Whatever question you might be asking yourself right now, here’s the answer: just pray. When we pray, we communicate with God. He has the answer to your questions and concerns. Today, we often want to hear from everyone else but now and always, we need an answer from God.
This begs another question… Why should we pray? Jesus said in Luke 18:1, "Men ought to always pray and not faint." I have learned that prayer is not always for the other person or situation. Prayer can be God's answer and instructions to and for you. While we often focus on wanting to fix or change someone else, God wants us to look first at ourselves so we can make changes in our lives for the better.
The word of God tells us to pray for our enemies. That's so powerful because blessings and cursing cannot come out of the same mouth. The word tells us to bless our enemies.
I was recently faced with a situation where I was subtly being attacked. I didn't retaliate. Instead, I got silent and began to ask God to give me an answer so I could correct the other person. When I started to pray, the person was already on my prayer list, so I could not say anything negative because I was already praying for them. That's when God had me to focus on myself.
I had to be willing to endure hardness as a good soldier. I had to search my heart to find a way to bless them, for the Word tells us, "...with lovingkindness have I drawn thee" (Jer. 31:3). Yes, it was the love of God that drew me, so it will take love to draw my enemy. It was not the answer I was looking for. I wanted to blame the attacker, but through prayer, God spoke to me about me. Oftentimes, God will allow situations to occur to show us who we are. He also uses negative situations to draw us closer to Him.
Today, I thank God for allowing the situation to occur so He could show me myself. It was easy for me to accept the wrong knowing that God would be glorified knowing that I pleased him. Today, I say, " But thanks be to God which gives us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Cor.15:57). He has your answer. Just go to him in prayer.
Remember the hymn writer says, "What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear, what a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer. Oh what peace we often forfeit, Oh what needless pains we bear, all because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer.” Now what is your problem? Prayer is your answer.
