Happy Wednesday, friends! If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me post about this topic of "believing in what you pray for" on my stories. Well I have been thinking about this more and more. It is something I definitely struggle with. I have also been thinking about just how important it is to believe in what you pray for. For me, I see it as boiling down to trusting the one you are praying to. I got a lot of feedback when I posted this on my IG, so I decided that it would be a good idea to put my thoughts on this into a blog post. Why? Well for one, there is so much more I had to say on this topic that was entirely too much to put into an Instagram story. And two, I have found a few ways that I have helped me with this and I pray will help you, if you struggle with this idea as well. Why is it important to believe in what you pray for? After seeing this quote, I immediately thought about how this is something I desperately need to work on. Do you ever feel like you're unsure about your prayers? Almost a sense of "I'm crazy for praying this." It's so easy to feel like you're going through life with a blindfold on. I am the type of person that always wants to know what's going to happen next. I like to have my days planned out. Motherhood has quickly taught me that this isn't always the case. But I honestly hate the unknown. I also have found that the best thing to do when feeling worried about the unknown or what will happen next is to go to the Lord in prayer. I am always astounded by the comfort and peace I feel after giving all of my thoughts, hopes, dreams, concerns, etc. to the Lord. However, as I mentioned, there are certain times the I feel like I'm simply praying the impossible. I think to myself, "There's no way this could ever happen", "There's no way this situation will ever work out", "I'll never feel peace over this", etc. The sad part is that these feelings I tend to have boil down to resisting to trust the one I am praying to. I have really been asking myself ever since reading this quote, "Do I really believe in what I'm praying for?" Because I know the one I am praying to is the same one that created the entire universe (Genesis 1), the one who can work in a kings heart to Chanel it towards all who please him (Proverbs 21:1), the one who can part the waters of the sea (Exodus 14), the one who gave his only son to save us from our sins (John 3:16), the one who offers us grace upon grace (Hebrews 4:16), the one who ultimately LOVES you and me more than we could ever imagine (Romans 5:8). Overall, when I think about who I am praying to and the wonders of our Lord, I can't help but feel the confidence I need to believe in what I'm praying for. So, to sum it up, it is important to believe in what you're praying for because the Lord is not one to be doubted. I know that I can trust him with both my life and Madeline's life. And if I can trust Him, I know that I can have faith and believe in what I'm praying for. When I think about who I am praying to, I immediately feel peace and confidence in my prayers. Because as I said, I know that I can trust Him. What keeps you from believing in what you're praying for? I also think it is important to ask this question. I wanted to sort out these thoughts and figure out some of the things that keep me from believing in what I'm praying for. You have to start with the root of the problem first, right? I think first and foremost for me is impatience. It's human nature to want something and want it now! There are prayers I've been praying for years now. There are new prayers that I've started praying last week, yesterday or even today! Some of these prayers I've seen answered, while others have remained unanswered. It is so easy to grow frustrated and grow tired of praying for them. When I start to feel this way, I have to remind myself that it's not my timing, but the Lord's timing. This too is difficult to grasp. BUT think about it, aren't you glad that YOU are not the one orchestrating your own life? Goodness I know I certainly am. I find so much peace knowing that I can trust my life to the one who has known what will happen every second of every day since the day I was born. So when I grow weary in my prayers and the urge to not believe in them, I like to remember these verses: Psalm 37:7, Psalm 46:10, Psalm 62:5, and Proverbs 16:9. Instead of growing tired and feeling like your prayers have "expired", if you will, remember that God is working out everything in your life for your good and His glory. I am so glad that I don't have to figure this out on my own. A second thing that I feel keeps me from believing in what I pray for is the world in general. It is so easy to go through life and feel knocked down. You may meet a certain person, have a conversation with someone, experience something tragic, etc. What I'm trying to say is that, if we let the world determine our outlook on life, it is so easy to feel defeated. That's why I always have to start my day off with quiet time. It makes such a difference starting off each day this way. When I do this, I am quickly reminded of who to turn to when I feel weary throughout the day. We are all different people, going