Many might ask me why I did not simply ask God to make it go away. This question is completely valid, as it touches on many things besides the fact that if God answered this prayer, the problem would be gone. At first, this makes complete sense, but when one starts digging, there are other factors to consider besides what seems so obvious. Two things to consider with this prayer. One is the level of faith required to pray this and second is the potential costs of praying this prayer.
Much Faith Required
When examining the faith required to pray this kind of prayer, I would consider two things. First, does the believer actually believe God can or will do this? Quite simply, does one believe God is capable of answering the prayer. The second part asks, is one willing to voice this concern regardless of the outcome? No matter what the outcome, is the faith of the believer strong enough to handle God’s answer?
A Crisis of Belief
My personal struggle was not whether God was or is able to answer the prayer. I completely believe God is able to do abundantly more than I can ask, think, or imagine (Ephesisans 3:20). My struggle lies with the second part of this idea. If God says “No”, was my faith in a place to handle His answer? At the time of this event, I was not at a place where my faith could handle His answer. My concern was that His answer would cause a crisis of belief when it comes to my faith.
“Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us,”
Counting the Costs
The second thing to think about is the potential costs of praying this prayer. One might say, praying is free, what cost? I would encourage you to look beyond the financial. What happens if God says “No”? Is the faith of the believer strong enough to handle this answer? What I have come to realize is that if someone values something, they tend to protect it. The level of protection varies depending on the amount they value the item. In my case, my faith, was as important as the air I breathed. This was all I had at the time. I could not handle a crisis of belief. Not at that time.
So why did I not pray this prayer? Quite simply… FEAR. Was this fear rational?…No, but the potential cost was not something I would dare chance. When fear grips you as much as it had a hold on me, you begin to accept lies as truth as the line between the truth and lies gets blurry.
Today’s Takeaway
Father God – Strengthen My Faith
From this experience, I learned I simply did not have the faith I needed to properly address my fear and anxiety. If you are anything like me, you might start by asking God to strengthen your faith. This is perhaps the first step in the battle against fear and anxiety. Without faith you will not be able to do what is needed to overcome your fear or anxiety.
- Start with asking God to strengthen your faith.
