When things aren’t going very well

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of Him." – 1 John 5:14,15

"How are things going?" you ask a friend.

"You really want to know?"

"Sure."

"Couldn’t be much worse. If my business doesn’t turn the corner in the next sixty days, I’m going under." And how do you respond? You probably wish that you hadn’t asked, because you would like to fix your friend’s problem and don’t know how.

So you say, "Well, I’ll pray for you," thinking that this will put an end to the conversation and give you an easy way out. Your friend, though, has been praying, but he’s starting to lose hope, wondering if this prayer business really works in the world of commerce.

It’s easy to begin to lose faith when our business is going under. In the darkness of the night we begin to wonder if God really cares about us as individuals. We wonder if it makes any difference to Him whether we and the business fail or succeed.

We may even struggle with doubt. "It’s too late. God’s doesn’t care about me. I’m not good enough. Maybe things won’t work."

Malcolm Muggeridge used to say that atheists are the only ones on earth who have no doubts. He said, "The moment one believes, one automatically doubts, doubt being an integral part of faith." C.S. Lewis, the Cambridge professor of Medieval Literature, used to say that before he became a Christian there were times when Christianity looked terribly probable, and that since he had become a Christian, there were times when atheism looked quite probable. He believed that you have to tell your doubts where to get off; otherwise, you will dither back and forth with no confidence in anything.

Prayer brings us into confrontation with what God wants. It doesn’t always change the circumstances, but it always changes the one who prays. Understand that God doesn’t answer prayers because you are good, or because He owes you something. It is because of the relationship of a child with the Father that He honors the many promises of His Word. God does answer prayer.

When it is hardest to pray is when you need to pray the hardest. Fight doubt by taking a Bible and marking the many promises of answered prayer. Underline those promises and take them to heart. Then, in a notebook begin to jot down dates and what you are praying about, and then record how God answers.

Don’t believe all your doubts and refuse to doubt all your beliefs. Hold on to what you know is true. Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge." (Romans 3:4).

Resource Reading: Joshua 1

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Tomorrow Begins Today is available in bookstores nationwide. For more information, write to Guidelines Philippines, Box 4000, 1284 Makati City or e-mail [email protected]. Visit our website www.guidelines.org.