Do you want what you want when you want it...
Do you pray and expect a reply,
And when it's not instantly answered
Do you feel that God passed you by?

Well, prayers that are prayed in this manner
Are really not prayers at all,
For you can't go to God in a hurry
And expect Him to answer your call...

For prayers are not meant for obtaining
What we selfishly wish to acquire.
For God in His wisdom refuses
The things that we wrongly desire...

And don't pray for freedom from trouble
Or ask that trials pass you by.
Instead, pray for strength and for courage
To meet life's "dark hours" and not cry
That God was not there when you called Him
And He turned a deaf ear to your prayer
And just when you needed Him most of all
He left you alone in despair...

Wake up! You are missing completely
The reason and purpose of prayer,
Which is really to keep us contented
That God holds us safely in His care...
And God only answers our pleadings
When He knows that our wants fill a need
And whenever "Our Will" becomes "His Will"
There is no prayer that god does not heed!

By Helen Steiner Rice

 

Dear Lord, teach me to trust you knowing that You will take care of me to the end of my days. Even when life seems to be closing in on me, I shall not despair. For You have promised that You will make a way where there seems to be no way.

Tim