Lesson 73: Prayer
The Psalms, like no other part of the Bible, teach us how to pray. As the life of David shows, nothing is impossible or too big for God. His life was in constant turmoil, and in the end, God delivered him. Sometimes we feel besieged on all sides by life’s circumstances and like David, we need to cry out loudly to God in prayer. We mostly all have experienced direct unmistakable answer to prayer; but this may be followed by long periods of drought where God seems to be doing nothing. David experienced the same thing. But God is at the finish line and sees the end after His purposes have been worked out. He alone knows how the puzzle of our lives all fits together. Sometimes bad circumstances help us grow into what God needs us to be. Joseph, was in prison for 15 years before finally being brought to second in power over all of Egypt. During his time in prison he learned and grew in what he needed to know to function as second in command. Also, satan and his powers of darkness are continually attacking God’s people. Much of our suffering is a result of unseen battles going on in the spiritual realm between the kingdom of God and the powers of darkness. We need to trust always in God in all circumstances and accept that our prayers will not always be answered in the way or by the time we think they should. But if God never answered a prayer for relief in the circumstances that engulf us, He provided salvation through faith in Jesus so that we can be assured of eternity with Him. God is anxious and waiting for us to come to Him in prayer.