Be Watchful in Your Prayers

“Watch and pray” — Matthew 26:41.

We need to be watchful both about what we pray for and as we wait for an answer. Praying rightly requires as much wisdom as receiving an answer requires faith.

We recently met a friend who had lived in spiritual darkness for years because God had not answered certain prayers. This had brought him close to losing his faith.

A few moments of conversation were enough to convince him that those prayers had no basis in God’s promises. God had never promised to grant them. They concerned matters this man should have dealt with himself, using ordinary good sense.

This understanding freed him from the darkness of unbelief that had nearly ruined his Christian life. In some matters, we do not need to pray so much as act on the light God has already given us.

Many people ask God for special signs and supernatural indications of His will. Our task is to act on the light we have already received. He will then give us whatever more we need.