7 Prayers That Work

What kind of prayer do you pray most often? Requests, probably. Me, too. Requests    are my website's most-clicked on kind of prayer. It seems we're all looking for the right way to ask God to help us. Guess what the second-most popular prayer is? Lamentation. The lament. I love that. I have an audience of grievers and groaners. Praise God. Learning to lament has been one of the most impactful aspects of my spiritual growth. Instead of crying in sorrow, lamenting teaches you to cry out to God (that's the literal meaning of lament). Lamentation is faith in action, maybe even more than when I make a request. When I lament, I dump my heavy burdens, my grief, and my hopelessness at God's feet and say something like, "I don't know what you're doing in my life right now, but help me trust you. I choose to believe you will work all things together for my good. But oh, God, this hurts so much. Cover me with your Spirit!" When I make a req...

Dear God of all comfort, You get grief. It sucks, doesn't it? Grief interrupts the joy of living and suffocates you. It's like dying but knowing you will eventually come up for air, and you will not pass out. You will live through it. You get it. You felt grief in the sharpest way possible. You were betrayed and rejected by the object of your love and sacrifice. And then you were rejected by your Father. You bore the weight of the sins of the whole world--the horrific acts of violence, cruelty, and debauchery. You felt them and You wore them as You died. And because You know what grief is, You are the only true comforter. So comfort us. Spread Your peace like a quilt over the shoulders of those who grieve parents, children, and the lives they hoped to live. Give each of us hope and confidence that You have a plan for us--You will prosper and keep us in Your perfect will. Grief is just a part of Your will. It's just not the part we wanted to experience. To und...