"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3 & 4)
I used to think that I only needed to turn to God when I was completely lost of hurt or desperate. I not only thought that those were the only times I needed to turn to him,but, and I do not admit this eagerly, I used to think those were the only times when he had his attention on me. I couldn't worry God with little matters like a big test, a bill that needed to be paid, or a small ailment of the body. I couldn't bother him with things that weren't life-threatening, heart-breaking, or eternally important. Even though one of my favorite verses in the Bible (1 Peter 5:7) says to cast ALL your anxieities on Him for He cares for you, I always thought that meant big anxietities, you know the important stuff.
However, I saw that verse out into practice in a different way by the women in my Bible study group. At the end of each Bible study, these women would offer up prayer requests. Some would ask for healing for a very ill friend, reconciliation in a marriage, or wisdom in a new business deal. Their voices were filled with concern and need and I understood why they needed prayer. However, other women would ask for a fun time at the beach, healing for a bruised foot, or Christian friends for their kids. At first I thought, well I hope God heals the person with the life-threatening illness before he worries about a bruised foot. Now, as I write this, I realize how horrible of a thing that is to say. By imagining God as if he is like a human physician with a waiting room and only time for the major cases, I put a limit on God's ability. Any prayer I made for that woman's bruised foot would have been compromised since I basically said God couldn't do it because he was too busy with the big stuff. I see that that isn't the correct idea about how God works.
Joel Osteen told a story about his father once praying that the trunk of his car open after it got stuck right before a conference. His father needed sound equipment that was inside the trunk and when he couldn't open it himself, he said a prayer over it. The people with him thought he was crazy to pray for a trunk to open. They probably thought as I did: it isn't important enough to bother God with. I can just imagine Jesus saying to us, "Oh ye of little faith." But, after the prayer, the trunk opened.
The Bible says God cares about all parts of out lives. He wants us to use faith in everything we do. In John 15:5, Jesus says, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit, a part from me you can do nothing." If we do all things - pray, celebrate, travel, eat, etc. - in Jesus we are living a life of faith. No thing is unseen by God. Romans 14:23 describes eating without faith. It reads, "But the man who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not with faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin." Big statement.
So now I realize, yes of course we should pray to God when we are desperate or hurt or lost. But we should also use our faith in dealing with all worries and when we try to accomplish every goal. Joyce Meyer states that "there is no part of your life God is not concerned about, and He wants to be involved in everything we want, need, or do. So let him in."
Oh me of little faith.
I was told a story by a friend of mine about a man, a very well-respected, good, Christian man, who had to come to terms with an obstacle in his life that was blocking him from God. I would like to refer to this man, as I recount this story, as Bob. (I know I am going to get the details wrong, so I will change the name so as to make it almost a fiction-based-on-truth anecdote.)
So, Bob was having troubles with this finances. He was struggling and he just felt like something was off, that something was not right in his life. So, he prayed about it and felt that God was leading him to believe that there was unforgiveness in his heart. Bob said, "No way, God, I am not mad at anyone. I love everybody." But God brought a face to the mind of Bob that made him a little uneasy. It was a co-worker that had made a poor business move at Bob's work that cost Bob and several of his co-workers a dock in their pay. Bob thought, "Oh no way, God. Not that guy. You want me to forgive that guy? Do you know what he did to me?" Bob thought back to how he had been angry with this man, giving him the cold shoulder for almost a year. How this man had selfishly messed with the money that Bob brought home to support his family. Heck, the man never even said he was sorry. But Bob felt a tug at his heart and he thought of Jesus saying, "Bob, you ask if I know what this man has done to you. But do you know what my people did to me?" After that, Bob understood that his unforgiveness was standing between him and God's goodness. He couldn't continue on until he rid his heart of such bitterness.
When Jesus instructs his disciples how to pray, part of that pray sounds like this: "Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors." Mathew 6:12. A few verses later, it states in Matthew 6:14-15: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
When it comes to prayer, God's word instructs us to rid our hearts of all unforgiveness before asking of the Lord. Mark 11:25: "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions."
God doesn't say that you should only forgive certain sins or only forgive if those who have hurt you beg for it. He doesn't say only give some one three chances and then that is it - don't forgive them again because they do not deserve it. Luke 17:3-4: "Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
We do not deserve forgiveness and we sin over and over and over again. To ask someone to be perfect and never cause pain or frustration is to say that they don't need Jesus and you would never want to wish a life without Jesus on anyone. However, we know that sinning comes to easy for us - it makes us human, but forgiveness is harder and it comes from God. There is a famous adage that reads: "To err is human, to forgive divine." It rings true. God is the ultimate source of forgiveness. He can help us forgive as he forgives us.
Forgiveness takes time but it is necessary to forgive, in order for God to forgive you and to be close to God. So forgive each other - we all make mistakes. If it doesn't come easily - pray about it and God will lead your heart through it. Remember, vengence is for the Lord, not for man. (Romans 12:19)
Romans 12:21: "Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
