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. Today on Encouraging Prayer, we're going to talk about how to pray about lost things.
So James, what have you lost now? I lost my glasses yesterday, Robbie. I'm one of those guys who as I've gotten a little, you know, older by Prescription has improved. I don't need to wear glasses to drive or anything like that, but I need them for bifocals. And so, anyhow, I sometimes put them on my shirt and they'll drop off, or I'll set them down somewhere and.
That's what happened. I I haven't found him yet. You know, it's kinda like uh Like Toodles in movie book, you know, who lost his marbles, lost them good. And so, just knowing you as I do, you obviously have prayed about it. I have, I have, and that's where this is really.
Practical. And it might seem funny to do a whole episode on, you know, bring about lost things, but. But it matters. It's important. And I think what's important is to realize this matters to God.
You know, Scripture has all kinds of stories about lost things. Think about the axe head in 2 Kings 6, 5 and 7, you know, where there's a story. Oh, yeah. You know, the floating axe head with Ezekiel. And think about Luke 15: you know, the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son.
This is just a part of human experience that God wants us to bring to Him. And so, you know, I think there's a lot we can learn and I think there's a lot to, you know. Oh, I had an amazing experience. Yeah. I'll never forget it as long as I had a lost deer.
Oh, wow. You had to go there, didn't you? I did. And I had searched all night. I'd followed it for miles and miles and miles.
And I couldn't find it. And I went clear into the next day. Like, I went and got a lantern at home. And. I was searching, searching, searching for a trail that had dried up.
Mm-hmm. And really, just as independent as I am, You know, it got to be about one or two o'clock the next afternoon. It was getting really warm. I was really concerned about the deer being harmed. And so.
I Prayed. And I was in the middle of the thickest of woods. You couldn't see like maybe four feet in any direction because the trees were so thick. And as I prayed, God just said it's right over there. And I stood up and 15 feet walked right to the deer.
I'll never forget it as long as I live. Like He knew exactly where it was. And when I all else had failed, guess what I tried? Yeah. And that's how it works, isn't it?
I mean, we so often do this, and yet. Again, by that I mean, you know, we look first and then pray. I find that. As I pray about things, The likelihood of my finding them increases exponentially. Haven't you found that?
Oh, there's no comparison. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. It's better than find a phone.
And it's not that you find things. always when you pray about it, sometimes that's you know, sometimes God is trying to teach you something. One of the things that I've realized since I've lost my glasses is that I I sense God was saying you've been moving too fast. You know, you've been trying to get too many things done lately. You need to chill out a bit.
Just trust me. You know, if I want you to find your glasses, you'll find your glasses.
So just pray about it. And that's why we're doing this episode, because I realized, wow. I really need to do that because sometimes losing things is a sign of other things going on in your life, right? Wow What an insight Really, that's way more valuable than just finding your glasses. Because often the the thing that gets lost is actually our connection with him.
Exactly. Exactly. And that's where You know, I think I was going just in my own strength, you know, trying to bounce from point A to point B, pinballing life. Um Not Just resting. in him.
And as we rest in him, Sometimes a thought comes to mind. or a metal picture. And we realize, oh, yeah. I haven't checked there. Or sometimes, you know, the one of the great prayers in Scripture Is Yeah.
direct my path. Lord, you know, guide me in your path of righteousness. Um And If He guides our steps, And he does. then he can certainly lead us. to where we need to be to find whatever it is that we've lost.
And of course, behind all of this is the analogy I mentioned in Luke 15 earlier. Think about The lost son, you know, the parable of the prodigal. Oh, yeah. The lost sheep, the lost coin. Yeah it It shows you God's heart.
Yeah. people who are lost. And You know, it helps me realize: wait a minute, if this thing that I've lost matters so much to me, then maybe I need to have a heart for those that God loves so deeply. that are lost, that that need to come to him. And so again, there's just so much here that we can dive into.
Oh, I love the idea. that actually he you know the lost son was in himself. Right all of a sudden He slowed down like you did to say, you know, gee He considered like what he had lost his father. Yeah, that's what it was. Yes, and this is one of the things that we need to do.
I mean, we need to stop fretting. And I I know sometimes there are items of real value. That we've lost. And it's very easy to fret and get caught up. But again Nobody finds lost things.
lost people like God. Just one last comment on this. I remember when our daughter ran away when she was an adolescent. And she was was gone for a bit. And my wife and I, we were out there, I mean, day and night, you know, turning over every lost.
I mean every every last stone trying to find her. And we realized we were pushing too hard. And it was when we started to Stop. Pray first. Then look that our looking started getting better.
And eventually That's how we found her. Oh, I know that story too well. I do well. It'd be a perfect time to pray, James. All right.
Father. You know. Yeah. We once were lost and now are found and it's because of your mercy. And so we just ask your mercy in this.
Help us to be practical in our prayers and to go to you first. And thank you that you care, that you genuinely care about the daily details of our lives just because you are that. Good. Bless us, Lord, to stay close and rest in you today. In Jesus' name.
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.
