"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." Luke 11:1
The disciples probably prayed, some more than others. No doubt they would have noticed that for some reason God answered Jesus's prayers more than their own. They saw Jesus perform miracles. Jesus asked them to do as he did and heal the sick. Sometimes, they failed miserably (see Matthew 17:16). How about you?
Once I was desperate for answers from God and kept praying for wisdom to make decisions. He was silent. I pressed on, saying, "God, please I need to make decisions. I need you to speak clearly to me." This went on for days until finally, I let God know I WOULD NOT move forward one inch until I heard from Him. Again, I started, "Lord, please speak clearly --". I was abruptly interrupted as God replied, "It's the only way I know how... To speak, that is." Instantly the Holy Spirit taught me that God invented languages and can speak even without words and He alone is the best communicator. He doesn't need to be told to speak clearly. He is always clear. He doesn't have communication problems. I do. I needed to pray for open ears to hear, open eyes to see, and an open heart to receive! I began laughing out loud. I thanked God for showing me what I had been doing wrong.
First, it is false to think God is silent when we are desperately crying out to Him. He speaks alright. Our deaf ears can't hear him. Jesus said, "My Father is always working and so am I" (John 5:17). Jesus said He did nothing unless He saw His Father doing it. In other words, He continuously heard from His Father in order to remain in His will and in order to keep moving forward. If we aren't getting answers to our prayers, it is time to ask Jesus, "Lord, teach me to pray."
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