“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
[Mark 11:24]
One of my favorite things to watch Ricky do is plant a garden with our kids. We all get so excited when a little green sprout pops through the dirt!
“Our prayers are similar to a garden.”
When we pray we have to plant the seed by talking to the Father. Then we must water it by standing in faith that He has heard us and will work things out for His glory and our good.
We also have to pull weeds and keep varmints out by making sure we are asking with right motive and have a sincere, humble and repentant heart. There can also be an issue of bugs so we may need pesticide and that can be compared to the negative words that can come out of our mouth; we need to speak and declare His faithfulness and promises not fear filled words that steal our joy and faith.
I love the story of when Saul was blinded and saved, and God gave him a new name with a new mission. He went from killing Christians to building the Kingdom.
What if Stephen’s prayer before he was martyred paved the way for Saul to be saved?
I wonder if Stephen hadn’t prayed that if Saul would have had the same impact?
We may never know the impact of our prayers. We may never see the manifestation of some of our prayers. In life it may “appear” that the birds poked holes in all the tomatoes we planted, but what we may never see is the harvest that grows years later from the seeds that grew from the pile of tomatoes we threw out.
If there is a family member that you have prayed for their salvation, stand in unwavering faith. We do not know what happens in the last moments of a person’s life. If the Holy Spirit places someone on your heart randomly pray for them! It may be so that you will stand in the gap and water a seed someone else planted.
We cannot comprehend God’s mighty ways; we can just trust that He is good and He has a plan.
So, plant a garden in your prayer life and as you plant those seeds just smile, knowing that God hears and waters as you faithfully speak life and blessing over it! Remember, we have not because we ask not…a garden doesn’t grow if nothing is planted.
Dig Deeper
James 4:2-10 | Mark 11:24 | Matthew 13:23 | Acts 9 | Acts 7:54-60 | Matthew 7:9