through life with our own situations. But I love resting in the fact that we can all turn to the one who understands each of our situations to every finite detail, cares for us and is always ready to talk with us in prayer. So, if you feel like you are loosing all your energy from simply dealing with people, situations, and life on a daily basis, take all of that to the Lord in prayer. Believe in what you're praying for and it will make your day go so much more smoothly. Ways to remind yourself to believe in what you pray for. As I mentioned, starting off each day with a devotion, reading God's Word and prayer time can have such a huge impact on the tone you set for your day. The best ways that I have found to help me to remember to believe in what I pray for are to first turn to God's Word. Secondly, I think about all of the amazing things the Lord has done in my life (basically count my blessings) and I am quick to remember how he is able. I know that if I could trust Him with things of the past, I can trust Him with everything that's to come as well. And lastly, Memorizing scripture always helps me to remember to believe in what I pray for. The Bible offers so much comfort. When I came across this quote of believing in what you pray for, I was reading in 1 Samuel 17, about David and Goliath. I have been reading the book of 1 Samuel for about two weeks now, but I think it's always amazing when the Lord places a certain passage of Scripture on your heart at just the right time. This certain day, I read that quote and then read about David and Goliath. When reading about Goliath (or if we picture someone like Goliath), it would be natural to feel fear. Trying to picture this monstrous person in my head honestly makes me feel sick to my stomach. This giant person wore bronze coat that weighed 1,050 pounds alone (1 Samuel 17:5). What I'm getting at is that this man set fear in everyone who crossed his past. No one wanted to go up against him. But David, a young shepherd boy, was willing to take on this giant. Why? Because he knew where his power and strength would come from. He knew that if God had rescued him from the paw of a lion and a bear, he would rescue him the hand of Goliath (1 Samuel 17:37). And it was with nothing else but God’s help that he had the power, strength and bravery to do what he did. He believed in it. If David could trust God for the wisdom and help he needed, I know that I can trust in God and believe in what I’m praying for. This is just one example of how turning to God's Word can help you with remembering to believe in what you're praying for. I also mentioned that looking at all the Lord has blessed me with, all of the prayers He has already answered, all of the ways He has protected me and Madeline, and so much more, I have the confidence to believe in what I'm praying for now. When I count my blessings, I feel the urge to continue to pray, no matter how long I have been praying for that certain thing, person, situation, etc. This always helps me. To me, it's such a reminder to believe in the power of prayer. And lastly, I mentioned that memorizing Scripture has helped me to believe in my prayers. When I start to feel weary and as if there's no way what I'm praying for could ever happen, I pick a verse to cling to. I memorize it and pull it out to fight that feeling (remember, the Lord's Word is sharper than any double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). Always have it on hand.). Anyways, this verse for me is Ephesians 3:20. It's something how we think we know exactly how our lives should go. It's like we create a mold for our lives and say "Here Lord, please fulfill it!" I know I am so guilty of this. Of course there's nothing wrong with having dreams and aspirations. But it's when the dreams (or whatever) we have been praying for for quite some time make us grow weary and think that we should stop praying for them. So this is when I remember Ephesians 3:20. Friends, never forget that the Lord is able to do "exceeding, abundantly above all we could ever ask or think." Wow! When I think about this and everything I pray, I am in awe and quickly realize how the narrow minded I can become. I feel the Lord saying, "Be still. You just wait and see what I have planned for you." Friends, if He can do exceeding, abundantly more than all I could ever ask or think, I know nothing is too big for him! And my prayers certainly aren't. So, believe in your prayers! Remember who you are praying to. Know that He is capable of more than we could every imagine. And know that He is working out every second of your life for your good and His glory. I believe in my prayers, simply because I believe (and trust) wholeheartedly in who I am praying to. If you struggle with this as well, I hope this little message encouraged you today. Ever since reading this quote, I have felt the need to share what was on my heart. And obviously, this was way too much for an Instagram story haha. If you have any other thoughts on this or things that help you remember to believe in your prayers, please share in the comments below. I'd love to hear :) Thanks for stopping by! Have a great Wednesday! Delightfully Yours,