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I have been praying some pretty bold prayers over the past few years. Prayers that give me hope for my future, even when a certain situation in my present seems dismal. I’ve spent many sleepless nights begging God to hear my heart’s deepest cries.
I’ll be honest, I often feel like God is off busy doing lots of really important things for the universe (like finding that solution to world peace) that He doesn’t have time to listen to little ol’ me.
It so often feels like my prayers go unnoticed by God.
Ever feel like God doesn’t hear your prayers?
For years I felt God never heard my prayers. There was a season where that stinkin’ thinkin’ soured me on the idea of prayer altogether, until one day a friend challenged me to start praying bold prayers again.
Up until that point, I was convinced that God just didn’t care about me or my situation.
Don’t let your mind get caught in a lie.
It’s amazing how stinkin’ thinkin’ can pollute your faith if you let those thoughts linger long enough.
After a while, I just stopped praying. I was like, what’s the point? He can’t hear me anyway. I might as well save my strength and get more sleep.
We can’t trust our feelings.
I’m glad we don’t let our emotions guide our decisions. The world would be far more messed up than it already is. That’s scary to think about!
Feelings come and go, they change from season to season and sometimes moment to moment. If you have ever been on a hormonal rollercoaster, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
We can’t base our faith on our feelings.
Our feelings lie to us. They deceive us. And if we give them power, they can rule over us. That’s when we start making irrational in-the-moment decisions that often do more harm than good.
That’s why we need sound thinking when our hearts are hurting. We need to remain in God’s Word when life gets tough.
For years I felt like my prayers went unheard, even when my mind knew that God always hears my prayers.
God always shows up.
God, in His infinite richness and mercy, showed up just when I needed Him most. When I was ready to give up and throw in the towel, by God’s grace I began to see the tough situation around me change.
That insight gave me the hope and courage I needed to face another day.
God’s timeline is the best timeline.
God is FAITHFUL. Maybe He hasn’t answered my prayer in exactly the way that I would like. But over time, the more I prayed, He helped change my heart to line more up with His great plan for me.
He showed me how to exercise a heart of gratitude in my hard stuff.
God’s timeline is always better than ours. Why do we struggle so much with this truth?
God has given me far more than I could ever imagine and abundantly more than I ever knew I needed, even in my hardest seasons. #thankful #blessed #girlcountyourblessings
HOPE = Hold Onto Prayer Everday.
By the way, my situation hasn’t fixed itself. It’s still a work in progress. In fact, in some ways, nothing has changed. But in other ways, everything has changed because I have changed.
Despite my feelings to give up and throw in the towel, I will keep praying bold prayers. Over time God will continue to change my heart to line up with His will for me. That’s the best answer to prayer a girl could ever get!
Years of prayer have now rooted itself deep in my soul. I have hope in my hard stuff because I know I can cling to the power of life-changing prayer daily, even when my body and my mind tell me to give up hope.
Don’t give up hope.
I love the beauty that comes from prayer. God shows up when our prayers are bold. Often in ways we never imagine.
God gives us hope in our times of need.
God hears the unanswered prayers that have been weighing heavily on your heart. In fact, not only does He hear you, He sees you in the middle of your pain.
God loves you and He knows what’s best for your life far more than your tiny human mind ever will.
Keep praying and cling to the hope that only comes from Jesus.
6 Bible Verses To Cling To When Life Gets Hard Share on X6 Bible Verses To Cling To When Life Gets Hard
If you need to, write down these verses and said them out loud to yourself every single day to keep hope alive in your hard stuff! Highlight your Bible, write them on post-it notes and tuck them around your home.
Do what you need to do to keep God’s promises alive in your heart and your mind as you navigate a tough season of life!
- “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
- “Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him.” 1 Chronicles 16:11
- “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” Romans 8:31–32
- “Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20
- “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6–7
- “And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.” 1 John 5:15
