The Loop Cycle

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to keep praying the same prayer and still feel like nothing is changing? You want God to provide, to open the right doors, and you do trust Him, at least for a little while. But then fear sneaks in, and you start striving, trying to make things happen in your own strength. Worry builds, doubts creep in, and before long you are right back where you started. It’s frustrating when you look back at all the work and sacrifice you have put in, just to get nowhere.

That’s what I call the loop cycle.

Here’s how it looks:

1. We ask God for His provision.

2. We start out trusting Him.

3. Fear creeps in.

4. We go back to striving in our own power.

5. We end up worrying and doubting.

6. We circle back to the same prayer again.

And it repeats. Over and over.

Fear in Disguise

The hard part is that we don’t always realize fear is in charge. Fear feels responsible. It feels safe. It even masquerades as wisdom. But at the end of the day, fear keeps us stuck, even paralyzes our growth in some cases. Look at these examples:

• You may be praying for the right staff member. God sends someone, but they don’t look like what you imagined. So you pass them over.

• You may be asking for more clients. But the answer comes in the form of investing in marketing to grow your reach, and that just feels too risky. So you stay where you are.

• You may be asking for more space. Only to turn down a free building on the wrong side of town because it needs some work and is a longer drive for staff.

The truth is, God rarely answers our prayers inside our comfort zones. He loves us too much to leave us there. We just need to have spiritual eyes to see the possibility.

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” — Isaiah 43:19

Jesus Took Risks

Think about Jesus. He was not afraid to take risks. He talked with women that society ignored. He touched lepers. He overturned tables in the temple. Even the disciples he chose were outside of what was considered to be “safe and acceptable” . Then time after time, he asked them to take risks and step outside of their comfort zones. And if we’re following Him, we can expect that He’ll call us out of ours too.

Missing the Blessing

Sometimes we beg God for an answer, but when it doesn’t come the way we expect, we walk right past it. Remember Abraham and Isaac? Abraham was asked to make what felt like an enormous sacrifice, to place his son on the altar. Hopefully God isn’t asking you for something that huge but sometimes He is asking us to sacrifice our comfort, our expectations, and our own ideas of how He should answer.

That’s what makes intercession different from other kinds of prayer. It often means laying down your time, your emotions, and your own blueprint for how God should provide. 

In obedience, Abraham discovered God as Jehovah Jireh, which literally means “The Lord Will Provide.” He is the God who sees what you need and meets it. Sometimes it happens in ways that stretch us, but it’s always for our good. 

So let me ask you: What are you praying for right now?

And more importantly: Have you already placed limits on how God can answer? Are you only open to Him providing inside your comfort zone?

Maybe the answer you’ve been waiting for is already here. Don’t miss it. Don’t let fear disguise itself as wisdom and keep you stuck in the loop cycle. Step out, take the risk, and trust the Lord to be your Jehovah Jireh.

Breaking Free from the Loop Cycle

So how do we get out of the loop cycle?

• Identify the fear. Name the place where fear is calling the shots.

• Surrender the picture. Release your preset expectations of what the answer must look like.

• Step into the risk. Faith always requires movement. Obey even if it feels uncomfortable.

• Anchor in God’s character. He has always been faithful. He is Jehovah Jireh.

• Stay surrendered daily. Keep asking, “Lord, how do You want to answer this prayer?”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” — Proverbs 3:5-6

A Sincere Offer

If you need prayer, for strength, for courage, for direction, or for anything else, I would love the honor of praying for you. And I bet I’m not the only one. If you feel comfortable, drop a prayer request in the comments so that others can stand with you in faith. If you’d rather keep it private, please feel free to send me a direct message. You don’t have to walk this out alone.