Let your prayers be grounded in the character of God and not in your circumstances

Let your prayers be grounded in the character of God and not in your circumstances

I recently went through a personal challenge which placed focus on much prayer and exercising of faith. I'll leave out the details of this challenge so that I can get right down to the point of this short post. 

I was looking back at this episode in my life recently and in hindsight I was able to identify something that I think we all might miss in that moment of crisis. Due to the challenge facing me, my prayers were focused on asking God to solve the crisis; to take away the cause of my suffering, to fix that which was broken. Having gone through this challenge, I have to admit that the strain and the uncertainty in that moment tended to shape my prayers into these types of requests of God, into a plea, or a petition for a resolution or a fix of the problem.

I'm not sure what you think, but thinking back on my episode, I started pondering the thought that praying is such a way seems to place one's faith on the expectation of an answer rather than placing it on the Person you are praying to. My hope was focused more on the manifestation than on the Giver of the solution. It's a very subtle difference, yet with the luxury of hindsight, this difference was becoming very clear.

So, what is the message, or moral, that I want to motivate you with? 

Through this incident, I have learned that when one prays, specifically in a moment of challenge or crisis, specifically when one is desperate for an answer, let the basis of your plea, or petition, be grounded on the character of God, more than the hope of getting an immediate answer to prayer. Having meditated on this I have concluded that there is more comfort and strength in faith when it is placed in who you know God is, rather than in what God can do.

Did you get that? Read the above paragraph again, slowly. When you pray, let your mouth speak out the words that best suit your needs, but more importantly, let your mind and heart be steadfast on the strength, and love, and wisdom, and faithfulness, of God, not on trying to coax God into answering your prayer. Stand on the sureness that God is all-wise, and all-knowing, and all-powerful, to handle your crisis with infinite ability and perfect timing than to stack up a repetition of words that seemingly have little value and power in the uncertainties of that challenge.

Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.

Isaiah 25:1 O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

Lamentations 3:22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!"

Psalm 18:1 I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

I hope this thought of encouragement brings you peace and strength when you need it.

God bless.