07292023 Praying in Suffering - Worship

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the only true God, the one who is unparalleled in all His ways. Below is the next segment in my study on praying during trials. I found this to be very thought-provoking.

Category Four - Worship

“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshiped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:20-21). After his initial round of horrific trials, Job worshiped God. In the end, Job worshiped again by recognizing God’s omnipotence and His unstoppable plan and purpose. “I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee” (Job 42:2). “Father, I thankfully accept all Your blessings when You choose to give them, and I acknowledge Your ability to do everything You choose to do.”

In II Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat faced an enormous military threat. He immediately “set himself to seek the LORD” (v. 3). When he led the people in prayer, he worshiped: “Art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? And in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee” (v. 6). He expressed his absolute dependence on his mighty God. “We have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee” (v. 12). The next day, as he obeyed God’s instruction to go out and watch God’s salvation, he “appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever’” (v. 21). Even as they faced the enemy, they worshiped God with songs and praises. “Father, I humbly admit my dependence on Your greatness, and I willingly choose to do whatever You instruct for me.”

The psalms are filled with this determination to worship even in difficult times. As an example, in Psalm 7, David discusses the unwarranted threat brought against him by Cush. He prays for God’s help, but even before David sees deliverance, he declares, “I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high” (v. 17). Likewise, many of the other psalms, although they describe terrific suffering, close with similar statements of worship. “Father, I admiringly acknowledge Your magnificence, and I praise You for all that You are.”

These three Old Testament examples demonstrate aspects of worship. In the midst of suffering, these three men chose to focus on God and on who He is, and their focus on this great God impacted their words and actions. Their worship included acknowledgement that God can discern when to bless and when to withhold, exaltation of God’s characteristics, dependence of frail humans upon a great God, obedience to relevant and timely direction, singing of God’s greatness, and thanks for the characteristics of God. In essence, worship is admitting that man is nothing and God is everything, and then responding accordingly in word and action to that realization.

Worship demonstrates our determination to magnify and honor God even in the midst of what is difficult. In spite of suffering, we are still saying that He is great. We are still demonstrating that He deserves our devotion and service. Worship is deliberate, not incidental. Sometimes it means that we choose to think or say or do something when it is not what we want to think or say or do. Due to the demands, disillusionment, or discouragement of our suffering, we might not want to read the Bible, meditate, pray, go to church, teach Sunday school, sing in the choir, serve others, give a testimony, etc., but worship is choosing to do so anyway. Perhaps the most poignant act of worship is to resolutely determine to continue following God when we are tempted to turn away from a God whose actions we do not like or understand.

Our choices to honor, exalt, serve, and follow God demonstrate that we believe He is worthy. These choices reveal our determination to do things we would rather not do simply because we know they honor Him. This is the spirit of Romans 12:1, which calls us to “present [our] bodies a living sacrifice,” which is a reasonable service of worship. “Father, I long to say and do the right thing and to follow You even when it is hard, because I know that it pleases You.”

The New Testament provides numerous foundations for worshipful statements in the context of suffering. These aspects of God’s greatness, revealed during suffering, provide content for our worship. God’s love transcends all types of suffering (Romans 8:35-39). God’s faithfulness supports and delivers us in what seems too hard (I Corinthians 10:13). God’s power keeps our weak earthly vessels from being utterly crushed (II Corinthians 4:7-11). God’s grace is sufficient to shine forth in our weakness (II Corinthians 12:7-10). Jesus’ example encourages us to look beyond the pain (Hebrews 12:2). God’s discipline shows that He loves us, claims us, and is training us (Hebrews 12:7-11). God’s transforming work is accomplished as He graciously and personally intervenes in our suffering (I Peter 5:8-10). “Father, I praise You for Your transcendent love, Your constant faithfulness, Your protecting power, Your strengthening grace, Your encouraging example, Your purposeful training, and Your gracious transformation.”

God’s desired result for our “fiery trial” is ultimately for the purpose of our rejoicing at the time when Christ receives the fullest revelation of glory (I Peter 4:12-13). There is a day coming when God will receive glory and exultation because of the outcome of our suffering, and we are able to do that to some extent as we choose to worship Him even now. “Father, I recognize that even in this situation of suffering, You are still worthy of all my praise and service. Even during this time, I want to give You my devotion personally, and I want to exalt You before others publicly.”

