Prayer

1st of all I would like to say that the state of my core is feeling a lot better and has been for the past couple of days. So that's good.

On Thursday night "Daniel and the Ryan's Den" (DJ, Ryan K, and myself) did two seperate prayer walks at Long Beach State then at Cal State Fullerton. We were praying for our campuses and the different aspects of it where we would like to see change. It was cool. I feel like my prayer life is a weakness. At the Campus Crusade for Christ conference in San Diego Jaeson Ma asked if we wanted to make a commitment to pray for an hour a day for every day of the year. I was about to stand up because my friends did but then I realized that I probably wasn't going to be able to do it. Of course, if I changed my schedule around and made a total effort it would be feasible. But I did not want to lie to God or myself. I strive to read about two pages out of the Bible each day but only occasionally do I read that much... While we were leaving Long Beach I was thinking about a couple places in Scripture where it talks about prayer.

Here they are:
"For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you". Matthew 17:20.

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours". Mark 11:24

I wish I had this amount of trust and belief that God would answer my prayers. Recently I have been praying for a friend who is having trouble with her knees and wrists. I'm trying really hard to believe that God is going to take care of that. Most of the time when I pray I ask for things that I think would be fantastic if they really happen but I doubt that they ever will.

I was in the word last night and came across a passage that goes along with what I'm talking about. It is where a father of a child with an unclean spirit is asking Jesus' disciples to cast it out from him. This unclean spirit is tourturing this kid by throwing him into fire and water, convulsions, and causing foam to come out of his mouth. The disciples couldn't cast it out but then Jesus steps in.

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:23

I love the dad's response:

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24

I feel like when I pray that I pray with 50% belief and 50% non belief. I need the Lord to help me with me non-belief.