I’ve always had a passion for all things boards. From the freedom of skateboarding through city parks to carving fresh powder on snow-capped mountains. Not to mention the rhythm of surfing ocean waves. Without a doubt, it’s a thrill like no other. I love feeling the wind rushing against my face. Strangely, times like this are also when I find myself in deep prayer. Yes, you read that right; I absolutely connect with God profoundly while gliding on a board!
Have you ever prayed to God and seemingly nothing happened? How about praying 10 times? 100 times? Maybe you felt like you didn’t even deserve the gift you asked for? I recently read the first chapter of Luke and empathized with Zechariah. God spoke to me in a new way — to not lose heart when I pray. I had three takeaways I wanted to share with you.
Remember These Things:
1. Be faith-filled and pray continually.
Think about how long Zechariah and Elizabeth prayed for a child. Being advanced in years and well beyond the age of having children (Luke 1:18), they must have prayed thousands of times to have a child. They continued to have faith and pray even though their prayers seemed unanswered (Luke 1:6).
2. Gifts from God are good.
When God answered their prayer for a child, Zechariah didn’t believe it. I can certainly empathize with that feeling! There are times I feel like I don’t deserve a blessing from God. In fact, it leads me to doubt the prayer will be answered. God shook Zechariah a bit by removing his voice until his son was born. It was as if God needed to get his attention (in a drastic way) for him to understand the depth of the gift he was about to receive. Being mute drove Zechariah to an even closer relationship with God than he had before (Luke 1:67–79). Take heart, even when things seem like they are “bad”, God is working it for good.
3. God loves us and will answer us.
He hears us and answers according to His will for our lives (Luke 1:13). Certainly, our prayers aren’t always answered the way we want. That’s because our Father knows what’s best for us. I know there have been times I’ve specifically prayed for something and it didn’t happen the way I wanted. But God knew what was best.
When we faithfully pray, we are heard and loved by Him. He will answer us according to His will for our lives. With this in mind, don’t lose heart while you’re waiting. Sometimes, just like for Zechariah, God needs to grab our attention during the process. Take heart.
I am one of those people who enjoys running. I like to put myself through the pain and agony of long, (endurance testing) races. Typically, you sign up for that kind of race six months in advance. You need plenty of time to train, mentally prepare, and to do the kind of research needed to make sure you don’t injure yourself during the race. You hope for: amazing weather, no injuries, no shoe problems, no chaffing, and that you don’t lose any toenails (believe me, that’s a concern). The list could go on and on….