May God bless you as you serve Him this week as an act of worship, and may He give you other souls who will join with you in recognizing and serving our great God.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

07222023 Praying in Suffering - Learning About God

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our great God. Below is the next installment in the series about praying in suffering.

Category Three - Learning About God

“I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee” (Job 42:5). We know that Job was a very godly man. He was incredibly devoted to God. His devotion was demonstrated by his actions prior to his trials. Job’s faith was based in knowledge, and his knowledge about God is revealed through statements he made during his trials. Job was certainly not ignorant of God or His ways.

However, when the book of Job reaches its conclusion, Job makes the statement recorded above. He claims that his previous knowledge of God was so shallow that it was as if he had not truly seen God before. Now his knowledge had deepened and intensified. His “superficial” exposure to God had become profound. What previously seemed like second-hand knowledge was now first-hand experience. Practically speaking, Job had taken tremendous strides in his walk with God and in his knowledge of Him.

It was not mere coincidence or a resultant ramification that Job learned more about God through his suffering. It seems that this was one of God's designs. There were other things happening, but when it came to Job specifically, God's interaction was targeted on teaching Job about Himself. When God finally responded directly to Job, He spent four chapters (38-41) pouring out detail after detail, accomplishment after accomplishment, and ability after ability. These four chapters reveal God's wisdom, God's power, God's sovereignty, God's provision, God's control, God's righteousness, and the masterpieces of God's creative work.

It is hard to find a better biblical example of how to respond to trials than that of Job. If God wanted Job to learn more about Him, and if one of the major conclusions of Job is that he did learn more about God, then this ought also to be a major factor within our own suffering. It stands to reason that God also uses our suffering to teach us about Himself. When we come out of the trial, we ought to know God better than we did at the beginning. This then is something that we can confidently pray for.

We certainly can mimic Job's own words, praying something like, “Father, open my eyes to see You as I have never seen You before. May what I have learned in the past be the foundation for much deeper practical and personal knowledge.” We need not, however, limit our prayers to a general request for knowledge. It would also be appropriate to pray to know God better in specific characteristics. There are certain aspects of God that are probably of particular benefit within a trial, as well as being the characteristics that are most readily learned through a trial.

We can pray to increase in our knowledge of God's wisdom. This knowledge can help us to trust in God, in His plan, in His care for us, and in the outcome and consequences of our trial. If we believe God is wise, we can rest in what He chooses to do. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33). “Father, help me to know more of Your wisdom so I can trust You more deeply.”

We can pray to increase in our knowledge of God's sovereign control. If we know that absolutely nothing can happen outside the plan of God and that He is intricately involved in every aspect of our lives, we can be at peace within our suffering. Many scriptures make it clear that nothing, whether humanly perceived as good or humanly perceived as evil, can happen outside of the superintending hand of God. “Shall there be evil [calamity] in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?” (Amos 3:6). “Father, help me to know more of Your sovereignty so I can rest in my circumstances.”

We can pray to increase in our knowledge of God's power. If we doubt God's ability to control our suffering or to provide an exit from it, we could easily tend toward despair. The truth is that there is no situation too hard for God to handle. “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20). God may not do exactly what we want, but there is no doubt as to His ability. “Father, help me to know more of Your power so that I will not doubt that the outcome is what You have designed.”

We can pray to increase in our knowledge of God's provision. Psalm 104 talks about God's care for all of creation and tells how He provides for every creature. If God cares even for the tiny sparrows, then He surely cares much more for His children (Matthew 10:31). There is no need we have that God cannot meet. In the midst of suffering, our needs may be great, but God's provision is sufficient. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). “Father, help me to know more of Your ability to provide, so that I will find in You all that I need.”

We can pray to increase in our knowledge of God's love. One of the dangers of trials is that we are tempted to forget or even deny the love and the goodness of God. These characteristics of God cannot change. He is always good and always loving. Our struggles in this area are probably the biggest danger in relation to the possibility of walking away from God in our trial, so we must deeply know His love. In describing tribulations, Paul reminds the believers that “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Romans 5:5). A few chapters later, Paul gives the beautiful passage about the love of God and the fact that nothing can separate us from it. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Romans 8:35). “Father, help me to know more of Your love so that I am never tempted to leave Your arms.”

