Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “
I don't know about you, but my heart is so burdened by the suffering I see around me. People I love are hurting, and there doesn't seem to be any relief. The devotional that I've included below is from PrimeTime with God Daily Devotionals and it addresses some of my "whys". I still don't like it when good people suffer but as a dear friend who is suffering herself says, "I don't have to understand. I just have to trust."
What can I do? How can I help my friends who are hurting? I can pray.
But how do I pray, especially when I don't see an answer coming?
Confess sin and let the blood of Jesus cleanse. Prayer must flow from a cleansed vessel.
Psalm 66:18
“If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me.”
Pray fervently to be led by the Holy Spirit to the exact needs of the one for whom you are praying.
Romans 8:26 NLT
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
Pray in agreement with others.
Matthew 18:19-20 NLT
“I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 20 For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
Pray without ceasing. Pray until God answers.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Luke 18:1-8 NLT
One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”
Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”
Pray with the authority you have in Christ. His Holy Spirit lives in you and gives His power.
Mark 3:27 NLT
Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.
Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.
Pray the prayer of faith and claim the victory.
1 Corinthians 15:57 NLT
But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pray the Scriptures which are full of God's promises.
Below are three prayers that Paul prayed. When you don't know how to pray, pray along with Paul. Also, the Bible is full of God's promises. He tells us to pray in accordance with His perfect will. Praying the Scriptures is just that; it's lifting up God's promises to Him in prayer on behalf of others:
Ephesians 1:15-23
Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
Ephesians 3:14-21
When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Colossians 1:9-12
So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.
We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.
Don't stop praying for your family and friends - or for yourself, just because you don't see God answering.
He's answering with the most perfect answer. Like my friend says "we just have to trust Him."
Holy Father, I don't understand but I will trust You. You've shown Yourself to be loving and compassionate time after time. I know the love You have for us is immeasurable, greater than we could even begin to comprehend. This world is full of suffering and struggles but You sent Your Son to save us, and He has overcome this world. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Redeemer. We look forward to the day when there will be no more suffering or pain. But until then, use us, LORD, for Your glory. Help us to see each struggle as an opportunity to testify to Your faithfulness. Help us to remember that You are our strength and deliverer. You will not leave nor forsake us. Any thing we face, LORD, we face with You by our side. We give You all praise and honor.
Dear LORD, I pray today for all my friends who are suffering. We continue to lift them up to You, LORD, but there doesn't seem to be any relief from their pain and struggles. Please, LORD, hear our prayer for those who are hurting and feeling alone. Help them to feel Your loving arms around them, help them to feel Your strength, protection and provision. Father, help them to know You are with them and will not forsake them. Help them to trust in Your love and promises, even in the midst of their adversities.
Please forgive us when we fail to trust Your perfect plan for our lives. Your plan is for good and not evil, a plan to give us a hope and a future. Our hope is in You, Holy God. In the blessed Name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
http://youtu.be/qs2TQRUnE60 - My Savior My God - Aaron Shust
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Seeing Backward
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
"O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed" (Psalm 30:7).
It is often difficult to recognize the hand of God when we are in the midst of adversity. We often feel God has hidden His face from us. When the Lord takes us through deep valleys, there will be fruit from the deep valley that we cannot see. You must press into Him with all you have during this time.
God uses the deep valley to frame our lives to create a change in our nature, not just a change in habits. The depth and width of our valley is often an indicator of the level of calling and influence we will have on others in the future. Our adversity is not just for us, but others who will be in our future path of influence. This is not very comforting when you are in the middle of the valley, but know this is a truth in the Kingdom.
It is often years later when we discover the wisdom of God and why He intentionally led us through the dark valley. Life is often lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road and we stand on the mountain looking back at through valley that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale and the spiritual deposits He has made in our life while we were there. "He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light" (Job 12:22). When you begin to realize this, you sit back and breathe a sigh of relief because you know that God was in control all along. It didn't seem like it at the time, but He was.
Do you find yourself in the valley? Now is the time to fully trust Him to guide you to higher ground.
Today God Is First (TGIF) devotional message, Copyright by Os Hillman, Marketplace Leaders.
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