Doubt Less † Pray More

When we hear the word, doubt, we may think of the doubting Thomas of the Bible. After all, before he saw the holes in Christ’s arms, he refused to believe Jesus had rose from the dead. However, I want to rewind further back in biblical history to Jeremiah.

The book of Jeremiah begins with Jeremiah speaking to God. God tells Jeremiah that He chose he to speak for Him. Jeremiah’s reaction? Doubt. Read Jeremiah 1:4-8.

Jeremiah told God he was too young, that God couldn’t possibly expect him to speak to His people. Similarly, you may remember Moses mumbled an excuse when God called him to speak as well. Except his was that he could never quite form the right words. He said he sucked at public speaking, and speaking in general.

What excuses are you making in your life?

Yes, we doubt God. We might doubt Him with prayers unanswered, or with uncertain circumstances. But one doubt, I’m sure many of us have shared is how God will use us.

We suck at public speaking, so why would God want us to speak to a room full of people? We aren’t patient, so why would God want us to work with Sunday school children?

Excuses. Excuses. Excuses.

We let them take over our lives until we doubt ourselves and doubt that all is possible through God.

Read Jeremiah 12:5.

If we wear out from small troubles, what will happen when they become worse? Do we walk away from our relationship with God simply because it is too difficult to continue? Because He is asking too much of us?

Please watch this video.

We all know the iconic, Matthew 19:26, that with God all things are possible.

However, how often do we actually believe this? And how often do we hear what He’s saying and our brain just says, ‘no way’?

In light of the Easter weekend quickly approaching, I’d like you to reflect on the love of Christ, but also how we short-change that love when we doubt God. Letting fear overcome us can strangle the very faith we strive to uphold. 

Photo by: Beatrice Murch /Flickr

Talk Less † Pray More

Photo by Mike Quinn. Copyrighted but licensed for further reuse.

Maybe the title sounds harsh, but don’t you ever wonder if God just wants us to listen sometimes? 

When we are little, we are taught to tell God everything. This includes our problems, our sister’s problems, our best friend’s problems and our neighbor’s problems. We might also tell Him how thankful we are, but sometimes that list is pushed to the end.

Are you listening to what God is trying to tell you?

When you spend time with God, are you the one talking? Think of your prayer as if it were a phone conversation between you and God. If one person was the only one talking, what would be accomplished? Sure, it is a conversation, but what’s the quality of a one-sided conversation?

Please watch this video.

We might ask for direction, but sometimes we fail to acknowledge it or make the effort to look for it. In most circumstances, God answers our prayers through the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit’s voice is usually a whisper and sometimes it’s difficult to discern.

I would like you to take a quick moment to write down a prayer to God, just like you would normally pray a loud. Then, I want you to reread it.

How many times did you say “I”? When I tried this, I realized almost every sentence included “I.”

As follows: God, I would like to pray for Sue. I’m having problems with stress this week. I…I…I

When we pray, it is important to not only listen, but also to realize how we are praying.

Let’s go back to the phone conversation.

Photo by Pixabay. 

If you had a friend who called you up and constantly talked about themselves, as well as asked you favors, how would you respond? Would you want to pick up the phone when you saw their name pop up on your caller I.D.?

God wants us to have conversations with Him and He wants us to tell Him about what’s going on in our lives, so I'm not saying that He would ignore your "phone call," but He also wants us to listen.

One of my recent favorite bible verses is John 10:27-28.

What I love about this verse is that God believes in us. He believes we will hear His voice and know it’s Him. However, how many times have we questioned whether our heart was actually being moved by the Holy Spirit?

This verse also says that He knows us. He knows every part of us.

In other words, we hear His voice and He hears ours.

Taking a moment in the silence to let the Holy Spirit in can change your prayer life. When you first start to try listening in the silence, it may seem awkward or off. We have all experienced an awkward silence, whether it was in an elevator, in the waiting room, or in a car ride with that person you offer to give a lift to but don’t know anything about.

We have almost been trained to know that silence is bad. That silence makes us feel uncomfortable. However, remember that it is in those silences with God that we can gain direction.

I challenge you to really listen while you are praying this week. See where God leads you. It is in those moments that we can open ourselves to God’s truth and His voice.

If you have a story, please leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you.