A Prayer for God to Make it Happen - Your Daily Prayer - February 8

A Prayer for God to Make it Happen
By Meg Bucher

“God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24 NLT

Prayer is powerful. Our prayers are heard in heaven. Scripture says the Lord is already on the move in response before we are done praying. He loves us, His children. So why does it feel like our prayers go unnoticed and unanswered at times? When bad things happen to good people, it can feel like God is far off. But Paul’s words today remind us of the Father’s promise to hear us. He is not far off. He is close. The verse previous to the one above reads: 

“Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23 NLT

Surely, only the Lord’s movement on, in, and through our lives can cause such a profound effect! Holy in every way is a status we will only achieve as we step into heaven! But on the way there, He is making us holier and holier each day we wake to breathe on this earth. It sure doesn’t feel like it some days! But, when we seek the Lord with all of our hearts, the slow and steady change is an inevitable result of the perfecting of our faith. 

Perhaps the hardest thing to work out in our faith is the way God answers our prayers. We can be certain He hears and answers. But it’s not always in our way and in the timing we pray for. Day by day, our faith and trust in Him grows as we seek Him with all of our hearts. And the things we don’t understand become smaller in amount and significance. 

Let's pray:

Father, 
God, we believe You make things happen in our lives. You are faithful and transforming us into people who resemble Christ Jesus! Only Your miraculous hand on our lives could produce the supernatural change we experience when we seek You with all of our hearts, Lord. We are thankful for this day, which You have awakened us to live fully in order to bring glory to You. 

Father, today we bring to You the impossible prayers we have been praying to You. We lay the burden of them down at Your feet, the worry we won’t see the answer we want in the time we want on this earth we lift up to You. You are in control, God, even when it feels like everything is out of control. When people are taken from us too soon, and sickness and tragic accidents seem to win, we are shaken, Father. In those moments when we feel our prayers have failed us, remind us of Your sovereignty, God. Remind us of Your goodness, and set a peace in our hearts that allows us to cope, embrace comfort, and submit to Your compassionate encouragement and faithful direction on our lives, Lord. 

This is a prayer to make it happen, God. We will continue to pray for miraculous healing, even though we can’t see when it will come. Today, we choose to believe Your timing over our agenda, knowing the years of our lives are but a fast lap around the track in comparison to Your Eternal existence, God. Make peace happen in our lives today, God. We pray for miraculous reconciliation where there has been discord and division, conflict and misunderstanding. We trust Your movement in our hearts and the hearts of those on the other side of the line, God. Do what only You can do in the minds and hearts of humanity. 

Father, this is a prayer to make it happen. We pray for Your will to come to fruition in our lives. Let today be a step in Your direction, and let every day we live on this earth bring glory to You, God. Show us the way You have marked out for us. Give us the courage we need and the confidence required to walk in Truth for the rest of our lives, God. Help us to notice and embrace the people You have placed around us. To apologize when warranted and forgive without being asked. Father, let our lives be a channel of Your love. This is a prayer to make it happen …by Your hand, in Your time, according to Your will. 

In Jesus’ Name, 
Amen. 

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/fizkes

Meg writes about everyday life within the love of Christ at megbucher.com. She is the author of “Friends with Everyone, Friendship within the Love of Christ,” “Surface, Unlocking the Gift of Sensitivity,” “Glory Up, The Everyday Pursuit of Praise,” “Home, Finding Our Identity in Christ,” and "Sent, Faith in Motion." Meg earned a Marketing/PR degree from Ashland University but stepped out of the business world to stay home and raise her two daughters …which led her to pursue her writing passion. A contributing writer for Salem Web Network since 2016, Meg is now thrilled to be a part of the editorial team at Salem Web Network. Meg loves being involved in her community and local church, leads Bible study, and serves as a youth leader for teen girls.

Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.

Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith

Kerry Washington. Andrea Bocelli. Reba McEntire. Mark Wahlberg. Tony Dungy. Matthew McConaughey, What do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their story of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going. 

Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.

Now that you've prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below!