"May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you."
Psalm 20:1 ESV
"May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!" Psalm 20:5 ESV
It is hard to remember when we are in the middle of a troubling situation, but while we are in the middle of them and wondering how in the world it will ever end or how we will get out of it, we aren't doing anything proactive to get out of it. More often, I would say that we tend to worry.
Worry is a negative response that every single person has wired into themselves in some form. It does nothing to help us in a situation other than to focus our attention on the problem at hand rather than looking for a solution. Prayer, on the other hand, is a positive and calming response that draws you and I back into God's family and will allow us to focus on God our Father rather than the problems we are facing. Prayer will help calm the storm that blows inside you. When we are being tossed back and forth, we should be praying instead of worrying.
Jesus tells us that in those moments of trouble we need to pray for ourselves and others....
"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” Matthew 6:5 ESV
Psalm 20:1 ESV
"May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!" Psalm 20:5 ESV
It is hard to remember when we are in the middle of a troubling situation, but while we are in the middle of them and wondering how in the world it will ever end or how we will get out of it, we aren't doing anything proactive to get out of it. More often, I would say that we tend to worry.
Worry is a negative response that every single person has wired into themselves in some form. It does nothing to help us in a situation other than to focus our attention on the problem at hand rather than looking for a solution. Prayer, on the other hand, is a positive and calming response that draws you and I back into God's family and will allow us to focus on God our Father rather than the problems we are facing. Prayer will help calm the storm that blows inside you. When we are being tossed back and forth, we should be praying instead of worrying.
Jesus tells us that in those moments of trouble we need to pray for ourselves and others....
"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” Matthew 6:5 ESV
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6:6 ESV
“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” Luke 18:1 ESV
All throughout Scripture God makes it crystal clear to you and I that we should pray, devote ourselves to prayer, pray without ceasing, pray continually, and pray boldly with the God who loves us. Even Jesus took time to withdraw into a secret and quiet place to pray. He knew that He needed to spend time with the Father. If Jesus needed this quiet and secret time with God, how much more do you and I need to spend time with Him?
Why don't we spend more time with God? What is keeping us from being consistent with our prayer lives? I can tell you that I was one that used to think that God didn't actually hear me all the time. I felt like He picked and chose which of my requested He heard and responded to. The thing is. I only prayed when I was worried or in trouble. I didn't have a healthy prayer life and sin kept Him from hearing me too. It wasn't until I "nailed" the worry and sin down that I saw a break through in my life.
So if you will, let me suggest that the next time you feel worried or stressed out about a situation, that you turn it over to God in prayer. Let God draw you back into the center of His will for you and trust in Him to work everything out. Most importantly, don't wait until the storm hits to start praying. You can start out small, just 10 minutes a day, and God will most certainly bless you for it. And before you know it, you will be in constant communication with the Father.
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