Pray for Me

 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Psalm 23:4

How often have you been asked to pray for someone? Often times there is little to no explanation as to the circumstances, but just a simple request for prayer. While there is nothing wrong with this and can be used to encourage someone, I wonder how they would react if they received a prayer they weren't expecting. For example, let's say someone is facing a financial problem that you know was brought on by the poor decisions of the person asking for prayer. How would they react if you prayed something like this? "Father, I ask that this financial burden bring my friend to their breaking point so they would learn to fully trust in you to lead them and guide them when it comes to making decisions about their money." I doubt the friend would receive this prayer kindly and would probably be offended and may even end the friendship. I bring this up because so many people seek prayer for problems that were simply the byproduct of their own decisions. While God can be and has been a miracle worker, do we ever think about the position we put God in when we pray for relief from our circumstances? We all too often want God to fill up the holes that we have dug on our own. But, if we think about our own relationships, how often does someone learn their lesson when we are constantly bailing them out? Rarely does a person learn to change their behavior when they know somebody is always going to be there to "right the ship" when it goes "off course." If God were to always respond to our problems in the way in which we desire Him to respond, it could just validate our poor choices and thus leave us with no incentive to change; only encourage us to keep living the same way.

How many Christians, who have their eyes on their flesh, live their lives as if God has promised them that they would live prosperous lives? And they will cherry-pick scripture after scripture in order to justify their beliefs.  People, in general, pursue lives that maximize their pleasure and minimize their pain. This is understandable, but is not necessarily biblical. Jesus Christ said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33).” Jesus told us plainly that we will have trouble in this world. Yet, for so many people, they live as if trouble is not supposed to be a part of their lives. God has not guaranteed any of us a life free from problems nor has He guaranteed that the problems we face will go away. What He does promise is that He will "walk through" those problems with us, in Christ. The peace that we experience as Christians, and is available to others by coming to faith in Christ, comes from knowing that God will walk through "the valley of the shadow of death" with us. He doesn't say He will remove the valley. He doesn't say He will lead us around the valley. He doesn't say He will carry us over the valley. No, we have to walk through the valley and He promises to be right there with us. When the God of the universe is with you, then you will have peace. A peace that comes from knowing that He is with you always, He will never leave you or forsake you, He completely loves you, He doesn't hold your sins against you, He totally accepts you, He has given you eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ and He indwells you forever. It is knowing this about our God that leads us to finding reasons to be thankful in any and every circumstance we face. Perhaps, before you ask for prayer the next time you're faced with a crisis, you will first pray to God and ask, "What can I learn about You from this trouble I am experiencing in my life?" Perhaps, it will change what it is you ask others to pray for and will change how you respond the next time someone asks you for prayer. God Bless.