We have an election coming up in the Fall which could completely change the trajectory of our world. I’m not even talking about which candidate is better than the other. The simple truth is, whoever leads our country next is going to face great challenges, as ‘battle lines’ continue to be drawn.
I think about Israel, who is suffering through another major conflict. This type of dispute is not new to them, yet the last thing anyone wants is to be on the battlefield. Real people are getting killed. It’s not a TV drama where everyone who ‘was killed’ gets up and walks off the stage. God said Israel was his and no man would overtake it. Still people/countries try!
Stories of babies being locked in cages, or husbands killing wives, or wives killing husbands and other atrocities seem to happen everyday! Honestly, I rarely read the news. My husband does, however, and keeps me well updated. It makes me sad and I end up dreaming about it as it walks through and torments my mind at night. I can’t seem to process the cruelty; and there doesn’t seem to be a single thing I can do about it.
I was reading an article I’ve had for some time, this week, and it struck home. It was about prayer. How often do we approach the throne of grace with our pain and grief and ask God to help us work through this latest round of ugliness? Are we confident he has the capability to even do anything about it? What about the idea that satan, as ruler of this earthly kingdom is doing everything he wants, and God isn’t going to stop it? Questions! So many questions!
The Bible tells us as the end times grow nearer and nearer, things will get progressively worse. People have said —since the time of Christ’s resurrection, surely Christ will return again soon, because the world is in a mess! Yet we watch as our world seems to get crazier and crazier, upside down and inside out and every side of sideways a person can imagine!
Surely Christ is going to return soon. So, it begs the question. How are we supposed to pray? The Pastor in his sermon a few weeks ago included the thought that first and foremost we need to pray for relationships to be restored with Christ.
Just because a person knows who Christ is, and perhaps at some point even believed in Him as Lord and Savior, they may not be living the ‘Christ life.’ Their relationship with Him has become convoluted because of satan’s work and their personal choices in this world.
Or perhaps there are those who haven’t a clue who Christ is. We need to pray they find the Savior before it’s too late, because the oncoming event is true. The Bible is clear that the day will come when Jesus returns and you either know him as Lord and Savior or you don’t. Once He returns there is no middle ground--or second chance! Time to follow Him is now long past!
But I wonder, how often do we look at our neighbors, friends from church, family members, etc. and hear something within the conversation about a particular need and we immediately respond, ‘I’ll pray for you.’ Our intention is solid, but we forget. We get so wrapped up in our own lives we barely take the time to pray at all!
Prayer is a powerful weapon agains satan. As Believers we have every right (and are expected) to approach God with confidence that he not only hears us, but will listen. Do we honestly believe that, given all the ‘junk’ in our world today?
I believe YES! We may not see immediate results, but His Word promises that if we ask with faith—the size of a mustard seed— and what we ask is in his will, our request will be granted.
We can’t possibly understand all that’s going on or know the outcome of all the prayers we ask for, but I encourage you to reach out to a God who cares, and wants only the best for his children. —And then let God be God.
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