Five Purposes of Prayerናሙና

Day 5 – Strength To Go Through Difficult Situations

Life is full of ups and downs. Jesus said in John 16:33 that as long as we, believers, live in this world, we will go through tribulation. And He said that plainly, meaning nobody will ever know when calamity can come. But there’s a better way to go through those situations. One of them is by soaking yourself in prayer before that situation comes.

A perfect example of this is what Jesus did before enduring the cross and bearing the shame. He prayed for hours in the garden of Gethsemane before He was arrested, prosecuted, encountered suffering, and eventually crucified. Pilate was even shocked that Jesus kept silent while people accused Him falsely (see John 19:10).

Here’s the mystery. It wasn’t because Jesus couldn’t defend Himself. He could have even summoned angels to help destroy the people in that court setting. It was because He prayed and understood why He had to suffer for the sake of our salvation (see Hebrews 2:9-10).

Learn of Jesus. When you sense a difficult time coming in your life, don’t follow what journalists (if you are a public figure), friends or people suggest you do. Go and pray for God to give you the strength to go through it and the wisdom to emerge as a victor.