Words that Inspire

I am learning not to pray in a place of fear. Why are you fretting? Child of the

Why are you fretting? Child of the most high God, why are you troubled and worried?

Sometimes, instead of an answer to the mile-long list of problems I bring to his feet in prayer, I often hear the Holy Spirit, ask that question. I learned from my pastor, that if certain things are not working well, you might want to check you first, before hunting for the reason outside.  In doing that, I discovered two things:

We do not Listen to our own prayers

We often mistake ‘listening’ as an action or activity that happens in the part of a discussion, when someone else is speaking. It is easy to forget that listening is more than just hearing words, but sometimes, tone, physical action, and intent. Listening is a step higher than just hearing the sound of a person’s voice, but it is also understanding what the person is saying. If you do not understand, then you can ask questions and so on. As important as it is to listen to others, it is also important to listen to what we, ourselves, say.

The Bible tells us in Prov 13:3

Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,
but those who speak rashly will come to ruin (NIV).

And also in Matthew 6:7

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words(NIV).

You cannot tell whether you are speaking rashly or babbling on and on, unless you are paying attention and listening to yourself. While paying attention to my prayers, I realized the second thing:

Our prayer lives are built on fear

Too often, the times when our prayer lives are the most fervent and the most consistent is when a situation that causes us to worry and fear is going on. We run to God and we cry out in distress, and just like the children of Israel, in the old testament once there is a resolution, we go back to a place where praying is no longer a priority.

Whenever the Bible speaks of praying, I have yet to read a place where it says come to God with anxiety and fear. It always says:

Pray in Faith

Pray in his will

Pray with thanksgiving

Pray for others

Pray with a good motive

Pray in truth, etc.

A distressing situation may take us to God (Psalm 102:17), but our prayer lives cannot be built on fear alone. We must learn to come to him in thanksgiving and faith (Philippians 4:6).When our relationship with God is only built on fear, we are giving more power to the enemy and that worrisome situation than they deserve. No matter what drives us to a place of prayer, we should not leave and remain in a constant state of fear and anxiety. If we are praying to God because we believe that he holds the answers, then we should also believe that he is a God that hears and that will answer. We need to learn to pray through our situations.

He is the God whose words will never be void, and who will never the prayers of his children. He is the lion of the tribe of Judah, who rules and reigns in praises and in majesty. If we truly trust in him, then we cannot panic at the slightest things. We cannot allow fear and anxiety to form the basis of our relationship with God.

He’s Got our back

I have learned not to panic when distressing situations occur. It is a human emotion to feel distressed and fright. However, with God’s help, I am working on not letting a panic attack be my response to those situations. It is just like a child who gets beaten by someone else, their age. They might cry, but when they remember that they have an older sibling who is stronger than the opponent, they know that there will be victory. All they need to do is cry out to that sibling, and things will be set right.

In that same way, when the storms of life rage and pressure pour in from all sides, it is worth remembering, that we have a God that is bigger than every situation. He is wonderful and great, and a warrior that has NEVER been defeated. Forget the size of the situation! Take it to God and trust that he has got it. When he has resolved it, remember to thank him. Also, do not forget to keep in touch with him and live right. If we keep that in mind when situations occur, what do we have to fret about?