Originally published Wednesday, 22 May 2013.
She looked at me with sadness in her eyes and defeat echoing in her voice and said, “I’m tired of putting myself out there and getting my heart stomped on.”
My heart broke for her. I knew how she felt because I felt the same way. Every time a new guy has entered the picture, I have tried to remain optimistic. I have wanted to believe that maybe this one would be different, maybe this one would work. Instead like my friend, I always seem to be the one left with my heart broken. I always seem to be the one left feeling like I just wasn’t enough.
How many times are we supposed to keep trying before throwing in the towel and telling God that we give up? How long do we keep praying for something when it appears that the answer is always going to be “no?”
How long do we keep praying that we’ll find the “one?” How long do we keep praying that our prodigal child comes home? How long do we keep praying that our marriage will get better? How long do we keep praying that we’ll have a baby? How long do we keep praying that our loved ones will come to know Jesus?
I could make a list of hundreds of requests that people have prayed over and over about and the answer never seems to change. In fact, sometimes the situation feels like it gets even harder. It’s difficult not to get discouraged and question whether or not you should even continue praying about it. Sometimes the words to a repeated prayer begin to feel empty; sometimes you don’t even know what to pray anymore because you feel like you’ve used all the words up.
I sometimes wonder if God grows tired of my repeated request that He will fulfill my desire to be a wife and a mom. But I believe in my heart that He doesn’t.
Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. –Luke 18:1 (NIV)
God wants us to bring everything to Him---our dreams, burdens, joys, sorrows, and hopes. I am learning more and more how important it is to be completely real with God, so I tell Him my frustrations, I ask Him questions and I even tell Him when I’m angry at Him.
He is mighty and He is strong---God does not tire at hearing repeated requests. In fact, I have to believe that it brings Him joy when we continue bringing the same petition to Him. For in continuing to bring it to Him, we are choosing to trust in His awesome power. We are showing our belief that He continues to work miracles and do the impossible. God really can do anything---may we continue to remember that and to lay all of our requests at His feet no matter how many times we bring Him the same ones.
SHARE
