Vous pouvez surmonter les crises par la prière.

Often when terrible situations occur, people ask,

but where is God?
How could such a thing happen?

There are many things we don't understand about life's events. And unexplainable situations abound. Yet, I have learned over the years of walking with God that He is never wrong. Furthermore, experience has shown that many situations could have been avoided with the sustained prayer required. And others will be overcome more quickly if and when we pray.

The difficulty of prayer

The difficulty with prayer is that people often don't realize its importance until it's too late. Many people don't feel the need to pray until things are going well in their lives. This reveals not only an inadequate understanding of the purpose of personal prayer, but also of the believer's responsibility to pray for the nation, the family, and whatever God desires to do.

The issue of prayer must be separated from personal well-being. When we are too self-absorbed, we are oblivious to the potential danger around us. If I feel well and see no need to pray beyond a few brief thanksgivings to God, I am living in disobedience to Jesus' clear instructions regarding the topics of my prayer.

We don't just pray to be healthy. We pray for the Father's will to be done on earth. And the Father's will extends beyond ourselves to our families, our communities, and our nations.

Every crisis is an opportunity to propel ourselves into a higher dimension of prayer. The gap between what is and what ought to be is a cause for radical mobilization for prayer, not depression or anxiety. If things change through prayer, which they do, then let's change things.

Prayer is addictive; once you start, you're hooked and can't stop. Accept that the challenge you're going through will transform you into a prayer warrior. And, beyond the challenge, commit yourself to God's radical prayer army.

Communion with God

In prayer, we enter a realm where all things are possible. In prayer, we commune with a Being who possesses unlimited and unfathomable wisdom, knowledge, and capacity. He is the Almighty, omniscient, and omnipotent God. He is also the God who reveals himself and imparts knowledge. I am not playing with words. My intention is to lead us to pause and reflect on the One to whom we speak and listen in prayer.

Everything we need to know about every challenge or crisis is known to Him, and He communicates it to us in prayer. This is fundamental. To pray is to receive knowledge from God. Through prayer, you begin to see. Not only do you receive peace, rest, and joy, but also a good vision of the future and confidence about it.

True prayer inevitably leads to rest. Rest is indeed one of the things God wants to give us in times of crisis. The written Word takes shape in the heart and brings peace. Moreover, we are reassured by the rest of God Himself. Those who are in communion with God and become aware of His presence quickly realize that He is never anxious, never terrified, and never worried. This reassures us.

Be confident

We all know people who see every situation ending in disaster. No solution offered finds favor in their eyes, and they prefer to expect the worst. But no matter how difficult the situation, we are optimistic and remain confident that things will change. Elijah's example is instructive; through his prayer, he brought about radical change, and God's Word urges us to adopt the same mindset as him.

1 John 5:14 says, “This is the confidence we have toward him: whenever we ask anything according to his, will he hear us? And if we know that he hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of him.

This verse is the antithesis of doubt and panic. It leaves no room for the prevarication and procrastination that characterize so much of our attitude toward prayer. It is a clear declaration of God's willingness to help. It even commands us to have assurance regarding answers to prayer. This is extraordinary.

May you have this confidence from now on. May you, even as you navigate life's crises, be full of assurance that He has heard and answered your prayers. Prayer is about entering a realm of possibility. Everything God wants is potential reality. All it takes for it to become my reality is for me to pray as He wants and believe.
• What does God want for you?
• What did he give you?
• What did He promise you?

Choose to believe it is done. If you are facing a life-threatening situation right now, tell God that you want to live to fulfill your destiny. He did not plan for one of His children to die young. Ask Him for a long life so that you can serve Him fully and do all that He put you on earth to do. Yes, we can overcome any crisis in life through prayer. Help, rest, and peace are available. Divine intervention is also available.

Prayer is necessary

Finally, not only is prayer effective, it is also necessary. Some situations have no solution without prayer. And God only intervenes when people pray. Whatever the nature or extent of the crisis, His intervention must be sought.

Consider Solomon's dedication of the temple. He prayed deeply, passionately, and exhaustively. He sought to gain God's favor for his people and ensure His mercy should they stray. And so he addressed a whole range of potential misdeeds, disobedience, and crisis situations in his request for God's mercy.

He pleaded with God to intervene in times of famine, plague, locust infestation, as well as sin, exile, deportation, disease, etc., etc. He asked God to respond in His grace whenever people, afflicted by these circumstances, turned to Him in prayer. He understood that prayer is the only true remedy for human inadequacies and afflictions. Prayer should be the believer's default response. It is the answer to every human dilemma.

When do we pray?

We pray all the time. When there are situations of sin, we must pray. And Solomon said, “When these people sin against you and you are angry with them, and hand them over to the enemy,” he recognized the human tendency to make serious mistakes. And even when they would have been sent into exile, he asked God to have mercy and bring them back.

Even when we have sinned against God, when we call on Him, He will hear, forgive, and heal. God does not hold people captive. That is the devil's mission statement. He is the one who holds people in torment and chains of anxiety. All torment, fear, bondage, and anxiety must be removed. Break them off yourself and break them off the people you pray for.

May you successfully overcome every crisis in life. Shalom!

This article is an excerpt from a forthcoming book, How to Overcome Life's Crises.