Fervent-ish

I asked my Father, “What is standing between You and me? What is in the way of me stepping into Your plans for me?”

So gently, He replied,

“Your fear.”

I fear that my prayers will not be answered. so often, they aren’t.

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

– James 5:16

I am righteous because of Jesus. He poured his righteous blood over my life at Calvary and that is what God sees when He looks at me.

I am pretty fervent. I feel like I’m tugging at God’s apron all the time, asking for more and more for everyone I know. Nagging. I worry that I am annoying God or praying “wrong”, so perhaps I could be more fervent.

It takes faith to be fervent.

I want people to know God, to have peace, to be saved, to give Him glory. So I try to tell them when I pray for them, so that they’ll know it was Him when they get their answer.

But.

What if I get it wrong?

“The EFFECTUAL fervent prayer… “

What if my prayer is not effectual? What if I’m doing it wrong and then, not only am I not helping the person I pray for by getting them what they need, I am actively harming them by making their impression of God and faith even worse?!

But.

He says,

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Matt. 7:7

Ask and you WILL receive.

He showed me that He is my Dad. He has everything I need, and everything my friends need. And He wants to give it to us. He wants me to ask and He delights to give. He said I should just ask, because there is no wrong way to ask.

He said it is His nature to bless.

It’s who He is.