We can pray to increase in our knowledge of God’s comfort. We crave comfort when times are hard, and people are not always perceptive or comfortable to give it. Without comfort, our days can be difficult, and our spirits can deflate. God is the God of all comfort. Not only does He give comfort, but He increases that comfort as things become more difficult. “Blessed be … the God of all comfort; which comforteth us in all our tribulation. … Our consolation also aboundeth by Christ” (II Corinthians 1:3-5). “Father, help me to know more of Your comfort so that I can survive through these difficult days.”

We can pray to increase in our knowledge of God’s grace. God’s grace is His provision to enable us to do what we need to do. That grace can take many forms, but practically speaking, it is the component that makes all the difference between collapsing and continuing. The good news is that God has enough grace to enable us in every situation. “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness’” (II Corinthians 12:9). “Father, help me to know more of Your grace so that I can keep doing the next thing and keep living the next day.”

The increased knowledge of God sometimes comes in watershed moments when God does something amazing or opens our understanding in a special way. Sometimes it comes gradually, and we realize as we look back how God has repeatedly revealed Himself through our experience. Sometimes it comes as we take the time to reflect and actively recall demonstrations of His character. As God walks with us through our suffering, it is nearly inevitable that we will grow in our knowledge of Him, but praying for that increased knowledge will facilitate our recognition.

May You see God’s greatness all around you. God bless.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

07152023 Praying in Suffering - Thankfulness

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our good God. Below is the next section in my study on praying during suffering. I hope it will be a blessing.

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:18). This commandment of God does not change when we are in the midst of suffering. I’m not sure that any believer would suggest that it does. However, when things are difficult, it is much easier to focus on the hard things than on the good things. Sometimes it is even difficult to admit that there are any good things.

Even so, God does not say to give thanks only when things are good. He says to give thanks in everything. He says that this is His will for us. So there must be some way for us to give thanks, (and there is a divine expectation that we do so,) even when things are bad. “For of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45). Thankful hearts speak thankful words. Even when a believer’s heart doesn't feel thankful, he can still make a deliberate choice to thank God anyway. “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15).

Often choosing to do the action will lead to a change in the heart. The truth is that it is not difficult for a thoughtful and observant Christian to be thankful. In the midst of suffering, however, thoughtfulness and objectivity get swallowed up by anxious and troubled thoughts. Often, when so many things are going wrong, it is not that we can’t be thankful. It is more likely that we just forget or don’t think about it – (unless, of course, our embittered hearts are simply refusing to do so).

Let’s assume that we are willing to give thanks. Let’s assume that we recognize it as God’s will. Let’s assume that we are choosing to do it. The remaining questions then are how and for what to give thanks.

I am not a Hebrew scholar, so I am not certain about this, but the verse says, “In every thing,” not “For everything.” I think that means that thankfulness should be a constant state, something that we are able to do regardless of circumstances, much like Paul was able to be content “in whatsoever state I am.” That doesn’t mean we ignore the difficulty or misunderstand it to be pleasant, but it means that even in that setting, we are still able to give thanks.

I think the first area of thankfulness would be for things outside the suffering. These can be temporal blessings. In Macedonia, Paul was in a time of great affliction, but when Titus came and brought comforting news regarding other believers, Paul was comforted by Titus’s visit, and he “rejoiced the more” in the news regarding the Corinthian church (II Corinthians 7:5-7).

This can include thankfulness for God’s past work. The author of Hebrews encouraged his readers to “call to remembrance the former days” (10:32) when they had gone through a time of great suffering; they were brought through that challenging time with joy as they focused on their “better and an enduring substance” (10:34). This combines the idea of spiritual blessing with the concept of remembering past blessings, much as Asaph did in Psalm 77:11-20.

When the scattered Jews were “in heaviness through manifold temptations,” Peter said they were able to “greatly rejoice” as they focused on their “lively hope” and “incorruptible, and undefiled” inheritance (I Peter 1:3-6). Remembering our status in Christ and our future with Him are reasons for giving thanks.

The possibilities for thankfulness outside the trial itself are abundant. These can be for the minor and major details of life: food, safety, a home, clothing, a job, communication, sunshine, rain, nature, conveniences, etc. They can be for incidents or answered prayer in our own lives or for others. They can be for blessings that come to others. They can be for spiritual blessings, the nature of God, and eternal hope.

