Against All Odds Prayer Works – Episode 157
Sometimes we pray for the wrong thing, but often, against all odds prayer works. It is in the little things that we see the hand of Almighty God and in this episode, we will explore that while things seem hopeless we should focus on today, and hope for tomorrow.
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Christian faith revolves around the concepts of love and hope. God is a God of truth, justice, love (unfailing), and hope! We should wake up each day and rejoice, but instead, we are bogged down by the “what ifs” in our lives and the burden of our daily schedules or the things happening in the world around us. No matter when you listen to this podcast I am sure there is a world crisis that is causing you stress and tends to overwhelm you.
How do we overcome and get through just our every day lives and still have hope? Some days are better than others, but it appears that one thing happens it seems like there is a snowball effect in our lives and shatters any sense of peace.
Then there is social media. I am not sure if it has improved our lives or caused us to suffer. Especially when there are disagreements of opinions. it pits family against family and friend against friend. Often it pits people against each other who do not even know each other! What is this? It is senseless strife and worry that only adds to our anxiety.
We can pray things like, “Lord give me the right words to use,” or “Lord please change the other person’s heart.” But, what we should be praying is Lord, do I even engage. We don’t ask the right questions and that is an important prayer, “Lord what should I do?” Remember the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob is our God, and we are His people. As His people, we stand up for Him in our daily lives even when things get hard.
Currently, I’m reading a book that is way above my pay-grade. It is stretching me intellectually because it deals with the philosophy of faith. The title of this book is, “God is Not Nice,” by Ulrich Lehner. It is an eye-opening in that it makes the argument that if God is good, and kind, and “nice” He is not a God worth following because we get comfortable in our faith. Our faith should stretch us, but our belief in a God that changes our lives, our perspective on the world, similar to windshield wipers on our soul IS a God worth following.
That is where our personal faith convictions take place. When we realize that God offers each one of us a relationship with Him as Creator, we realize that we are special and in essence, we are given dignity. If you think about what an atheist believes it makes me so sad in the fact that after this life that is all there is… nothing follows. What a sense of horror that would be for me to consider that there is nothing more than this life. I wonder if that is why there are so many suicides because of that hopeless despair.
Often I challenge you to think about God, to consider your faith, to spend time with God. Today, I want you to consider a life with God, without hope, without change, with all you see is what you get and there is nothing else. Horrific. That is the only term I can give to this thought. Atheism wants us to believe it is a freeing in the sense that it allows the human person to do whatever they want without any holds on their “free will,” but what it really does is place bondage on their free will by giving into our nature, which at its core is animalistic without a God who gives us a sense of dignity.
Dignity is something that is truly a human trait. It is the thing that pulls us out of bed and helps us to strive for the common and greater good each and every day. God is love but what does love do? It calls us to a greater and higher good, it makes us think of other things besides ourselves.
Good gives us back our dignity – think about this as you listen to this scripture in Luke 8:43-48
Just think about the times we pray. It is different for each one of us. But in those times do we really hold out any hope that God is available to hear us and we hope, answer us? Many times it appears that it is against all odds that prayer works. It is like a lucky hand of cards, or playing a game of chance. It is a thought in our minds, sometimes prayer works and sometimes it doesn’t. Is that how we pray? Is that the best we can do as believers?
I’ve asked you many questions in this podcast and as a Christian, I sometimes struggle with my place in all of the madness in this world. As I write this our world is embattled in a grab for our very souls. So many Christians believe the lies of what they hear on the air-waves and it is hard to discern what we believe and what we hold dear, especially as Christians. But where is our faith?
Matthew 17:20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
This is the faith that moves the mountain of our unbelief and gives us hope in the everyday. The God who gives each one of us the dignity of life and the dignity to strive to be the best also gives us the hope that “nothing will be impossible for you.” May God be praised.
Let’s hold on to this thought, the God of the impossible will – against all odds help us in our struggles and give us the words to pray.
Let’s Pray.
Dear Lord, I pray for eyes that see what faith has in store for me, in that there is hope in my life and dignity and love that surpasses all understanding. I realize that nothing will be impossible for you and I ask that you help me not to fear the everyday issues in my life! I give you my day Lord and ask that you help me in what I need to do, to prioritize, and to let go! I chose joy and happiness because I am created by a loving God who laid down His life for me so that I can have life in the world to come. Dear Jesus, I pray specifically for the following needs: And I pray this in the Name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN!
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