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"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people." Ephesians 6:18— NIV
Praying is such an everyday normal thing that most of us do. It's in all parts of our lives. People pray at weddings, funerals, holiday events, etc. We pray at the birth of someone and at the death of someone.
People pray for direction and wisdom in life. Mothers pray for their children and families. Prayer goes on in just about everything in life.
But what do you do after you have prayed for something? There doesn't seem to be any instruction for what happens after you pray.
Sometimes, we get ahead of God after we pray. We pray, and then we want an answer right away. When the answer doesn't come, we step out, do what we think, and mess things up.
Other times we get frustrated with prayer or God. Disappointment sets in, and discouragement begins to settle in our hearts.
Here are some things to remember after you have prayed about something. Keep these close so that disappointment, discouragement, or unbelief won't settle in your heart. Remember to…
Listen
Prayer is two ways. You pray. You wait and listen. Then God talks. Take your time getting up from your prayer time. Wait for God to speak. This is important. One unique thing about prayer is that the God we pray to is alive and willing to talk back to us.
Trust
The next is trust. If you wait for God to speak, you must trust His words. The more you pray, the more you get to know God. The more you know Him, the more you trust Him.
Obeying & Doing
The next is obedience. You've prayed, and you will trust what He said to you. Now, we should obey the instruction He gives. God can say some shocking things at times to us. He can say things that we would never have thought of. He can give you instructions that may seem outlandish or strange. But it will be easy to obey when you trust Him.
Thanksgiving
The last is a heart of thanks. After you've prayed, spend some time just thanking God for what He will do. Thank Him for answering your prayer any way He sees fit.
"Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18— AMP
Let your heart rest after prayer that God knows best and has everything you need under control. Let your mind rest that His word is accurate for you. Trust that He will not let you go.
Reflection
What do you do after you have prayed for something?
Can you recall a prayer that God has answered?
Are you still waiting for a prayer to be answered?
Paula, this is so good. We used to teach our kids that our prayer requests are like a garbage bag (I know, odd, hang with me ☺). You take the garbage to the curb and leave it there. You don't go back for it. We pray and give our request to God, placing it in His hands, we don't go back for it. We have to wait and trust. ♥
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