Becoming One with God
Trust God When We Pray
One reason many believers find it difficult to pray or to ask God for things is the lack of trust. Perhaps we had prayed and did not receive it and took it as a rejection. We either doubt that God could provide for us, or we don’t trust that God cares enough about us and our needs and wants. Distrusting God’s love for us can reveal an inner attitude of low self-esteem or lack of vulnerability.
a. Low self-esteem:
A person with low self-esteem does not see themselves as worthy of receiving any good things. So when their prayers are unanswered, it only confirms their belief that God doesn’t care about them. This can make it hard to be vulnerable to ask for anything again, and even make them feel distant from God. No one likes the feeling of being rejected.
b. Lack of Vulnerability
When you humble yourself and ask someone to do something for you and they did not come through, you’d be cautious to ask again. We want to protect our hearts and not be hurt again.
In my early 40’s I finally met a man I thought would be the right partner. After building a friendship with him for months, he went steady with another woman. I was so angry with God for breaking my heart and for taking my hope away. I could not speak to him for six whole months! Then one day I came to my senses. I counted all my blessings and saw that God had answered 99 of my prayers: friendship, family, career success, a house, peace, joy, etc. I saw how he was always there for me to satisfy my desires. Yet when I didn’t get the one thing I wanted so badly at the time, I felt unloved by God. God opened my eyes to see that the one prayer he did not answer was not a rejection. Rather he simply had a different plan for my life. I repented of my silent accusation of God’s lack of love for me and was able to reconnect with him again.
Vulnerability is a willingness to trust without the guarantee if we will get what we want, when and how we want it. Yet it is essential for building trust. We can learn to be vulnerable with God by getting to know his character and how he works.
1. Get to know God as a loving and compassionate father
The LORD is good to all, he has compassion on all he has made. Psalm 14:9
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9: 9-10
Jesus says that we should be like children to enter the kingdom of God. Some of us had difficult childhoods where our parents were not compassionate and caring. We must remember that our parents do their best to love us but they are still human and imperfect. God is the perfect father and his love is complete. We must learn to trust him for who he is, not based on our experience with human parents or authorities.
2. Get to know how God works
If you want to get a loan at a bank or apply to enter a college, wouldn’t you need to know how the process works and how they make decisions about your application? Similarly, it helps to understand how God works so we can work with him to fulfill our desires.
This is what God says about himself:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” Isaiah 55:8
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
We often ask God for the same thing over and over if he were deaf or if he needed reminders. The truth is, God already knows what we need! In fact, he is two steps ahead of us. He already has a plan for every one of our lives (Psalm 139:16) ! If you plan to move to a new city, he already has an apartment picked out for you. If you want to be married, he already has a partner selected. You just have to be patient, and let his plan unfold as you trust him and his process.
Learning to trust God is a process, especially if you have been hurt in the past. So invest in learning to trust God, so that you can grow in your connection with God and develop a rich prayer life with him.
