Dr. Charles Stanley
FACING CHALLENGES - Psalm 17
"Challenges are universal. Whether we face financial difficulty, health crises, or personal trauma, we all struggle through some hardship in our lives. The believer's first instinct should be to pray, which is certainly the right approach, but the manner in which we pray is also important.
Worship is not reserved for Sunday morning, but should come from our lips every day. Our conversations with God are often problem-focused, but many of the heroes of the Old Testament laced their requests with worship of the Almighty. David repeatedly speaks of God's protection even as he begs for refuge from Saul's pursuing army. We will stand up from our prayer time with renewed vigor and confidence if we spend time acknowledging God's capability to handle our challenges, instead of concentrating on the trial.
Another way to tackle our problems is to get others involved in praying for us. Sometimes this requires courage and boldness. We may be private people, or perhaps we are dealing with a deeply personal issue. But the prayers of fellow believers will encourage and strengthen our spirit. If you have never heard another person calling out your name before God, let me tell you it is a very powerful experience.
In addition, the Lord may use one of our prayer partners to provide a solution. The words he or she speaks in passing could contain the exact message God wants us to hear. We can be certain He will always show us a way to resolve the difficulty we face, whether through another person, His Word, or His voice in our hearts."
Fellow pilgrim, let's avail ourselves of all the Great Shepherd has to offer today! Let's offer Him our worship as we entrust our challenges to Him. He is more than able to meet our every need. - David
Facing Challenges was very applicable to today's stresses. Praise is an important part of our prayer life. Thanks for your blog site. Mitzi
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