This is the Truth Network. Encouraging prayer. God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything. On Encouraging Prayer, Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling Prayers for Prodigals and many other books on prayer, provides weekly biblical insight to help you learn to love to pray.
And now, here's James.
So James, you were just telling me. that you had a major carrier lose something, actually something kind of precious that had just been sent to you. Yeah, that's right. It was one of the main carriers in the country who delivered. or was supposed to deliver this package.
that uh contains something uh that couldn't be easily replaced. And They sent it to the wrong place where it was then destroyed by mistake. Oh man, I I have kind of been there and oh, that is frustrating. Yeah, not happy, you know, and it wasn't cheap either.
So now I've got to go through the process of filing claims, and you know the drill, not fun, but. I mention it today because it's so important for us to understand. that God never loses track of our prayers. Not one. Yeah.
No, it's good. Oh, we lost your prayer to the wrong place. It was sent to the wrong place. No, it was destroyed. That never happened, you know.
Okay. Think about it. Revelation 5 and Revelation 8 tells us that God keeps our prayers before Him in golden bowls. Psalm 56:8. Tells us God even keeps track of our tears and stores them.
In other words, He knows, he knows. And 1 Peter 3.12 says that he's always attentive. to the prayers of his people. Yeah, and isn't it good to know that? I mean, just think about.
What it's like to communicate with customer service departments these days. I mean, you're lucky if you can get to talk to a real person, right? I know. How many times do we scream representative into the phone? The computer doesn't get it right.
And people are so worried about AI. I mean Just Just think about how God attentive is. How I'm sorry, how attentive God is. Today I had my annual physical, and my doc, who's a believer, told me about. how the body has over thirty trillion cells.
And 1% of those cells are regenerated every single day. We turn over, in other words, 300 billion cells. a day in our bodies. And Jesus tells us that God numbers the hair on our heads. He doesn't miss a thing.
Yeah, wow. Like you say, you can just totally... Trust him with our prayers. We saw some dolphins here, and we went to St. Thomas recently.
And the handler was saying they they sh they changed their skin. three times an hour. Wow. Yeah. Unbelievable.
Not to mention, he's got to keep track of that star that's four zillion, you know, and how to keep it, you know, it's. It's it's really m beyond mind blowing, right? Yeah, it it is. And, you know, of course, sometimes it takes time. think about what the angel said to Zachariah, don't be afraid.
God has heard your prayers. You and your wife will have a son. And poor old Zachariah is like, what what prayer? You know? I mean, this is a prayer that they prayed years before.
So he has trouble believing it. Or think about Monica praying for seventeen years for her son Augustine to turn to Jesus. And I know some parents who have been praying for prodigals longer. But We need to trust him and rest in him to know that he's got this. That doesn't mean that we stop praying or stop fasting.
He'll show us if he wants us to. But I think he wants us to keep coming back to him again and again. I mean, that's also part of what keeps us in a relationship with him. Yeah, I I sense that all the time, like okay. Yeah.
Okay. I know if you gave me all the answers, it would be go get them, Tiger, and I wouldn't see you again for. You know, six weeks. And so there's some of that. There's no doubt about that.
But also, y you know, as our needs increase, the intimacy increases. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. And I it's just It's so important for us to understand this, that If we have received Jesus, if we have been bought by His blood and saved by His grace, And His Spirit has washed us and regenerated us and brought us into a relationship with God where we cry out, Abba, Father.
Our Abba Father, tenderly hears our prayers, and and loves us and will respond. And we need to keep praying and pray more than we do because his heart is inclined toward us. And if we just see that, that his face shines on us, even in the most difficult circumstances, oh, it helps, doesn't it? Oh, I I'm telling you, 'cause it seemed like here recently I just got in a place where I was just praying so fervently because I just. was couldn't understand at all.
Like I was not within my understanding. And the more diligently I prayed, the more tender he became. the more he led me. towards scripture that would comfort me. Yeah.
the intimacy that resulted because my need grew so great just led me to understand that, you know, blessed are those who are poor in spirit, the poorer you get. the richer you get in some ways.
So not only do you get to talk to a real person, You get to talk to the best person of all. Representative. I don't want an AI angel. Yeah. Amen, brother.
On that note, should I pray? That'd be really good. Not an AI angel, but the real thing. Abba, Father, thank you, thank you that we can come to you like this, that you hear us, that you know, that you answer our prayers in perfect wisdom. And Lord, we We know sometimes we we struggle and and sometimes it doesn't seem like that.
But we We just thank you that you meet us with love and that you. You bless your people and are attentive to their prayers. Lord, we praise you for your perfect love, for our Savior Jesus, and for your Spirit who keeps us. In His name we pray. Amen.
Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray.
