7 Prayers That Work

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...

"Dear God, if it's Your will, please . . ." That's the spiritual way to pray, right? For God's will. And then we proceed to tell Him what His will should be. We'd like a clear-cut path toward a desirable destination. And a nice view along the way. In Hebrews 11, you can read about a whole list of people who spoke with God and heard His response. They heard God's will, about moving to a new land, shaking off slavery, conquering kingdoms, enduring persecution. They prayed for God's will (a plan), they submitted to God's will (their obedience), and then God led them in His will (their destiny). God's will can mean all 3 things. So what and how should we pray for God's will? Accept an unknown outcome  Here are two curious aspects of God's will--He often doesn't tell us the details first, and He doesn't even promise we'll know why something happened. He just expects blind obedience to His written Word. Heb. 11:39 says, ...

Phil. 1:29 "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him." Nothing is as isolating as true misery. It's why we must look up instead of in, why we must cry out instead of cry, why we must endure suffering instead of resist it. Paul explains in Phil. 1:29, that God grants us suffering. The word grant is  charizomai  in Greek, meaning "to give freely, to forgive, to do something pleasant or agreeable." Giving us the opportunity to suffer for Christ is a GIFT. Wow! That seems like a real oxymoron, doesn't it? In the same way that good parents give their children chores and responsibilities to mold and strengthen their character, God gives us trials to mold and strengthen our character. We can choose to respond like immature, selfish children--complain, resist, or rebel--or we can respond like "little Christs" (i.e. Christians )--believe, hope, and endure, knowing that God is working...