He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted-Job 5:9

 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him. John 5:14-15

 …‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you…”-2 Kings 20:5

 

He’ll Make the Miracle Happen

There are things in our lives that fill us with fear
And sometimes they strike fast as lightning.
There are times in our lives when we feel overwhelmed
And can’t find the strength to keep fighting.
What can we do when we’re down for the count
And when the smoke clears we find we’re still crying?
Where can we turn when we’ve turned everywhere
Only to find our dreams dying?

Well, we can’t just give up,
We can’t wallow in pain,
We gotta get up and take action.
When we pray to God,
We open the gates
For Him to make miracles happen.

For God did not give us a spirit of fear;
No, he gave us love, discretion, and power.
We are called by the Lord to have faith in His word
Even while surrounded by doubters.
So when we feel lost, and our heart’s filled with fear
And we believe we are down for the count,
We must pray to the Lord, asking for help
For we still have battles to mount.

So we can’t just give up,
We can’t wallow in pain,
We gotta get up and take action.
When we pray to God,
We open the gates
For Him to make miracles happen.
©Linda Troxell 12-15-16

 

I am a grandmother. After God, my daughter and my grandchildren are the most important things in my life. There is literally nothing I would not do for them. When they ask me for something, be it help or something material, it makes me very happy to give it to them; because, it makes me happy when they involve me in their lives. However, I am very careful to respect their boundaries. Because I do not want to meddle. No matter how I feel about what they do in their lives, or how they do it, I try to keep quiet unless asked. I respect their right to do things the way they choose.

One time, not too long ago, as I was watching my daughter struggle with an issue and I longed to step in and help but I was waiting to be asked, I began to wonder if this is how God feels too. I think it is how He feels when he watches us struggle and is waiting for us to pray for his help. Suddenly, it became clear to me that, although God longs to be involved with every aspect of our lives, and He wants to give us what will make us happy, He must wait until He is asked, in order to get involved in our affairs. If we want God’s help we have to invite Him into our lives through prayer. Prayer activates God.

Why then, do we tend to wait until we have tried everything we can think of to solve our problems before we pray for God’s help? How many times, when you’ve been up against the wall frightened and at a loss for an answer, have you said to yourself, ” Well, I guess all that’s left now is prayer.” Why in the world do we use prayer as the last resort? Prayer should be the first thing we think of. Asking God into our troubles is the highest honor we can give Him. He wants to be with us through the hard times as well as the good times. But He will not insert Himself unless asked. When God created us He gave us free will. That is not something He violates just because He sees we are in trouble. No, God respects our wishes. If we want to do it alone He will let us. But if we say the simplest of prayers He will be right there, for He longs to help us. In John 5:14-15 the Bible tells us just that: …if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him.

The Bible also tells us that God knows what we need before we ask Him. However, it does not say He will provide it before we ask Him. The only way to activate God’s help in our lives is through prayer. The prayers we say are more than ordinary words, they have power in and of themselves. And when we include God’s own words in our prayer the prayer is even more powerful. Why? Because it tells us in Psalm 103:20 that His angels…do His commandments, hearkening unto His word. To say to God, “Father, I need healing and I trust you to heal me.”, is a powerful prayer. However, if you add God’s own words to that prayer saying, for example, from 2 Kings 20:5 “Father in your own words you promised, ‘…I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.’, and I believe you will keep that promise to me.”, you have an even more powerful prayer. Including God’s words in any prayer adds power above and beyond the power inherent in the prayer itself.

There are many reasons that Prayer should be our first line of defense when we are in trouble. God is in a unique position to help us. He alone knows the big picture.  Maybe there is some solution that is much better than what we are wishing for. Maybe what we want would actually be more harmful than helpful given what our future holds. God is the only one who can know that. God is the only one who can truly change any situation. Let’s face it after we have tried to solve our problem in the few of the most obvious ways, we are pretty much left with worrying and anxiety. Worrying never changed anything. But God can change everything. From comfort amidst our pain to a miracle that cures our pain, it is only God who can truly change a situation. God has unlimited possibilities.  When we are searching for an answer on our own, we are limited to thinking about only those things which we know, things we have experienced or imagined. But God is not limited by our imagination. He is not limited by anything. The Bible tells us that God can perform miracles, Job 5:9 tells us that: He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, we should ask for God’s help through prayer because it makes God happy when we invite Him into our lives. Given the love and care God has given us, is it too much to ask that we make Him happy by inviting Him into to our lives to help solve our problems? I think it is obvious that when we are in trouble, instead of floundering around trying to find an answer until we give up and give into worry and anxiety, our first move, and our next move and the next and the next after that, should be to invite God into our troubles through prayer.

 

Points for Prayer and Pondering

1.  When was the last time you had a big problem and felt you had no options? Did you turn to God first? If not why not?

2. Write about a time when you were out of options and you asked God for help (even if it wasn’t your first choice) and He gave you a solution you had not considered. Remember, the solution might not have come during or right away after the prayer, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t from God.

3. Write a short prayer that you can keep handy for times when you need to turn to God for help; try using God’s own words in the prayer.