When bad things happen, how do you pray?
All week I’ve written in this blog about praying when your heart is heavy. That was the subject of last Sunday’s sermon. Today I want drill down a little on the subject of praying when bad things happen and it’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re not being punished for some sin. But something painful has happened and you are now living in the midst of it. How do you pray?
First, let me say that we pray the way we’ve been talking about all week. We’re honest with God about how we feel and what we want. Then we commit ourselves to loving and serving Him, no matter what happens. We confess our trust in His eternal plan and ask Him to use us to make a difference for His kingdom.
Second, I believe we should pray for God to bring something good out of something bad. Not everything that happens is God’s will or is caused by God – despite some people saying otherwise. Not everything that happens to us is good. Yet the Bible does tell us that God will bring good out of bad, if we love Him.
Romans 8:28
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
This verse does not say that God causes all things to happen. It does say that He causes all things to work together so that something good comes out of it. Bad things will happen. Isn’t it better if we cooperate with God so that something good comes from it than rebelling against God so that only the bad exists?
When bad things happen, one prayer we pray should always be: “God, bring something good from this horrible situation – and use me to make a positive difference.”
Pastor Steve Hogg
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