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“Timid prayers are a waste of time.”

A thought by Steven Furtick (2010-09-21) from his book, Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible (p. 153). Multnomah Books. Kindle Edition.

That is a real soul searching thought.  And it leads me to the question, am I timid with God and if I am then why?

First of all being timid may mean I don’t really know the person.  I mean, I am not timid with Margaret my wife.  I know her better that I know any other person.  I know how she reacts to things, I know what she likes, what she is good at and whether I can trust her or not.  I know that I can because I really know her.  I am not timid with her and I am not timid with God because I have an authentic relationship with them.

Now timidity can also come from guilt on my part.  Maybe I really need Him to help me in a definite way but I have been doing some stuff that I know He has asked me not to do.  That would make me timid.

Maybe I just don’t believe Him when He said that if I ask He would give.  So my lack of faith would make me timid. 

So the truth is if I really don’t come to Him with confidence, with faith, with boldness then it really is a waste of time.  He has said that without faith it is impossible to please Him.  So I must figure out why I am timid and take care of the problem.

Is it a relational problem because I don’t know Him?  Is it because I don’t trust Him or I don’t follow Him, I feel guilty?

So that is where we start.  Start the relationship with confessing where you’ve blown it, asking Him to forgive you; then believing that He has forgiven you; then asking Him to come into your life to become the focal point of your life and then living for Him.  At that point you don’t need to be timid with Him; you can come boldly to Him.  He said you can so believe it.

So are you timid with God when you pray?

Comments

  1. I think timidity stems to a degree from a lack of faith, but perhaps more from a lack of understanding of prayer, and a resultant cynicism that is a far cry from our early childlike cries (which I reckon God loves to answer if at all possible).

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