Importance of Prayer in Suffering

Are any among you suffering?  They should keep praying about it.  And those who have reason to be thankful should continually sing praises to the Lord.  James 5:13

Every day we hear about people crying out to God for healing, comfort, peace, restoration, or mercy.  While God does want us to come to Him for those things he also wants to hear from us when things are going well.  So often we are on our knees constantly when life is hard but our praying muscles don’t get much use when life is going well.  God has given us every good and perfect thing we have (James 1:17).  It is so easy to take “the good stuff” for granted and forget to thank the One who gave it all to us. 

Life in and of itself gives us many reasons to fall on our face and cry out to God for help and in the waves of relief that come on the heels of a crisis we remember to thank Him for the outcome.  But we have many reasons to praise God on a daily basis, no matter the circumstances:

1. We praise God because He is worthy of our praise. (1 Chronicles 16:25; Revelation 5:11-14). He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is our Creator, Provider, Healer, Redeemer, Judge, Defender and much more.  Just because He is God makes Him automatically worthy of our praise.
2. We praise God out of obedience.  The first commandment says “You shall have no other Gods before me.”  He is a jealous God, seeking a relationship with us, lifting us from the miry clay and standing at the door to our hearts and knocking.  He wants and desires our praise and adoration. 
3. We praise God for personal benefit.  The Bible tells us we were created to praise God.  Isaiah 43:7  Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made."  The sin in man creates a gulf between God and man and praise helps restore that relationship.  When we draw near to the Father in praise, He draws near to us. 

As a parent it gives me great joy when my daughter comes up to me and says “I love you” or “thank you for...” for no reason.  Think about how much more our Heavenly Father loves to hear thanks and praise from us just because.  What better example as a parent can I give my child than to model the act of praise and thankfulness to my heavenly father every day, even when there is not an urgent need. 

Take a look at your life today.  Think about all the blessings God has given you and thank Him for each one.  He wants us to praise Him in the storm, but he also wants us to praise Him when the sun is shining!

Scripture to Claim:
In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18  

Submitted by Tamra Gutierrez