Everything is Going Wrong
Sometimes things look like they are not changing. We’ve tried everything that we can think of to do. Self help books didn’t do anything for the situation, the advice we got from our family and friends didn’t help, and when we prayed to God it felt like we were talking to a wall. How can we overcome and push through these life situations? Does prayer really work? Does God hear me?
What Speaks Louder?
When we are going through a tough time, we can ask what we should do, and inevitably someone will tell us that we should pray about it. The problem that we have is that praying can seem like it isn’t working because we don’t see anything change right away. Not seeing that change right away can dampen our spirits. The problem will still be there and it can feel like it’s screaming at us and that we need to do something about it.
Prayer Works
Prayer works because it speaks to our trust in God. It is us giving that problem to God and allowing Him to instruct us on what to do. While the problem may want our attention or there may be a deadline looming, prayer allows us to take our time.
The Struggle
It is the in between time that we struggle with. We’ve prayed about it and now we’re trying to wait to hear what God wants us to do. A day can go by, a week, maybe even a month, where we can question if God heard us.
The first step we have to make is Be confident that God does hear us.
1 John 5:14 (KJV)
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
Trust God
Knowing that God hears us allows us to then trust that He will do something about it. We pray because many situations that we find ourselves in require a strength and a peace greater than what we can muster.
Praying keeps our mind on God and not on the problem or the situation in front of us. Our prayers don’t have to be some super deep, super spiritual act, but more of a conversation between two people. It can be something like:
“Lord, I’m struggling with this situation. I ask for your guidiance and that my heart be open to hear from you. I’m giving this completely to you and trusting you to handle it. In Jesus Name, Amen.”
How has prayer helped you get through tough times? Leave a comment below and tell your story.
