Praying About the "Big Asks"

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Thank you. This is the Truth Network encouraging prayer, God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything, and encouraging prayer Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling product and many other books on prayer provides weekly biblical insight help you learn to mom and now never be right in the middle of realize well we don't be. This can happen. I mean if were honest, we've all been there times a little like the man who came to Jesus asking him to heal his son.

He said, Lord, I believe it help my unbelief. Sherborn morale. They will talk about faith and prayer challenging topic because the Bible says about this have many layers. For example, Jesus tells the disciples in Matthew 1720, that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, then you can move mountains, but in Matthew 826 he says them you of little faith in the mockup benefit small faith is a good thing in all of this. The fact that we are praying about something, regardless of if you have a little faith or lack of faith God is sovereign and he will do what he will do so when Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane. Yes, for something that he does not get yes but he won't go to the cross. But then he adds, not my will but yours father so it's not Jesus didn't have enough faith in that moment he simply recognize that God is God. The amazing thing about all of this is that Jesus was God in the flesh when he was asking the sick and you see how many layered how how complex this matter. Prayer can be all struggle with all face those times when we prayed about something and wondered what is it because I don't have enough faith or was it because God's will.

Those are tough questions and heartbreaking questions and sometimes I think we can give up on prayer when we don't live in an answer.

Because of questions like that, but I think there's another way that we can go when we are praying about big things in our lives.

You know you're you're looking at that mountain if you will, and that's really where I like to go today your tummy before we went on the air about a way to pray. That makes this a lot easier.

Yes, it's all about breaking things down into bite-size pieces like going at the mountain the Wilbur. I wish I could say the idea originated. But I first learned about it from a missionary to China in the last century Roslyn Rinker and, in her classic book conversing with God. She she writes about this. One of the themes of that book is is something that we often talk about on encouraging prayer and that is being is real with God as we possibly can. After all, that's a big part of what prayer is just just living with God in the moment.

It's all about a heart relationship with him as we often discuss. So the question is what does that look like when you're praying about something big, something you know you may not have enough faith like you were saying we start program you know us as soon as the words come out of your mouth, thinking do I really believe that can happen.

So yeah, that makes me think of the verse in the first chapter James where James says when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one he doubts should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Yes, and in first for us to understand because again God is God in his wisdom is so far beyond our own but but I believe what James is talking about. There is again just being real with God, we ask for something we need to believe what were asking for and I believe the best way to do that is to break big requests don't do bite-size pieces into pray about the things that you you actually have faith for example, you may been praying about the salvation of a loved one for years and yet it hasn't happened so how do you keep going when you've been crying out for so long and you wonder if you'll ever see something happen. Those are real feelings, and I think the starting place is to just be honest about them. She knows what's in our hearts. Anyhow say that the best place to start with something like that is to ask God really for more faith, absolutely because we got give you a gift of faith for something you know that you know that you know it's going to happen and he doesn't give those gifts, but it it may be about something smaller that's related to the larger thing that you're praying about for example, in her book Roslyn Rinker talks about a couple that was praying for their new neighbors to come to Christ, but they didn't just pray Lord Christ first. They prayed that they would just meet and then they prayed that they develop a friendship and step-by-step that happened and then they prayed about inviting them to a Bible study and then about a get together in their home and after about six different steps. The neighbors did come to receive Jesus as their Savior. So the couple got very specific about the request of the little by little, they saw the larger goal that they were after answered and each time, smaller request faith size what what they could believe for practically in the moments is not like were trying to force ourselves into believing something that we don't have the face for walking with God through the smaller steps one by one and that's the beauty of this approach because it lets God into the moment. It helps you stay on a stay close to him and just be dependent on him. Like for example, praying the Lord what you want me to pray about next with this need.

I find it really helpful and I've been trying to pray like this more what you say to the person who was praying about something and I don't know what to ask. Even if they prayed about it. I am glad you asked that because I was thinking about that last night there was a need. I was really concerned about and I kept thinking how I break this down into bite-size faith size request and so worried. I really was having trouble hearing anything from the Lord. So I did the only thing I could do just run to Jesus. I just pray Lord I don't know what to do about this at all.

So I cast this care on you.

Please do what is needed in the next morning there was progress in that situation and it may not be over yet but it's on the way well on the way now and you might think of it this way, the woman who reached out and touch the hem of Jesus garment and she thought this suggested) should be healed. That's right in and she was and that's what praying faith size request is about beating his honest with God as we possibly can about our limitations in the areas where we may struggle, but not staying stuck there. Reaching out just a little more touch the hem of his garment where you can moving ahead with him step-by-step, even of those are just baby steps as any parent can tell your babies first steps are pretty big thank you got that right. I think the Lord must love it when we come to him in faith and just take the steps we can outline. Let's pray we can do that. The suites of Jesus.

I'm so grateful for this inside. I just pray that you would help guide us to break some things down that we've been praying for.

Over the years on what our next step would be as we journey together than you give us the dignity of of walking closer with you step-by-step through these things that are so important in our hearts, Lord, again you know how it works in socialist.

Give us faith and walk with us as we taste more intimacy share that with others. How we seen this and more and more people passes hear more from Pastor James by visiting the website. James bank.org or by visiting these church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you to pray. This is the Truth Network