The Safe Thing To Always Pray

Philippians 4:6-7, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

1st Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”

I am making Puerto Rican pasteles today while my dog Pickles watches. I made the filling yesterday and am making the Masa today. Here is the recipe. I've been ordering ready-made pasteles (regular pork flavor) from New York from the Freakin' Rican restaurant, but they're so expensive, so I am trying to see if I can make them on my own. I love pasteles! I ordered the green bananas from Amazon. Unfortunately, stores don't sell green bananas in Pensacola. I thought you might like this too.

Onward! We are commanded by almighty God to pray continually. That simply means throughout the day as we think about things, we should take everything to the LORD in prayer. Supplications are long term prayer requests. When a sad thought enters into our mind, perhaps over something hurtful that somebody did to hurt us in the past, cast that care upon the Lord. 1st Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

So often when I pray to the Lord, I become frustrated because God rarely seems to answer my prayers. In fact, at age 59, I cannot even point to even one case of God (no ifs, ands or buts) answering one of my prayers. When it seemed that God answered my prayers, it could just as well have been coincidence. There is nothing wrong dear reader with being honest. To me an answer to prayer needs to be a miracle, not something that could have happened anyway.

I have corresponded with my Christian believers over the 24 years of my website ministry and they have testified the same thing, that it seems like God never answers their prayers. To be very honest, if I looked at my prayer life alone, I would become an atheist. But when I behold the moon, the stars, our Milky Way galaxy and the unsearchable universe, I do not question the existence and omnipotence of our omniscient and omnisapient and faithful God.

When I hear braggadocios Christians (or rather said, professed Christians) boasting that God answers their prayers all the time, I am extremely skeptical and I simply don't believe them. Charismatics in particular really upset me, making bold bogus claims of healing (always in some remote place like deep in Mexico where no cameras were present). It sickens me to the point of wanting to barf when I hear wacky Charismatics boasting of their fake miracles, unbelievable answers to prayer and speaking in tongues nonsense.

Please don't misunderstand dear reader, I DO believe in a miracle-working all powerful caring God. I am simply saying that for whatever reason, I have not seen such miracles in my life, and I resent when religious ungodly hypocrites falsely accuse me of not being filled with the Holy Spirit, or not having enough faith.

In 2009, the scumbag pastor of Victory Chapel Church on Guam (a Charismatic hellhole of false religion) verbally attacked me in a local business parking lot. I had just come out of the House of Brutis' restaurant (no longer in business) and in front of two of his victim church members, the pastor told me that I wouldn't have needed neck surgery if I had been filled with the Holy Spirit. As the gentleman that I am, I kindly smiled and said nothing, but wanted to tell him in Jesus' name to go to Hell. Sadly, he's already headed there in his damnable heresy of Lordship Salvation.

As I mentioned, I often get discouraged when I pray. I am not saying that God has never answered my prayers. That would be presumptuous of me. I simply do not know. I am sure that the good LORD has answered many of my prayers, even before I asked for something, but He answered in ways that I did not anticipate. My mother use to wisely say that God works in mysterious ways. That is what the Bible teaches in Isaiah 55:7-9, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Don't try to figure out God, because you won't.

I thank God for His never-ending love, provisions and blessings. God has always provided for me and taken good care of this broken redeemed undeserving wretched sinner. I have absolutely no complaints to God. But when I go to pray and start to feel like it's just a big waste of my time, I always resort to a safe prayer. which is simply to ask God that His will be done. That way no matter what happens, I didn't set myself up for a disappointment. I still sometimes ask God for a specific thing, but I always add the words (as did Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego when about to be thrown into the fiery furnace), “But if not.” Daniel 3:18, “But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

By God's grace, I will continue to pray about everything for the remainder of my time on earth, because that is what God commands me to do to please Him as His redeemed child. If God answers my prayers, great; BUT IF NOT, blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 13:15, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” I refuse to sinfully place God on trial as the heathen world does, challenging His existence and power. Romans 1:20 warns that atheists are all WITHOUT EXCUSE, because even nature itself proves the existence of God.

I love Jesus and thank Him for dying on Calvary's cruel cross 2,000 years ago for my many sins. I am so unworthy of Christ's love and sacrifice. THANK YOU GOD!!!

By God's grace, I will continue to pray without ceasing for the spiritual needs of OTHERS, and for the Lord to work through my humble ministry labors to reach and build OTHERS for Christ. My only heart's desire all my life as a Christian has been for God to use me as a vessel to His purpose and glory. I am God's servant. Damn the torpedoes!

I suspect that a lot of my ministry blog readers feel like you're wasting your time when you pray, but I assure you on the authority of the Scripture that you are not dear friend. I don't believe that prayer makes a difference. You read right! I believe that GOD MAKES A DIFFERENCE!!! I don't believe in the power of prayer, I believe in the power of God.

Jesus acknowledged in Matthew 6:7-8 that even heathens pray, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” Big deal if you pray. Do you have faith in God?

I used to feel that since God doesn't appear to answer my prayers, perhaps it was because there was sin in my life. Who doesn't have sin in their life? I worried that maybe it was because I listened to some secular music, or watched a Hollywood movie, or didn't do something that I should have done that was right to do. That kind of thinking will make you paranoid and nuts. Dear reader, religious scrupulosity will drive you crazy if you let it!!!

I encourage you to keep on keeping on in your prayers. Never stop asking God for what you need, and for the needs of your loved ones and the people you meet. Prayer is not preparation for the greater work; Prayer is the grater work! Never stop casting your cares, burdens and hurt feelings upon the LORD. NEVER!!! By casting your cares upon the Lord, you can walk away with “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7b).

But when you are not sure what to pray, or feel frustrated as I often do, just pray that God's will be done and then completely REST in the goodness and wisdom of God. The old adage is very true: When you cannot see the HAND of God at work, trust the great HEART of God.

In closing, when it comes to why God never seems to answer my prayers, I have two consuming thoughts to help you:

1. God In Luke 18:1 Jesus said, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” And then He tells a story about The Unjust Judge. A widow appeared in court before the judge, but the Bible says he was a heathen man who couldn't have cared less about avenging the widow. But she kept bothering the judge, coming back day after day, until he finally relented to give her what she wanted. This is called IMPORTUNITY, which the Bible teaches please God. Jesus used this story as an illustration of a Christian's prayer life. Literally, Jesus is teaching that GOD WILL IGNORE US WHEN WE PRAY, not because He doesn't care, but because a faith must be tested. Hebrews 11:6 says without faith no man can please God.
2. The Bible plainly teaches in 2nd Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” When we pray and become discouraged by not seeing visible results, we are walking BY SIGHT, not by faith. This is why I stopped looking for visible results several years ago. Now I just pray and TRUST the character of my faithful God and Savior, knowing that He is all wise, all loving and all powerful; and that is exactly what God desires for us as His saints, and why He seems to ignore us in the first place. God is still on His throne dear reader, and the good Lord knows what He is doing.

One of my favorite songs is Garth Brook's 1990 song, 'Thank God For Unanswered Prayers.' Just because God doesn't answer doesn't mean that He don't care. Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers. That is why I nowadays just pray for God's will to be done, because I know enough to be dangerous in my prayer life. Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” I sure don't know what to pray for. I need the good Lord's help.

I encourage everyone to keep praying, knowing that we walk by faith and not by sight. Trust the great heart of our good and faithful God.

Thank you for reading my ministry blog. To God alone by all the credit, praise and glory.