Some years ago I ended up with appendicitis. After a trip to the doctor’s office I was told go to the hospital immediately. My day and those following were turned completely upside down. After surgery there were some complications that led to a longer than expected recovery. The problem was that up to that point I was generally healthy, now I was confined to a bed in a hospital room. I was walking through the deep waters of troubling times. Perhaps you have been there. I could have, and did pray for God to return my health. However, I also prayed for God to use my unexpected problem and pain to gain His victory for His purpose. God answered that prayer, and over the next week or so I had multiple opportunities to talk with doctors, nurses and other staff about Jesus. Life is not about us and our problems, rather it is about how God is magnified through them. Psalm 20 opens with people praying for the king (1-4). Their prayer was not for the removal of the troubles but that David, the king, would believe God’s power and see His perspective. David and the people respond in complete confidence trusting God (5-8). The prayer for the king in troubling times was key for his confident faith in following God. How do we pray for others during times of trouble? Do we pray for their release from trouble or their practice of faith when in trouble? When we face times of trouble ourselves, do we invite others to pray for our spiritual perspective and a commitment to continue trusting God? We help others and ourselves grow in faith in times of trouble when we pray for God’s presence as we practice a Godly perspective of the problems at hand. Our prayer and praise turn our attention from the problem to our God who gives security in times of trouble.
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