BY BILLY HOLLAND

I never grow weary of writing about prayer because to me it’s the heart of our spiritual communication with God. Even though I believe that our heavenly Father listens and all things are possible with him, I must admit I do not pray like I should. We realize our spirit is willing but unfortunately our flesh is weak and has every intention to prevent us from connecting with the almighty. In fact, there is hostility between the carnal mind that is governed by our human nature and anything that is associated with God including our new transformed spirit that is dedicated to knowing and serving him. This explains why praying is much easier to talk about than to do. As the popular English minister F.B. Meyer once said, “The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but neglected prayer.” 

Of course, we know there is no problem too large or small for the Lord to take care of. His long list of divine attributes includes being the creator and authority over all things and accepting that he is in total control gives us a wonderful sense of peace and security. We are motivated to pray when convinced that he desires to intervene and is concerned with even the smallest details of our life. He may not always give us the answer we are seeking but that does not take away from the reality that he is working in our best interest. “Do not be worried or anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:6-7. 

I have the privilege to be a free-lance columnist for many newspapers around the country and I take this responsibility seriously. Anyway, I was cleaning house the other day, mopping and vacuuming, (yes, men do such things), and I was casually talking with the Lord about how I had been trying for several months but had been unable to make any contacts with editors from a particular state as if the door was locked and how I needed him to do the impossible. While thanking him for his blessings I felt compelled to kneel in front of the couch and pour my heart out to him. A couple of hours later, I returned to my office and while routinely checking email messages, I opened one of them and – you guessed it! It was from a large newspaper in the very state I had been praying about, saying they would love to run my column every Saturday in their religion page. Can you imagine the expression on my face? This may not be a big deal to some, but to me it was nothing less than amazing! I nearly cried as just a short while earlier I had called upon him in faith, to please help me and make a way where there seemed to be no way. I admitted that I had done all I could do and I needed his super-natural power. This was not a coincidence, and I believe it’s just one of the millions of daily demonstrations where God steps in and performs a miracle according to his perfect will. Jeremiah 29:12 says, “You shall call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.” 

Whatever you are praying for today, remember that God has seen your thoughts and listens to every word we say. He knows all about our problems and situations and has seen our tears even in the darkest night. This is not a guarantee we will receive everything we ask for, and we must also consider his requirements and timing, but he wants us to know that he really cares about what is important to us, (even the little things). Jesus loves us so much that he sacrificed his life in order to rescue our soul and have a personal relationship with us. We are humbled in his presence and love and praise him not only for what he can do but most of all just for who he is.

Dr. Holland lives in Central Kentucky with his wife Cheryl, where he is a Christian author, outreach minister and community chaplain. To learn more visit: billyhollandministries.com