What do you do when you receive bad news? Do you call a friend? Do you get angry? Do you try to fix the problem yourself? Or do you immediately talk to God?
God has been gently nudging me lately and reminding me that I need to pray more. Not just quick little prayers throughout the day, though those are important, too. Rather, He’s been reminding me to really get down on my knees and commune with Him. Let’s think about this: how do we stay connected to our spouse or significant other? We share our innermost thoughts and feelings and the particulars of our day. Shouldn’t this be even more so the case with our Savior? It is vital that we take time out of our busy day to talk to Him. Nothing in life should be more important or pressing than this. And when life knocks us off our feet, we should immediately hit our knees before talking to anyone else or looking for a solution within ourselves.
Jesus Himself even prayed while on the earth. He was God in flesh, yet He still talked to the Father regularly. Luke 5:16 (NIV) says, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Notice that He prayed OFTEN. He didn’t just occasionally pray. This was His way of life. If we strive to be more like Christ, then we must emulate this discipline that He lived out. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all mention Jesus going to a mountain alone to pray. So, not only did Jesus pray regularly, He would go off on His own to pray in solitude, no doubt to drown out the distractions in life. We must set this time aside during our day. It was a regular part of his day, and it should be for us, too.
I was recently challenged by the first several chapters in Nehemiah. At the beginning of the first chapter, Nehemiah received the news that the wall of Jerusalem was destroyed and its gates were burned. He was devastated by this report. It’s what he did next that really got my attention. Instead of feeling sorry for himself or getting bitter and angry, Nehemiah said, “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” He went straight to God before doing anything else. How often do we neglect doing this? If you’re like me, it’s pretty common that I try to figure things out on my own first before going to God.
The results of Nehemiah’s prayers speak to God’s faithfulness and show us the benefits of a healthy prayer life. After praying, fasting, repenting, and mourning, Nehemiah (who was the king’s cupbearer) went to the king to ask for permission to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. Not only was he given permission to go, but he was given letters for the governors of the areas he would pass through with permission to travel. He was also given a letter to the keeper of the king’s forest which gave him permission to use timber in order to rebuild the walls. But, that wasn’t all. Once the construction began, Nehemiah began to meet opposition. There were groups in Judah (which Jerusalem was a part of) who were opposed to the project, so they schemed to come together to fight against Jerusalem. Nehemiah, yet again, did not cave to the bad news. Instead, he once again went straight to God. “And we prayed to our God and set a guard as protection against them day and night,” (Nehemiah 4:9). With half of his men building the wall and the other half guarding, Nehemiah was successful. As the wall was completed, Nehemiah said, “And when all of our enemies heard it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.” Our ultimate goal in life should be to let God’s glory be seen. Nehemiah’s prayers and faith allowed just that to happen.
So, what do we do when we receive bad news? We should go straight to Jesus in prayer. That’s what He wants! He longs to commune with us. He desires an intimate relationship with us. My husband and I have been getting better at living this out. There are many times that I’ll bring an issue up to him and he’ll say, “Let’s pray.” Just recently we were discussing an issue that one of our children was facing. After a few minutes of talking about a solution, I said, “Let’s pray.” And that’s exactly what we did. The issue is still there, but we have peace knowing that God will work even this for our child’s good.
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12
When we find out that our child is facing a huge mountain, we don’t have to fear. It’s easy as a parent to jump straight in and nervously try to fix things for them. But, that is the wrong tactic. I’m not saying we say a quick prayer and then ignore the problem with a flippant, “Oh, God will handle it.” Instead, we should immediately get on our knees and ask for wisdom. Don’t try to handle things on your own. Don’t lay awake night after night in fear and worry. It’s hard to believe that anyone else could know our children better than we do, but God does. He knows what’s best for each and every individual child that we have.
When we find out we’ve lost a job, we shouldn’t become bitter and angry and question God. We saw from Nehemiah’s example that it’s ok to cry and mourn. But, along with that we should pray immediately as we are joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. Let’s give God a chance to let His glory be seen and known. Our lives should forever be a reflection of His.
When you receive bad news from your doctor about that medical test that you just had run, God saw it coming. When you are shocked to find out your spouse is unhappy and wants out of the marriage, God is not surprised by the news. When you get the call that a family member has been in a bad accident, God sees and is grieving with you. In Psalm 139:16, we are told that every single day that God ordained for us was written in His book before one of them even came to be. Shouldn’t we WANT to talk to Him since he knows every intimate detail as well as the solution to our problems? There is no human on earth that has the answers that He has.
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Notice that each of these three verses mention thankfulness. How often do we thank God and simply praise Him for who He is and what He’s done? It’s so easy to only go to God and ask, ask, ask, or complain, complain, complain. How selfish we are! He’s reminded me lately that not only do I need to go to Him immediately in prayer as each new circumstance in life arises, but I also need to simply recognize who He is and praise Him! Our prayers should open with praises and prayers of thanksgiving instead of looking at God as a genie. He desires intimate conversation and praise.
As life throws you curveballs or as it weighs you down, Don’t Wait to go to God in prayer. If you do this, you will experience peace, hope, and joy instead of fear, worry, bitterness, and hopelessness. As I’ve begun practicing this lately, I’ve seen firsthand the effects of this type of living. My nervousness dissipates, my confidence in Him grows, and I see Him work. He is near to all who call Him (Psalm 145:18) and wants to be near to you. Open your day with prayer and call on Him immediately instead of spinning your wheels trying to solve problems on your own. He is waiting for you. So, whatever you do, Don’t Wait!
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