Cause & Effect & Side Effect (1 of 2)

To anyone who tells you prayer is fake and/or ineffective  they are lieing. They have probably never prayed themselves or prayed long enough to see the result. Since (approximately) around October of last year I have diligently and painfully prayed over a situation in my life. At times – being honest and transparent – I didn’t want to. I wanted so badly not to care, but God wouldn’t let me not care. Something inside me fought harder than what my emotions wanted to fight. My emotions had had quite enough and wanted to just quit praying. “What good was it doing?” I would ask myself. “I don’t see any changes.” Some days I would talk to myself  more than anyone else – I’m sure people driving down the road had good laughs! I just couldn’t disobey God – and His instruction to “… pray for one another.” (James 5:16). I also couldn’t ignore that next part of this verse, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power while it’s working.” I know “faith” means walking in the belief that God is working – and that we don’t always “see” what God is working on. Like a baby = 9 months of top-secret business shown after 40 weeks of nonstop wonder. We didn’t get to see the process but we saw the finished product! So I kept praying. And praying. And praying. Oh my gosh, I thought I couldn’t take anymore! At one point I did yell at God (which I am sure He just found to be hysterical) telling Him, “YOU SAID IF I JUST KEPT PRAYING AND I BELIEVED YOU WOULD TAKE CARE OF IT!” At my breaking point… it broke – not me.

All of a sudden, the thing I had been praying for did a 180 and life as I had known it was totally different. I can’t explain it and I am not trying to. I give God all the glory for answering my prayers! It might have taken 5 months (and at times 5 months of what felt like agony – like it would be better to just die emotionally then continue in it) but it broke.

We can’t live life based on emotions. When we are hurt and want to lash out it’s really not the right thing to do. When we want to quit and give up it’s really not the right thing to do. Battling your heart and your head is a constant state of being human. Being able to overcome that is a constant state of walking in God’s word. Doing what is right even when you don’t want to means you are growing. Doing what you want whether it’s right or not means you are being nothing but selfish.

CAUSE: praying for something consistently for extended amount of time

EFFECT: the circumstances changed

SIDE EFFECT: next blog