Go to God in Prayer – February 18, 2025
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:8,9
Go to God in Prayer
Daily Devotion – February 18, 2025
Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 12:8,9
See series: Devotions
Does it ever seem like God isn’t listening to your prayers? Like he is ignoring you? You thought you might try this prayer thing your neighbor keeps talking about, but nothing seems to be happening.
That can be frustrating. God asks us to go to him with our troubles, and we ask him to take one of those troubles away, but nothing seems to happen. Why? It seems that you could be a more effective employee for the company if God would just take away that chronic pain that so often interrupts your work. It goes without saying that you could be a more loving parent and spouse if God would take away the mental health issues you are dealing with. We don’t understand when God doesn’t take these things away from us.
Have you considered looking at it from a different perspective? Maybe the thing you have been asking God to take away is actually serving as a tremendous blessing in your life. Perhaps that pain or ailment can point you toward God and encourage you to put all your trust in him. It might be that God is using this trial in your life to give you an opportunity to rely on him even more.
Jesus had such an opportunity on the night before he died. He knew the events of the next day would bring him severe pain and suffering. He prayed that if it was Godās will, the cup of suffering might be removed from him. God heard his prayers and said, “No.” It was God’s will to make Jesus suffer so that we would never have to suffer as payment for our sins. Jesus humbly accepted Godās will and relied on his Father to provide the strength to endure what he had to go through. And thank God he did! Because Jesus endured through his hardship, you and I are saved now and forever.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, you endured suffering so I could be free. Help me rely on you today as I face my own struggles. Amen.
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International VersionĀ®, NIVĀ®. Copyright Ā©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ā¢ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
