“But Pray and Ask God…”

but pray and ask God
 
by Dona Hake
 
 
Over the past few days we have been meditating upon counting it all joy when we go through various trials, and expecting our God to turn the hopeless into the hopeful.  Many times when we are in a trial we just can not see how any good could come out of it. It is those times when we are troubled and weary that we need to run to Him and lay it all before Him in prayer.   This is the very best way that we can keep ourselves guarded from our own emotions and thoughts that can surely work against us.  As He begins to minister to us  all that we need, we will be in a position to see more clearly. Many times He will begin to speak to us and show us His plan, and it is above and beyond all that we could ask or think.
 
 
 
 
When we take our cares to the Lord and pray we can expect Him to speak to us in our hearts, and instruct us in the way that we should handle our problems. We must always embrace the fact that no matter what we walk through Jesus has promised to never leave or forsake us. He sees from beginning to end, and as we trust Him we  can believe for Him to work on our behalf. I shared yesterday from  Ephesians 3:20  and I want to share it again…it says,
 
 
 
 
“Now unto Him that is able to do above and beyond all we dare ask
or think, above our highest hopes, prayers and dreams.”
 
 
 
 
I believe this scripture will help us  see that our prayer over a situation can be an amazing opportunity
for God to work on our behalf like we never dreamed. I like to look at it this way, think about a situation and what you could perceive as a good outcome, and then think how God can surpass  our expectations. I love when God turns a hopeless situation inside out, and uses it for His glory.
 
 
 
 
Again we must remember that in order for Him to work in such a way that we must be willing to give the situation to Him totally, exercise our faith, be enduring and patient. Within every trial and troublesome time there are the thoughts that we must deal with. Many times individuals just try to keep their mind occupied so they are not thinking about their troubles, and this is not God’s way to deal with our troubling thoughts and cares. This would be nothing more than just staying preoccupied, and we need to understand that God has a better way. It is necessary that we guard our hearts and minds from anxiety, and the secret is in the following scripture:
 
 

Philippians 4:6 (Easy-to-Read Version)
” Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need,
always giving thanks for what you have.”
 
 
 

Today I would like you to think about the times where the Lord answered a  prayer of yours, and it was not the way you expected. Many times I have found that potential problems ended in great opportunities to minister to people, and I was stronger than before. This is part of the work of the Lord in our lives as we stand strong in our faith, and endure no matter what. It is a good thing that we meditate and testify of the goodness of the Lord in our lives!