Is there ever a time when God wants us to stop praying about something? And how would we know if He does? Dr. Charles Stanley responds to a viewer email. In Touch Ministries, 2012. For more messages from Charles Stanley, including this week’s broadcast, go to www.intouch.org/watch

Jesus taught that we should always pray

and not give up do you remember the

parable of the persistent Widow she

sought justice from a corrupt judge and

it was only because of her constant

pleading that the judge grudgingly ruled

in her favor the lesson was this God

will surely give justice to his chosen

people who cry out to him day and night

but is there ever an instance when God

might tell us to stop praying that’s the

question we’ll examine with today’s

viewer email it reads if I’m persisting

in prayer about something how will I

know when it’s time to quit praying for

instance could there be things of people

I’m praying for that ought to stop

praying about and how will I know well

let’s consider a number of other

scriptures before we get into that

because Jesus talked about we aren’t

always to pray and to faint not in Luke

18 and then for example Paul said in

first Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 17

praying always so these verses imply

that we ought to be always praying and

so to say that we should cease praying

about anything sounds unreasonable and

unscriptural but if you go back to

Joshua chapter 7 and you recall that

Joshua and the nation of Israel were

doing well in their war in the new land

until they came to AI and somehow

instead of seeking God’s direction and

wisdom they just decided to go ahead and

attack and as a result they were

defeated and one of the reasons they

were defeated was because someone

violated God’s law about taking for

themselves what they found in AI and

here in the 7th chapter of Joshua we

find Joshua on his face crying out to

God because of their defeat in the

battle of AI and here’s what you’ll read

Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the

earth on his face before the Ark of the

Lord praying through the evening then

the scripture says he cried at Oh Lord

God why did you ever bring this people

this far Oh Lord what can I say since

this world has turned their back on you

so on and on and on he goes until

finally the scripture says that God came

to him why

he was praying and said to him Joshua

rise up why is it that you have fallen

on your face and what he’s saying is why

you keep praying it’s time to act you

need to deal with the issue while you’re

where you are so in this particular

instance God was saying to him doesn’t

mean that he should never pray about it

anymore

but it means what he was asking God for

God was revealing to him what the issue

was and it was time for him to correct

the problem so when the Bible says pray

without ceasing it doesn’t mean that we

just stop praying all together it means

that we have to stop praying maybe about

a particular thing we’re praying about

sometimes because we are to know the

answer all of us have found themselves

in that situation crying out to God

praying him about something he’s out

adult is what to do or what not to do or

while we in the situation we are in so

there are times when we have to act not

simply pray sometimes the reason we keep

pray it’s because we’re afraid to act

and it’s easier to keep talking to God

about it than to stop and do what God

has called us to do we cease when the

request is not God’s will and our faith

is wavering for example if you’re asking

God about something and it’s not his

will and he shows you and brings to your

mind and heart

that there’s something wrong about what

you’re asking that’s the time to stop

but it doesn’t mean stop praying but

rather change your course God what are

you saying to me now how do you want me

to pray what is your will what is your

design this situation and I think all of

us have been at that point there been

times in my life when I would be praying

about something asking God to give me

something or show me something there was

his will and it deep in my heart I knew

exactly what I was supposed to do then

there have been other times when I would

pray about situations and circumstances

there was not the will of God and

finally it’s almost like I just ran out

I thought oh Lord what’s happening and

then he shows us what the issue is when

God removes the burden is another time

for example you to stop praying about

something and I’m suddenly sure

my own heart I prayed about things and

prayed and prayed and finally the burden

was gone which said to me that was

another Lord that’s what I thought would

be the right thing to do but God is

involved in our prayer so what does he

do he lifts the burden for us to pray

and so therefore we cease if something

is not the will of God he’s not going to

stir your heart to pray he’s not going

to encourage you in that prayer and the

Spirit of God is not going to be there

with a sense of victory and awareness of

God’s presence and you’re going to get

the answer it’s not that way that times

that we have to change our prayer that

times for example in our situations

circumstance is not what God wants us to

do what he wants us to pray for and then

of course when we ask him to show us to

give us direction and he does you say

well how long do you keep praying for

the same thing

when you know that you have the answer

you change your prayer then you start

thanking God and praising him and asking

him to to show you his will and how to

walk through this whatever it might be

the Spirit releases us from the burden

and the desire disappears when we are in

the sin of God’s will and pray

Thanksgiving is a vital part of our

prayer and what it says is thank you

Lord I’ve heard you and I’m grateful

well thank you for joining us today

friend touch God tells us in psalm 32

that he will instruct us and teach us in

the way we should go he will counsel us

with his eye upon us and if necessary he

will move heaven and earth to show you

his will