Let’s discuss the essay, " Finding Joy in Trials" together.
What did you pray about five, ten, or twenty years ago? How have your prayer requests changed over time?
Have you ever experienced prayer as a ‘religious consumer’?
As a disciple of Jesus, are you facing any trials because your faith leads you to resist injustice?
i still struggle with praying selfish prayers at times especially when i feel like its something i want or need even though i know in my heart that it may not be what God wants for me. at times i find myself feeling afraid to pray for Gods will to be done for i know i might not like the way He answers . i have learned to trust God knowing His way is always right yet i still struggle with wanting things my way
Hi @david21, thank you for this honest response. I have the same experience!
On the one hand, I struggle to trust that asking God for anything and everything is okay!
On the other, I struggle to trust God enough to ask that he would make me like Christ!
In both cases, prayer reveals my doubts that God is good - and good to me.
I’m grateful I’m not alone in this struggle.
What did you pray about five, ten, or twenty years ago? How have your prayer requests changed over time?
: I think I prayed for the needs of my personal life and the church at that time. Now, I think the content of my prayers is changing as I gradually learn what it means to seek His kingdom and righteousness.
Have you ever experienced prayer as a ‘religious consumer’?
I used my personal intimacy with Jesus to pray for my ministry, my business, and my personal goals. The center of my prayer goals was always “my needs, my goals, my thoughts.”.
As a disciple of Jesus, are you facing any trials because your faith leads you to resist injustice?
Since our Methodist Church is an administrative structure that practices episcopal politics, we sometimes experience injustice and illegality whenever we receive instructions.
Pastors who serve with administrative power tend to ignore law and order if it is beneficial to the church. I often protest to God that is unfair and unjust, but I pray that in all circumstances, only the Father’s will and righteousness will be done.
I understand the trials that James is referring to, but I’ve always taken this verse as my trials with my life and my relationships.
Am I to rejoice in the broken relationships and heartbreak that comes with these? I do see them as opportunities for me to pray for these people and I do pray for reconciliation, but I don’t truly understand if my prayers for these people reflect a growing and maturing in my own life.
Karim, this breaks my heart. I’m joining you in prayer that God will reform the church and give you a steadfast heart.
Hi Ruthie, thank you for this great question!
It is my understanding that the Bible does not ask us to be grateful for evil in any form.
Rather, we can be grateful that God is at work in spite of evil.
So we might be legitimately outraged by segregated bussing, yet rejoicing that with God’s help, we are experiencing a pathway to Christlikeness in the midst of the trial.
Does that answer your question? What do you think?
Hi @david21, thanks for sharing such an honest and difficult struggle. You’re certainly not alone, as @carson shared, I have had this experience as well, but so too did David!
I’ve been reading through 1 Samuel, and it’s incredible to see David’s trust in God and the way he does not take things into his own hands. And yet, after he has been delivered from Saul many times over, sparing Saul’s life twice and confidently stating, “As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble,” (1 Sam 26:24), the very next thing he thinks is, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul,” (1 Sam 27:1) and he immediately take things into his own hands by fleeing to the Philistines. Even after miraculous deliverance after miraculous deliverance, David still struggles to trust in God’s provision and protection for him. We are all struggling and growing, none of us have reached perfection, and so, like Paul, we can keep pressing on “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,” (1 Phil 3:14)!
Sometimes I can be disappointed, angry, and frustrated with myself for not trusting God more, and for me it’s helpful to remember David and Paul struggled right there alongside us! It helps point me toward the hope of future growth in this life and glorification and perfection when Christ returns rather than the hopelessness and shame that can start to well up when I focus only on my shortcomings.
Yet, whatever doubt we struggle with, it does not change that God is good and that He is working for our good (Rom 8:28)! So, I constantly remind myself not to be afraid but to trust in Him (Isa 12:2) and to trust that what He wants and the way He responds is what’s best for me (Matt7:9-11)!
Hello Pastor Carson,
Thank you for sharing your insights and reflections. I appreciate your thoughtful response and the time you took to address important issues.
Regards,
Jung