Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
I'm sure you've heard people say this after they have exhausted all other resources, and tried by their own efforts to change an outcome that just doesn't want to change no matter what efforts are placed against it. Perhaps it is regarding a bad workplace situation, or a terminal illness of a loved one, or a child that is bent on destruction...all efforts to make the problem go away have failed, and now all that is left is to give up, and pray, and maybe God will grant a miracle.....or maybe not.
James 5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Why do we think when a situation doesn't turn the way we think it should that it is because: 1. God isn't watching or listening 2. God isn't there, He's busy with other things or 3. God doesn't exist (atheist)? From having paid attention to events as they have occurred in my life, I see that God has always been faithful, that the things that haven't turned out the way I wanted ended up being for the best anyway, and that God does have a plan for each of us and often the things that happen (or don't happen the way we want them to) occur because the Lord is using those situations to prune us, to dig around our hard soil, so that proper growth can take place. David went through terrible hardships. His thoughts and prayers, his sorrow and shame, are recorded for us in his Psalms that were sung to the Lord as he patiently waited on the Lord, knowing that no matter what happened God is good and knows what He's doing, and that in the final end it is all for the best.
Psalm 34:8,15 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
When I pray I do have a "this is how I want it to turn out, Lord" in mind, but the Lord sees more than I do. He sees long-term and I only see immediate short-term benefits. Plus I don't see how all of the pieces are to fit together. The fact that I want rain to make my flowers grow might interfere with the fact that a family a couple of doors away is praying it doesn't rain until they are able to repair their roof that is in very bad shape (as a poor example, but you get the idea; what is a blessing for me might be a curse for someone else and the world does not revolve around me).
So the next time you are tempted to say "All we can do is pray" instead say "How wonderful it is we can talk with the Lord about this in prayer!".
The longer I live the more I know this to be true. I find Romans 8:28 of great comfort as well, in case I believe that something bad has happened~because in Him ALL things work together for good.
ReplyDeleteVery well timed post! Thank you.
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer :) Even if our bad times make us more anxious and ready to meet Jesus, it's a good thing! A few years here and forever with the Lord! Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI have a 94-year-old father who, sadly, sees no point in prayer. I explained that our attitude in approaching Him is crucial, that He's not a vending machine for instance wish-granting, and that His ways/thoughts are much higher than ours. Sadly, dad's spent most of his life believing only what goes on between his own 2 ears. Reading/believing the Word is way down low on his totem pole.
ReplyDeleteSo true Peggy, talking with God benefits us more than it benefits Him, He gets to bless us in ways that bless eternally not just this temporary time limited life. I hope the eyes of his understanding open while he still has a little time left.
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