Second, we can be thankful for what God is doing through the trial. God is never absent, and there is much to be thankful for if we will simply take note of what He is doing. For example, we can be thankful that God limits suffering. The author of Hebrews reminds his readers that they had “not yet resisted unto blood” (Hebrews 12:4), and other verses refer to “a season” or “a while” (I Peter 1:6 and 5:10). We can be thankful that God is always with us to help us (Hebrews 13:5-6) when we face fears and adversaries. James links the reality of Job’s suffering with the truth that God is “very pitiful, and of tender mercy” within the suffering (James 5:10-11). We can be thankful for general truths like these as well as for specific divine intervention and care that we see in our individual situations.

Third, we can be thankful for the trial itself. Although the Thessalonians verse talks about being thankful “in every thing,” Ephesians 5:20 does specify that we should be “giving thanks always for all things.” That would certainly seem to include the hard things. This level of thankfulness requires some maturity and perspective. We have to understand some of God’s purposes for trials; when we do so, we can give thanks for the means that God uses to accomplish His purposes. God is working out His good plan in us, through us, and around us, even through what is difficult. This is much like a child (or adult) who gives thanks for vegetables that he doesn’t particularly care for, but he recognizes that they provide valuable nutrients and nourishment. This particular aspect of thankfulness reflects the very important submission of our hearts to accept the plan of God.

There are various methods for effectively giving thanks. We can do it spontaneously but purposefully throughout the day as things happen. This happens as we try to be intentionally aware of God's constant presence and work. We can also have a particular time of day to enumerate things for which we are thankful. A time toward the end of the day would enable us to think through our day and recall the various reasons for thanks. We can list these verbally (especially in prayer) or put them in writing. Over the long term, it can be particularly helpful to keep a written record of the more significant demonstrations of God's work and goodness. It might help to set a goal for each day, like 25, or to give a certain number, like 5, at repeated times throughout the day. Whatever the method, the heart is the important thing, that we are choosing to genuinely be thankful.

While I’m not aware of any special instruction to give thanks specifically during trials, it is a very important mental adjustment. Being thankful, even if it is by deliberate choice, is a way to recognize God’s goodness at a time when our hearts are tempted to ignore or even deny His goodness. Being thankful lifts our hearts and minds from negativity and protects them from slipping into bitterness and discontent. Being thankful gives God some of the honor and worship that He deserves.

May God bless you this week and shower you with many reasons to give thanks.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

07082023 Praying in Suffering - Deliverance

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our Savior and Deliverer. Aren’t you glad that God is so capable of rescuing us? Below is the next lesson in the series about how to pray during trials. I trust it will bless your heart as it did mine.

Category One - Deliverance

Praying for deliverance is the most logical place to start, and it is what comes most naturally. This is more than just a natural aversion to trials and a desire to enjoy more pleasant times. Prayers for deliverance are rooted in the knowledge of our great God. We know that God loves His people. We know that God is merciful and compassionate. We know that God is all-powerful. We know that God is infinitely wise. These characteristics, among others, give weight not only to God’s ability to bring deliverance but also to His heart to do so.

Prayers for deliverance are encouraged by a Bible that is filled with examples of divine deliverance. Deliverance is what God does for His people – time after time, example after example, crisis after crisis. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4). The Old Testament histories mean something. They are in the Bible by design, intended to teach us and to give us hope.

How many of those stories tell of dependent, even desperate, prayer and then of dramatic deliverance? Abraham’s daring prayer resulted in the deliverance of Lot and his family from Sodom. God heard the prayers of Israel and delivered them from Egypt. Joshua’s prayer resulted in deliverance from the five attacking kings. The book of Judges is filled with a cycle of prayers and deliverance. Hannah’s prayer for deliverance from barrenness and persecution resulted in the birth of Samuel. David prayed and was delivered repeatedly from Saul’s threats. Elisha prayed, and the Shunamite’s son was restored to life. Kings Asa and Jehoshaphat prayed desperately when imposing armies threatened, and God delivered. God heard both Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s prayers related to their building projects. Daniel and his friends prayed when they faced death, and God delivered them. The people fasted (implying prayer) in the days of Esther and were delivered from genocide. Jonah prayed and was delivered from the belly of the great fish.

Prayers for deliverance are recorded abundantly in the psalms. There are far too many examples to list, but Psalm 40:1-2 expresses it well: “I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” Psalm 107 shares varied difficult situations as it repeats the refrain: “Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.”

