TAKING OUR TROUBLES TO THE LORD IN PRAYER

Jesus encouraged us by both His teaching and His lifestyle example to take our troubles to God in prayer.  In the Bible we read:

Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” John 12:27-28

Well Lord, just like You, we are not without things that trouble our souls, We live in a broken and sinful world in dark and troubled times and we’d love to be saved from it all.  We know that we won’t, that in this world we will have troubles, but we also know that You have overcome the world.  So, Lord, even though our hearts tremble a bit to say it, as we face troubles in our personal worlds, we pray, “Father, glorify your name in our lives, whatever that looks like.”

Then we have troubles that others present to us that we don’t deserve and the Jesus encourages us with His prayers and His choices in this way:

“Father forgive them; for they know not what they do” Luke 23:34

“My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46

Heavenly Father, These are the most challenging prayers of all.  To offer forgiveness while the hatred and scorn is still spewing from peoples mouths and actions towards us seems almost impossible to us.  Oh Lord, work Your forgiveness in us and through us.  Help us to know the great good of being those who forgive and to bless those who harm because they truly do not know the depth of the harm they operate in.

If we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.  Romans 14:8

Loving God, When we feel abandoned and don’t understand what is going on, we pray to just be real and honest with You so You can meet us where we are and reveal Yourself to us.  As Jesus called out on to You in His times of trouble, on the basis of the relationship with You He knew was alive with You His loving Father, so we call out to You on that basis no matter what we think or feel.  Jesus endured being cut off from You so that we never would have to. 

Once again today we commit ourselves into Your care, our bodies, our souls, and our spirits; our past, our present, and our future.  All that we are.  All that we hope to be, we surrender to You.