WHEN WE DOUBT, GOD STILL HEARS AND ANSWERS

WHEN WE DOUBT, GOD STILL HEARS AND ANSWERS

I was sitting in my living room early in the morning, and I heard flapping in my chimney. I knew a bird was caught, and I prayed it would somehow get out. When I was praying, I listened as the Holy Spirit told me to put some bread in the fireplace so the bird would come down and be free.

My actions showed that I had some doubt about God answering my prayer. I went off to work and automatically left the door open so Snowy, our cat, could get into the living room. When I got home, sure enough, God had answered my prayer, and the pigeon was sitting on the mantel. It was bedraggled and shivering as Snowy prowled around below it. I picked Snowy up and put him in the bedroom. Then I gently clutched the frightened bird and took him outside where he flew away to freedom.

The next day I was at a garage sale and found a painting of a pigeon. I hung it up on my bedroom wall to remind me that God always answers my prayers.

There’s a story in Acts 12:1-17 similar to mine, where people were praying but still doubting at the same time. Their actions showed they didn’t expect God to really answer their prayers. This is their story:

Peter got thrown into prison, and Christians gathered at Mary’s house to pray. The Bible doesn’t tell us what they were praying about, but we can pretty much assume they were praying for Peter’s release. God answered their prayer miraculously by sending an angel to lead him out.

Peter showed up at Mary’s house where they were praying, and Rhoda answered the door. She saw him and was so excited she ran in to tell the others and forgot to let Peter in. She told them Peter was there in the flesh, but they said she was crazy and decided it must be an angel. They believed in angels, but they failed to really trust God was answering their prayer for Peter to get out of prison.

Peter kept pounding on the door, and finally, they came to the door. They were astonished and must have all been talking at once because Peter had to quiet them down to tell the story of his escape. 

Even though I prayed, I didn’t really believe God would save the pigeon, and those people didn’t really believe God would save Peter. My experience with the pigeon was a turning point for me. It showed me that God ALWAYS answers my prayers. He doesn’t always do it in the manner I expect or even in the time frame I would like, but He does always answer. And many times, God answer is right in front of us, but we do not see it. But we can pray that God opens our eyes spiritually so we can be aware of His answers when they arrive.

We can trust that He will answer our prayers every time. Jesus always tells the truth: “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24). Notice He said, “when” you pray. At the very time of praying, we need to tell ourselves that we believe God’s going to answer.

And as a fallback, there’s a beautiful verse in Mark 9:24: “And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, ‘Lord I believe; help thou mine unbelief.’” Jesus healed the child, even though the child’s father knew in his heart that he had some doubt. We recognize our lack of belief, but that should never stop us from praying.

Love, Carolyn

QUESTIONS AND EASY CHALLENGES

1. Have you ever experienced doubt when praying for something or someone? Cite an incident or two. Why do you think you had a doubt?

2. Has God answered any of your prayers even when you were still doubting? Describe an incident when this happened.

3. Read Acts 12:1-17. How many people does it look like really believed Peter would get out of prison?

4. Take a look at Mark 9:14-27. What are some of the things the father may have been thinking in this situation? Have you ever prayed the way he did in Mark 9:24? Describe the incident. Are there any things or situations right now that you might think about praying for in this way?

FREE DOWNLOAD: PART 2 OF WINGS: A JOURNEY IN FAITH

https://www.amazon.com/WINGS-Journey-Faith-Earthly-Heavenly-ebook/dp/B007B23JTY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1546194099&sr=8-4&keywords=WINGS%3A+A+JOURNEY+IN+FAITH

WINGS: A Journey in Faith from the Earthly to the Heavenly is a compilation of stories—thoughts, musing, insights, revelations and guidance gathered from my experiences living as a Christian in Las Vegas.

The truths I find are not unique to Las Vegas; they’re just magnified here. We live in the middle of a desert. Survival here, whether in Red Rock Canyon or the casinos, is dependent upon preparedness, insight and wisdom. Learn quickly or die. Soar high or get crushed under foot. 

I’ve put together this book to use as a workbook. There are 52 chapters, one for each week of the year, and separate chapters for special holidays. This section is PART 2 and contains chapters 10-23: 

10. PAY ATTENTION!
11. SPEAKING FAITH INTO EXISTENCE
12. HISTORY IN THE HEAVENS
13. THE MISSING MANUAL
14. PRAYING AND SINGING IN TONGUES
15. POWER-PACKED BLESSINGS
16. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
17. PREACH YOURSELF HAPPY
18. PAYMENT FOR SIN
19. CALLING THE DOG
20. THE ADVENTURE OF PLANTING SEEDS
21. FIXING EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS
22. NIT-PICKING
23. THE QUEEN OF SHEBA HAS ARRIVED

If you can’t get it on Amazon, let me know, and I’ll send a pdf or word doc to your email. cjmolica@hotmail.com