I just counted many of my blessings, and the realization struck me that the things that concern me seem much smaller when I compare them with how God blesses me every day. My concerns are still real, still valid, but they are not the whole picture. When I look at them in light of the whole picture, they shrink to their proper proportion instead of stealing the show.
My list of blessings:
Spiritual blessings include:
- A heavenly Father in whose love I am secure.
- Forgiveness and salvation.
- God’s Word in my own language.
- Access to Him at all times and about anything.
Temporal blessings include:
- Beauty and peace.
- Daily provision.
- Friends and family.
- Opportunities, purpose and abilities.
These two groups intersect when God is near and the Holy Spirit is at work.
Within this greater framework, I am grieved by sin and its effects around me. It drives me to my heavenly Father in whose presence I am always welcome to lament what grieves Him too. But more, it compels me to ask Him to work out His will in order to bring good from the bad. He is big enough and powerful enough to do this. Sin is not the end of the story. Will He make all my concerns instantly disappear? No, not necessarily. But if I ask for a piece of fish, will He give me a snake? Never (Matthew 7:10-11)!
My knee-jerk reaction is to ask, like Paul, for the thorn to be removed (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). “Lord . . . take it away” (v.8 NLT). But He knows there might be something better if it remains, and so He says, “My grace is sufficient” (v.9). If we pulled out every stalk that had a thorn, there would be no roses! Instead, He often chooses to show His strength in our weakness. We do not get the instant fix we want, but we can trust that our suffering is not wasted. God is a redeemer, and He is willing that our pain should be redeemed. Perhaps it is working a far greater weight of glory in us than “easy street” ever would (2 Corinthians 4:17).
So, when I am not sure whether it is God’s will to make the effects of sin in my life, and the lives of those around me, disappear entirely in a moment, how should I pray?
Whether the effects of sin remain or are removed, there are some things that we can pray for all people at all times. They include peace, healing, encouragement, growth, comfort, joy, protection, relief, wisdom, faith, assurance, victory over the evil one, glory for God, preservation, renewal, God’s presence, His mercy.
A useful breath prayer that I can pray for anyone in any circumstance, is: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on ______ (him/her)” (Mark 10:47). What specifically will that mercy look like? It is hard to say, for God answers prayer in many varied and unorthodox ways. It may just be the sufficient grace that is needed to allow His strength to be made perfect in weakness.
It is hard not to be tethered to the temporal. This is where “we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). However, our God operates beyond the temporal. His focus is on the spiritual and that is harder for us to see. If I ask for bread and He gives me an entire banquet, should I complain at such generosity? It is not what I asked for – but it is so much better! Indeed, He is able to do more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20)!
In a similar way, God is at work in the spiritual realm to fulfil His will in us by His Holy Spirit. Perhaps I am looking for the temporal answer to my prayer, but instead He is choosing to enrich my relationship with Him. He is forming me into a more mature Christian who is open to the Holy Spirit’s work in my heart. He is giving me greater faith and gravitas in my walk with Him. Shall I complain that this is not what I had in mind? It is harder, for sure, but not lesser.
Am I still going to ask Him to remove the thorns? Absolutely. The blind did see, and the lame did walk, and the deaf did hear when Jesus was on earth. But not every case was the same, and I must be open to an answer different from what I am expecting or at least hoping for. I can be content with a spiritual work accomplished for His glory, no matter how His mercy manifests itself in my life and the lives of the ones I love.
So, in the greater context of all the ways God cares for me spiritually and temporally, can I commit the effects of sin that affect me and mine to Him? His bountiful goodness to me is testament to His ability to provide for me. He is a good God, a heavenly Father, all-powerful and wise. He will do what He sees fit to accomplish His good plan. I can rest here and remember that sin does not have the final say.
