God promises that He will answer our prayers, but first we have to call to Him. He will answer our prayers, but we must be willing to submit to His timetable and His plan. He promises an answer but not necessarily the answer we desire. While we’re waiting for an answer, it’s not a bad idea to work on our relationship with the one who will be giving the answer.
difficult people. [2 Timothy 2:24 (NLT)]Oh Lord, I know you don’t expect me to like everyone, yet you do expect me to love them. That’s not an easy task. There are some people in the garden of my life who are like thistles. They are thorny and difficult and seem to cause irritation wherever they are. Like the thistle, they are troublesome and need to be handled with gloves. Yet, in spite of their prickly spines and pesky nature, the thistle blossoms are really quite lovely.
Help me, Lord, to see past the abrasiveness and sharp edges of the difficult people in my life so I can appreciate their beauty, too.
Give me patience, God, for you to work out everything in your own way and in your own time.
Thank you, Father, for reminding us that, although you make the plans, we have to do the work. Give us perseverance and endurance to keep working even when we see little or no progress. Thank you for your love, guidance, and patience. We know you have great plans for us; help us to achieve them.
Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on you. [Attributed to St. Ignatius Loyola]
Devotions of the Heart 