How do you pray? And when....

Lately I have been challenged. Challenged to look at how I view God. Our pastor has been leading us through Hebrews and in doing so has given me some things I need to be reminded of. Sunday he preached on Enduring and discipline: Hebrews 12 says:

⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

 Mainly I have been in need of being reminded of God's sovereignty. Of his majesty, of his strength, of his purpose for us. He leads us, he guides us, but not always through the primrose path but right through the thorns. But when we get out of the other side the scars are a badge of courage. He sees our simplistic thoughts, he hears our cries, but still sometimes he chooses to let us walk the hard path so we learn something. But it is more than that, the trials and the hard times are there and always will be there so we can know him. But, we must choose to endure those times, not resist them. It is through those times that the true character of him is revealed. It is through those times when our true dependence on him is cemented. It is through those times when it is revealed how much we truly need him. We hear teaching and preaching all of the time of how someone in the bible or someone lately endures the hardship of life and prevails. We hear stories that make us weep because through uncertainty we see triumph, through pain we see joy, but do we ourselves when confronted with those times see GOD? Apostle Paul said in Philippians 2:12 "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want"......That is a great testimony, to be as much as ease in good times and bad, because we know who is steering the boat. We know who is guiding our path. We can rest assured that when we hit a bump in the road of life that God is already there and make sure that as we are crying out to him in agony that we also give him the praise for allowing us to learn through that trial. We need to also thank him fervently for the good times. Endurance is so much more than taking a deep breath and hoping we come out the other side. It should be a way of life. An accepted way of living, which is learning as Paul did, to be content in all things good or bad. To accept all of the hardships as opportunities not as punishment. To see through the worlds idea of God and see the biblical God. The way we pray in those times reflect our understanding of our God, do you always pray for God to "fix" situations, or "remove" you from the troubles? Or do you pray for him to be revealed through those times, and to show you what you are supposed to learn? I hope it is the latter. All of us as Christians seem to spend more time in prayer when we are up against something than we do when things are seeming to go good. But we need to reexamine the purpose of our prayers, look deep inside ourselves and see if it is a selfish motive that we pray to God for when the walls are closing in. Or do we see the bigger picture, one where God is sovereign and he is in control, and through every circumstance, hardship and pain even if it is self inflicted we must choose to look unto the one and only God to give us guidance, and endurance to persevere, for in him even during those times, we can know peace, and contentment.