Everyone always prays to God to have him solve their problems. We pray to God to help my finances, fix my relationship, make me thinner. Whatever it is we need or want, we are taught to leave it to God. Turn it over to Him and let Him handle it.
I agree, we should pray to God to help us with our problems. We cannot handle life's issues without His help. But I think we need to go beyond that. That instead of asking God to handle our problems or solve our dilemma, we should be asking, 'What can I do to solve this', ' What do You want me to do, God. How can I, with Your help, solve this issue. What can I, as your servant and your representative, do to help others or more importantly, help solve or work through my own problems.
The problem is, we keep waiting for the big miracle. We tell ourselves, it is in God's hands, he will handle it. We don't need to worry about it because God is going to solve or fix it. But, we never take the time to ask or listen to God when he is telling us we should be doing something. We should be doing what needs to be done and we are the instrument through which God is going to perform this miracle or solve this problem.
We ask God, please bless me with financial freedom, allow me to have a better relationship with my partner, make me thinner. These are personal requests but after we make those prayers and turn it over to God, we expect Him to make the changes, perform the miracles, wave His hand and it all goes away. We never have to worry about it or do anything about it. It is in 'God's hands'.
We continue to spend the money. We continue to order the large fries. We still make ourselves feel superior to our partner, because 'We pray to God and we are better than you'. If only God would change you, we can have a better relationship. That in itself is another subject about how we react and treat others in our belief that since we are 'closer' to God, we have a moral superiority and we are more beloved by God, but I will address that later.
What I am saying and what God is telling me to try to teach you is what he has intended all along. That praying to God is good and asking Him to help you with your problems is what He wants you to do, but He expects more and always has. I will not go into why or where things went wrong or even suggest that they are not what God has intended but God wants you to know that the message has been changed. Not by God but as man has continued to interpret and translate his original message, that somewhere in there, a large part of His message has been lost. Not that the message today is wrong, but there is more to it. There is more to a relationship with God than asking for and expecting Him to do everything.
God created us in his image and He lives inside of us. Everyone will tell you this and everyone says they believe it. But what does that mean. What does it mean that God lives within us. What does it mean that we are the children of God. What does it mean that God created the world and gave all that is in it to us, His children. I will address that in a later topic but for now, what does it mean we should be doing or praying for when we talk to God.
God is telling me something we should be asking. Instead of praying for God to fix the problem. we should ask what do you want me to do to make this better. Praying for the miracle is all good and well, but most of the time, we are the miracle. We are the instruments of God's will. We have the power and the authority to act in his name. Just ask him. He will tell you what to do. Sometimes, you will not like the answer. Sometimes, the answer is no. Sometimes, God will intervene and perform the miracle you are asking for. But here's the problem.
While we are sitting around waiting for the big miracle, when we are 'waiting on God' because 'it's in God's hands', we think we are not part of it anymore. God will handle it.
Maybe God is trying to tell us what we need to do. While we are going about our lives, doing what we do, letting God handle the problems, God is crying out to us to do something about it. Not only do something about it, but he is telling us what we need to do. He is talking to you right now, telling you what to do, what to think, what to be. God is always there. He lives within us. He is talking to you all the time. What we need to do is learn how to listen. Again, another topic, but that is what God wants. He wants to be able to talk to you. He wants to be able to speak to you as a friend, as an mentor, as an equal. God is not scary and hearing from him is not something you need to be afraid of or bow down to or even something that can only happen when you are praying. God is talking to you right now. We need to learn how to listen.
So how does this relate to the topic right now. Why should I not be praying for God to handle my issues. I am not saying that you should not. God is not telling you that you should not. But you should be listening to what is it that God is trying to tell you. What is it that God wants you to know and more importantly, what it is you can do.
The answer is, just ask. Instead of asking God to handle the problem, ask God to tell you what you can do to handle the problem. If you want better finances, listen to God. He might be telling you to not make that purchase. He might be telling you maybe you don't need to spend that money today. He might be telling you that you need to trust Him and not keep doing the things that might be causing your finances to be in trouble in the first place. I do not know what God is telling you. I only know what God is telling me.
Once you learn how to listen to God and hear what he is saying, then it becomes a different issue. It moves into the realm of free will. Do you follow what he says or do you not. That is a life choice but what God is telling me to tell you is this.
Stop waiting for God to solve your problems. God will help you. God will give you the strength to do it. God will even tell you what it is you need to do. But turning it over to God to handle all your problems is not the way He intended it to work. He wants to work with you. He wants you to trust Him. He wants you to be the one who walks with His grace and knows that whatever the problem is, you walk with the power of God and you and He together will face these problems and you and He together will allow you to live your life under the comfort of His will.
What has happened with the 'church' and 'religion' is we spend all our time praying to God to solve everything. And I am not saying God does not work that way. He is God. He can do anything and I am not going to presume that I know what God's plan is or what he intends or what he wants of you or anyone else. What I am telling you is what God is telling me.
As the children of Christ, we have come to look at God as something that we are totally dependant upon. That nothing can be done without Him. Amazingly, that is true. We cannot do anything, good or bad, that he does not allow and he has not already planned for. But we have become dependant upon that.
What I mean is, we are waiting for the miracle. We pray to God, we sit back and say, God do something. We expect and depend on Him to perform some act, that we can see, that solves the problem.
When that doesn't happen, we are disappointed. We blame God or worse, we blame ourselves. It makes us move away from God. For people outside the church, it allows them to say, 'see, God does not exist and does not want to help His people'.
We know that is not true but we also know that we all feel that way at times. That God is not there for you or He is disappointed in me, or I have not worshipped Him enough or prayed to Him enough or sang loud enough in church or any number things that you did that caused God to not do what you wanted done. And during all that disappointment, do we ever ask, what can I do, with your help, to solve this problem. It never occurs to us that maybe God's answer to your prayers was, 'you handle it'. You do what needs to be done to make it happen. He will help and He will do what needs to be done to be successful, but He has given you the authority and the power to solve the problem. And if the problem does not get resolved, then it is not because you did anything wrong or that He does not love you. It might be that the answer was no. It might be that He has another plan and solving your problem, in the way you want it solved, does not fit into what He has designed and what He knows is best for you and your life and your walk with Him.
We need to learn how to have a relationship with God. A much abused word, relationship, but that is how we describe it. It is the knowledge that God is always there. That you can talk to God at anytime. It does not have to be a prayer or in church or in your special place where you talk to God, but He is always there. He is always there with the right answer. He lives within you and you can talk to Him.
And we need to know that we are the children of God. We have His authority, His power, and His blessing to do what needs to be done to make not only our lives but the lives of others a happier and more fulfilling way to live.
So, pray to God for Him to help you and to help others. Allow Him to be your shelter and your answer to how to live your life. But learn to listen. That is the most important thing to learn. To listen to God and let Him tell you what it is you can and should be doing to avoid or solve any issue or problem you might face.
He has the answers. He is telling you what they are and He is willing to help you work with Him to make things better.
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