The New Testament encourages prayer, even for deliverance. Some of these passages are quite powerful. “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24). “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Luke 11:9). “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (I John 5:14). “Ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:2). “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

What patterns for prayer can we find specifically in the context of suffering? “Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense … to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven” (II Thessalonians 1:6-7). Paul opens this letter, speaking of the afflictions upon this church and of God’s righteous judgment. Paul declares that God’s just action is to afflict the wicked and to give rest to the afflicted. It is appropriate, based on God’s justice, to ask, “Just Father, grant me relief from my affliction.”

Paul shares his own testimony. “Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me” (II Timothy 3:11). Paul’s record was that the suffering was plentiful, but that each time God delivered him. So we can pray, “Faithful Father, will You deliver me once again? I know You are able.”

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you” (I Peter 5:10). Peter states this as a reality, as a habitual action of God. The suffering does last for a little while, but in time God Himself, the God of grace and the one who has called us, will rescue us. He will step in and do all the divine work that we need. Our prayer can be, “Gracious Father, will You consider the time of suffering to be sufficient. Will You come to my rescue?”

Clearly, we can pray for deliverance, and often God will give it. The decision, the timing, and the method are all up to Him, however. Any careful and observant student of the Bible knows that each verse comes in a context, and that often truth is clarified by examining an entire verse or passage. Even the verses above refer to things like belief, the will of God, abiding in Him, heavenly answers, and timing. Paul saw multitudes of deliverances, but ultimately he died for his faith. God often delivers during our earthly lives, but not always.

It is critical for us to realize that there are more important things to pray for than deliverance. There are (by my organization) eleven more categories. God intends other results from our suffering in addition to deliverance. If all we ever do is face the difficulties of life and get past them, then we are missing a great deal that God intends for us, and we are missing the most important things. What kind of Christian experience would it be to move through a series of difficulties and deliverances if we remained the same after each one? If there was never any consequence or impact beyond merely exiting another trial? That would be little different from a video game in which we successfully conquer new levels.

One of the major realizations we must make is that sometimes God “doesn’t answer” prayers from category one because He is answering something far more important from categories two through twelve. If we had a broken finger and were suffering a heart attack at the same time, we would want the doctor to deal with the heart attack first. Yes, eventually we want the finger to be addressed, but we realize it is not the priority. Sometimes answering a prayer from category six or nine or twelve will require that God delay the answer to this category or even answer it in the negative.

We might at times insist that deliverance is the most important thing and that we need it now, but if we really look deeply and ponder seriously, it doesn’t take much spiritual sensitivity or maturity to realize that there very well might be more important things that God is doing. Certainly we can and should pray for deliverance, but if we were mindful of the weightier considerations, we would probably modify those prayers to something like, “Please work out all that You are intending so that You can bring this trial to its desired end,” or “Please work this trial toward its end as You use it to accomplish Your objectives.”

May God help you this week in the areas where you are seeking deliverance. May He grant that deliverance in keeping with His timing and purposes, and may He grant you grace as you wait on Him.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

07012023 Praying in Suffering Intro

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our great God. I hope you will indulge me. I have started a new Bible study that I am calling “How to pray during a trial,” and I thought it might be of interest and help to some of you. This will stretch out over a few months; below is the introduction.

“Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray” (James 5:13). The Bible is not ambiguous about what a person needs to do in times of suffering. He should pray. This is a must. On the one hand, praying in times of trouble seems almost so expected and reasonable that it should not even have to be stated. Even casual Christians and unbelievers resort to prayer in times of trouble. For devout Christians, prayer should be completely expected. It should be as natural as breathing. It should be automatic, a gut response.

On the other hand, James (through the Holy Spirit) felt it necessary to give the instruction to pray in times of trial, and he stated it very emphatically. He urged that prayer must be done, implying the possibility that someone might not think of prayer in spite of his suffering. He might not focus on prayer with the proper intensity. He might neglect the one thing that is especially needed. He might not deliberately choose to pray. There are several practical reasons why prayer might be neglected even in a trial.

First, sometimes the trial is so overwhelming that it absorbs a person's time, attention, or energy. Every moment may seem to be absorbed in the practical actions required to deal with the troubling situation. The mind might be so consumed with evaluations and decisions that it would require diligent effort to divert the thoughts to prayer instead. Fatigue might be crippling, so that any type of serious thinking and concentration is difficult. In short, life is so demanding that there is nothing left for prayer.

