I don’t know what’s going on in your circle of friends, but there are lots of people in my circle that are in desperate need of prayers. Friends struggling with devastating diagnoses, begging God for miracles. Others suffering from intense fears and anxiety, hoping desperately for healing.
Each morning, I talk to Jesus about these friends and family members. These situations and concerns. I lift them to the Father. I ask for healing. But so often, I find my mind wandering to other, less pressing needs. Or I pray without belief that God is actually going to take care of the situation.
I know in my head that He can do anything. But do I believe it in my heart? Do I trust Him?
So many of us struggle with faith in Jesus when something bad happens. In general, my first instinct is to pray, but just because I’m praying doesn’t always mean I have the faith that He’s going to do anything about the situation.
I mean, obviously, God chooses to work in ways that are different from ours. He is constantly working behind the scenes in our lives, working things out for the good of those who love Him. I believe that. I believe that when we get to Heaven, we will be able to see how all of our difficulties came together to form something good.
But so often when we pray, we are just speaking words to the Lord without the belief that He will do what He says He can do.
I love Annie Downs. Her podcast, That Sounds Fun, is a great one to listen to. Recently she was talking about a friend of hers in China who said this: “If everybody knew the power of the gospel, it would probably be illegal everywhere.”
Isn’t that the truth? If we all truly knew the power of the Word of God, can you imagine the things God could do through us?
Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, but when He told the devil to leave, that’s exactly what happened. Even at Jesus’ weakest, Satan still had to obey.
And technically, if Jesus is our Lord, if He lives inside us, we should be able to make the devil leave us alone too. Our lives should look so much like Jesus because we have been given authority as sons and daughters of the King, and the devil should flee from us.
Scripture tells us that Jesus is:
Immanuel (God With Us)
Redeemer
Rock
Savior
Victorious
Authority
Deliverer
Healer
Comforter
Today I am going to lift my friends to the Father, expecting that God can heal them. Trusting that He holds them in His hands. Believing that He will make beauty from ashes.
Who is Jesus to you? What do you need Him to be to you in this moment?