Author’s note: For much of my life I look back and ultimately found myself desperately far from the will of God, this affected my prayer life. Not understanding the will of God makes for an impotent, if not destructive, prayer life and one likely a spring pad for idolatrous, self-righteous behavior.
Through a faithful dedication to better understand the Lord’s expectation for my life I made the decision to seek His will by reading the Scriptures daily and frequently. Especially in this day and age, when we run the gauntlet of every worldly distraction with its deadly intent to succumb to temptation, each of us needs to seek, holiness and righteousness through God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
As I’ve given my life to the Lord, I’ve become more familiar with the kinds of struggles experienced by a wide spectrum of faithful believers from a poor woman who suffers the death of her child, to the many prophets who were persecuted although they were used powerfully as servants of God. Even Jesus Christ Himself struggled and suffered the supreme sacrifice at the hands of all who both hated and were indifferent to Him.
Many of us have discovered wonderful blessing and deliverance in this earthly life, and may you receive or continue to receive blessings from God. Yet If we can count on anything, we can count on more struggle, suffering, strife, and finally death.
By studying the Bible, I’ve become more aware of what are blessings from God in the midst of often great suffering caused by our fallen nature in a world that suffers from brokenness and sin.
Everyone of us is subjected to our own sinful weaknesses, catastrophes and struggles with the natural world as well as the spiritual forces of evil at work through corrupted institutions.
From the Apostle Paul stated in Ephesian 6:12:
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
But we are left with these assurances (among many others):
John 16:33, spoken by Christ to His disciples:
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.“
From Genesis 50:20 from the story of Joseph who early in his life was betrayed by his brothers:
“…But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”
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I read the following prayer recently from a friend posted online and it caused me to think about how effective it could be in light of Biblical truth:
Lord, keep my friends and family safe in this world. Guide them away from harm and help them to have wonderful lives. Amen
Inspired by this simple prayer, I thought to form a prayer like this:
Lord, keep my friends and loved ones from succumbing to temptation. Bless them with the strength, wisdom and peace to endure the suffering, threats, and persecution that this world in its foolishness creates in its utter hate against You. May my friends and loved ones walk in righteousness through their diligence in seeking Your will that Your Kingdom may be done on earth as it is in heaven. By faith and trust in your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins, may we may live by Your eternal grace. Amen
CKY
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