Even when we know that what we are praying for is God’s will, like the salvation of a loved one or for a family member to leave addiction behind, we can still struggle with the belief that our prayers matter. I believe that kind of fear can be fostered in our family of origin issues. If the world we grew up in was not a trustworthy place, it’s hard to believe that we can count on God, or anyone for that matter. So when I prayed, it came from the perspective of being hurt by life and my prayer time looked more like a fearful fretting session than calm communication with a caring God. Yet everything I read in His Word told me that God cared about what I asked for. It just failed to make the twelve-inch drop from my head to my heart. So I asked God to make that happen. (Here I am praying for a better ability to pray. Why not? He wants us to take everything to Him. Right?)
Then one morning I opened my Bible, and came across this verse in Micah 7:7: “As for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my savior; my God will hear me.” Those words jumped off the page at me. The prophet Micah was standing his ground stating that as for me, no matter what anyone one else thought or did, he was going to watch in hope for the Lord, his savior. The Lord was Micah’s Savior and he certainly was mine. When I think of all that He has saved me from, it gives me hope that His answers are worth waiting for. His last line of affirmation gave my heart new conviction: My God will hear me. This verse informs me to pray not out of hurt but out of hope; not out of fear but out of faith with the deep conviction that the One who can answer my prayer is listening. Now when my words start to come from that place of fear deep inside me, I recite this verse and find new resolve.
Praying that this helps your resolve too.