Would you be excited if I told you that there were prayers you could pray and be 100% guaranteed that God would say yes?  


Would you be less excited if I told you the lottery is 100% not on the list?


Last week we talked about Solomon, Jehoshaphat, and Nehemiah all of whom prayed with power for God's aid.  Solomon prayed that God would uphold the line of David (as he promised).  Jehoshaphat prayed that God would hear his prayer from in front of his sanctuary (as he promised) and rescue them.  Nehemiah prayed that God would rescue, regather and restore the people to their land (as he promised).  All of these prayers were heard and answered.  Why?  Because they were prayed inside the will of God.


When you think of "the will of God" do you feel confused?

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When my daughters were babies, I dreaded going to the pediatrician.  Neither one of them grew as fast as the doctors thought they should.  Both of them hovered just over the line of the dreaded "failure to thrive" diagnosis.  As much as I told myself that they were growing at their own pace, I still got scared when I saw their little dot at the bottom of (or below) the line for normal growth.  I was doing all the right things for them to put on the ounces, but in the end, I was not in control of their growth.  When I learned to leave the growth up to God and just do my job of feeding them, I was a much happier mommy.


Sometimes I think I would do well to take the same attitude with my spiritual life.  As long as I am getting the nourishment I need in the form of Bible study and prayer, I can let God take control of my growth.

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Have you ever heard someone say this: God doesn't hear the prayers of non-Christians.  Or this one: You have to be right with God before you can pray for anything else.  I understand that at times our prayers are hindered by sins, but to say that God does not listen to ANY non-Christian prayers simply isn't true.  The only Scripture that might endorse such a hard-line stance is in the gospel of John.  After Jesus heals the man born blind, the Pharisees confront him about the miracle.  The man himself says "We know that God does not hear sinners" (John 9:31). But remember, Jesus didn't say this; a man he healed did.  


We have ample evidence that God does indeed hear the prayers of sinners and non-Christians.  Cornelius, although a devout man, did not follow Jesus because he didn't know about him.

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Dear Readers, 


Thank you so much for your patience this last year as I shared my reading journey with you.  I can now say that I have read all the way through the Bible.  I agree with comments that Melissa has made before that there are many ways to read the Bible; being in the Word is what we need most. David says in Psalms 119:4-5: "You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.  Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees."  It was long past time for me to complete what I had begun many times.  I couldn't have done it without the encouragement and accountability that came from posting on here.   I know this because I have tried and failed in this more times than I can count.  


I would love to hear what you all have been reading in the Bible lately.

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