Have You Tried Telling God?
You can have so great a confidence in God that you cast all your sorrow and cares on Him! Have you ever considered this?
By Svein Ellefsen, Norway
In song #398 in Ways of the Lord we sing:
"In prayer I gain the strength that's needed, so I can overcome as Jesus' bride." This hidden power comes from a hidden life in God.
For a disciple of Jesus, prayer is, without a doubt, the way to go when tribulations and temptations come. Prayer opens the heart and mind to the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, we get all the help and advice we need, just as Jesus did during His sufferings in the days of His flesh. “For I have given to them the words which You have given Me.” John 17:8. Wisdom and understanding can be found in the Holy Spirit—it is this Spirit that gives us knowledge about the Lord and a fear of the Lord. (Is. 11:2).
When godly fear—the fear to sin—is behind our prayers, we will be heard! The Scriptures speak clearly about this—we will always find rest in what God does when we live to do God’s will. The result is victory and sanctification.
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” 1 John 5:14-15.
“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” 1 John 3:21-22.
It is a great blessing—unbelievably great—to have an open heaven over you and to keep this bold confidence in God. Then you can cast all your sorrows on Him. Then you can also, if sickness comes, be bold and seek help by doing as James exhorts us: to call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over you and anoint you with oil in the name of the Lord. (James 5:14-15). The prayer of faith will help the sick, and the Lord will raise Him up. And if that person has sinned, He will be forgiven. The prayer of the righteous man avails much. (James 5:16).
There is a great reward for this boldness. It not only brings help for the body, but also for the most important thing—our mind—if we might have sinned. This builds fellowship. God’s goal in all that He does is to build fellowship with Himself and with others, so that our relationships become more fervent and warm. However, a lot of fellowship and blessing never takes place because of our fear of man, unbelief, and human timidity.
In order to preserve prayer and fellowship with God, the cross must work over our sinful lusts and desires. Our prayers will be hindered by impurity or foolishness, both in marriage and in the brotherhood. (1 Pet. 3:7).
May there be more and more of us who long for this personal fellowship with God, where we experience that our prayers are answered and get our spiritual needs met.
October 2008