Second, it is easy for a sufferer to expect others to uphold him in prayer. He may feel helpless to pray for himself or to be able to pray enough to make a difference in his situation. It may seem that the only answer is for dozens or even hundreds of others to do the praying for him. Certainly others should pray, but this does not release the sufferer from the need to also pray.

Third, a Christian can fall into the sense that God already knows his needs. He may feel that he has already prayed, perhaps multiple times, and that additional praying would be nothing but repetition. After asking God for help and dedicating the situation to God, the believer may pull back on the amount of prayer, seeing it as redundant, unnecessary, or even pointless.

Fourth, sometimes a trial can weaken a Christian’s spiritual sensitivity. This is often due to some variation of frustration, hurt, anger, or bitterness. Perhaps almost imperceptibly and even against his desire, a believer might allow his negative experience to reduce his spiritual fervency, leaving him less enthusiastic about spiritual things and therefore less inclined to pray. He might not be giving up on God, but perhaps he has settled into a mindset of just waiting for this trial to be over, and in the meantime, he is just drifting.

Fifth, a believer might have given up on prayer. This is somewhat related to the previous point, but more specific. A Christian has perhaps prayed fervently without seeing results. Maybe this is not the first significant trial he has gone through and prayed over. It seems like prayer doesn’t matter, because life continues to be filled with troubles, and his prayers for the current trouble have had no apparent impact.

Sixth, a Christian might feel like he does not even know how to pray within his current context. He doesn’t know what to ask for because he doesn’t know God’s plan. He struggles even to understand his own heart. He may even turn to prayer attempts but finds himself without words. His prayer times end quickly because he feels incapable of expressing his heart.

Regardless of the reason for the lack of prayer, the Bible’s instruction stands. “Let him pray.” When it comes to the final reason of inadequate expression, the Bible has the answers, just as it has for all of life. The Bible urges prayer in times of suffering, and it is filled with instructions and content that help a believer know how to pray and what to pray during difficult times. The best way to know that one is praying appropriately is to pray for things that God Himself instructs, teaches, or expresses as His desires. If a believer prays for what he knows God already intends to do, he can have great confidence in seeing the answers to those prayers.

God’s truth in this regard is not insignificant. The amount of applicable content is vast. The variety of truth is robust. Truly, times of suffering are complex, but God's Word is more than sufficient to address every angle. My own sense, as I examine God’s available resources for guiding prayer, is that I wish I had focused on these truths much earlier in my own times of suffering. The truths have not been alien to me. Gradually over the years, I have prayed according to these truths more and more frequently, but I now realize how much more effective my prayers could have been. I see that my journeys through suffering could have been more bearable and more profitable if I had prayed more consistently according to the insights that God provides. I am aware that when I have prayed these biblically-based requests, I have seen God answer them.

This outcome should not be surprising. If God admonishes us to pray in times of suffering, then it stands to reason that the prayers mean something. God intends to do something in response to those prayers. He intends to ease the suffering and accomplish His work through the suffering in part due to those prayers. God would not urge us to pray if the prayers didn’t mean anything. So, believers, “Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray.”

I sought insight on how to pray during suffering primarily by looking at what the Bible has to say about suffering and trials, with the majority of the content coming from the epistles. As I studied this material, I divided the focuses of prayer into multiple categories. There is no particular order to my arrangement, except what seems logical to me. One category is not necessarily more important than another category. All of the categories are important, and we should be praying from each of them regularly. The various categories keep us focused on the right things, on God's designs and His glory. The categories also help to protect us from the dangers inherent in a time of trial.

The categories and specific requests are guidelines or prompts. Our praying, whether in suffering or in ordinary life, cannot merely be formulas or repeated prayers. The whole point is that they have to come from the heart. If they become a checklist – “I prayed something from each category today” - then the heart of it is missing. Each category contains various verses and prompts. This is primarily to represent accurately and with reasonable completeness the truth that God shares. Humanly speaking, we know that not every verse strikes the heart the same way each day. A verse that is very special one day might not touch our hearts the next day, but a different verse might. Whereas repeating the same thing over and over can become empty repetition, variety can be refreshingly meaningful. Thankfully, God’s Word gives us a lot to choose from.

I pray that these lessons will be a help to you as you walk through whatever God chooses for your life. Be encouraged that prayer matters!

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA