process of waiting for the answer. It is our responsibility to check our motives and believe God hears us; it is through the process of prayer that God prepares us for the answer He brings.
We see an example of the process of prayer in the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 18. Elijah climbed to the top of the mountain to pray for rain to come. As he waited for the rain, he continued to pray, believing God would answer. When he finally saw a small cloud, he told Ahab to “get ready” because the rain was coming. Elijah knew what to pray for, and God heard him the first time he prayed, but there was a preparation that needed to take place in order to receive the answer to his prayer.
It is no mistake that God waited until Elijah had prayed seven times before He answered. (You are asked to pray for 21 days and see how God works) In the Bible, seven is the number of completion. In this account, seven represents the completion of God’s process in that time of prayer. God does not want merely to answer our prayers; He wants to spend time with us to prepare us for the answer that will come. Many times we want to skip over the process involved in engaging God in prayer as we wait for our answer. But it is this very process that works maturity in us and prepares us for the answers our prayers bring.
(James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.)
I Kings 18:43-44 “And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stop thee not.”
What prayers in your life are still awaiting an answer? Throughout the remainder of the fast, thank God for His process at work in your life and trust Him. You have to trust Him and in patience wait for Him to answer your every need.
