The Hardest Thing For A Christian To Pray by Sharon Connell

Since the theme this month is “Seasons of Faith,” I thought about all the seasons a Christian goes through in their walk with God, and how our faith changes as we grow as Christians. Starting out as babies, we know we’re not going to hell because of the Lord’s finished work on Calvary. We’re in the season of faith called trust. We trust the Bible is true.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9 KJV)

During this first season, we don’t think too much about our walk with the Lord. About what happens next. We don’t realize yet that the devil will come along and try to mess us up. We’re baby Christians.

As toddlers, we still take our first steps. This is the next season of faith. We trust our Lord to keep us safe and not let us go through too many falls while we learn to walk, and I believe our Lord does exactly that. Just like the loving Father, He is, He’s there to catch us. And if we get too far away and fall, He’s there to pick us up again.

Family members betray us. Our hearts are broken. Still, we have a loving Father to turn to for comfort, and we trust Him to make things right again.

This is where my title to this article comes in. “The Hardest Thing for a Christian to Pray.” What is it?

“Thy will be done, Lord.”

Another trust issue. Does God know what’s best in our lives, or doesn’t He? Boy, it’s a hard one. Of course, He knows what’s best for us. He loves us. Then why does He allow things to happen that hurt so badly? Because He knows all things, unlike us.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (KJV) All Things. Even the painful things. We can’t see the future, but God knows it just like He knows the past.

The season of faith involved in this time of our Christian walk is the hardest one of all, and yet we are the strongest we’ve ever been as Christians. We are now walking strong, can step over the stones, we catch ourselves when we start to fall. But when the anvil drops into our lives, we pray for deliverance. It’s good to pray for deliverance from a bad situation, but do we add, as Jesus did, “… O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.”? (Matthew 26:42b NKJ)

It was the worst day of Jesus’ human walk on this earth. He was about to be crucified. He would be tortured first and left to hang on a rough piece of wood. Hung from nails driven into His hands and feet. And yet, He told His Father, “… thy will be done.”

The hardest prayer a Christian can pray. “God please don’t let my baby die, nevertheless, Thy will be done.” “Lord, please don’t let us lose our home, nevertheless, Thy will be done.”

Does God know what’s best for us? Of course, He does. We can pray those prayers and trust our Lord to not only comfort us through the rough and raw moments of this season but provide healing and everything else we need. So, don’t be afraid to pray the hardest prayer a Christian can pray. You’re grown up now. In the prime season of faith. Trust Him.

Author, Sharon K. Connell lives in Houston, Texas from where she writes Christian Romance Suspense, containing a bit of mystery and as much humor as she can get into a story. She’s also written many award-winning short stories in a variety of genres.

Sharon attended college in Illinois, graduated from the Pensacola Bible Institute in Florida, and holds a certificate in fiction writing from the International Writing Program through the University of Iowa.

She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, Scribes Critique Group, Houston Writers Guild, and CyFair Writers. She is also the founder of the global Facebook Christian Writers & Readers group forum. Her monthly newsletter, Novel Thoughts, goes out every month to its subscribers in all parts of the world.

Click on the photo to see Sharon’s books on Amazon.com