Answer: In this age, the competition in job market is fierce. Many people complain that it’s difficult to find a job, and the stress at work is a lot. People face the danger of losing jobs and falling into trouble at any time. As a Christian, we are no exceptions. So when things happen, how should we pray to God?
Two months ago, on the issue of my daughter looking for a job, I found the path to pray to the Lord in difficulties. At that time, my daughter was unemployed and stayed at home. She asked her friend to introduce her a job. I also prayed for her everyday, asking God to prepare a suitable job for her. However, as time passed, my daughter still couldn’t find a suitable job. I was confused: I was praying to the Lord all the time, why didn’t the Lord listen to my prayers?
One day, Sister Zhang came to my home. I told her my confusion. Sister Zhang read to me a passage of God’s words. God says, “You seldom have a true prayer, and some of you even don’t know how to pray; in fact, prayer is mainly about speaking what is in your heart, just like a normal conversation. However, some people take the wrong position when they pray, and regardless of whether it conforms with God’s will or not, they demand God to bestow what they ask for upon them. As a result, the more they pray the duller it becomes. When praying, whatever your heart asks for and desires, or when you wish to take care of some matters that you don’t fully understand you ask God for wisdom, strength, or enlightenment, you must be reasonable in the way you speak. If you are unreasonable, and you kneel and say: ‘God, give me power and let me see my nature; I ask You to do it. I ask You to give me this or that, I ask You to let me be like this or like that….’ this word ‘ask’ carries an element of force, and is like exerting pressure on God to make Him do it. Moreover, you predetermine your own matters. The Holy Spirit sees such prayers as: Since you have predetermined it yourself, and you want to do it that way, what will be the outcome of this kind of prayer?” Then Sister Zhang fellowshipped with me, “From God’s words we can see that a prayer in accordance with God’s will is to speak to God what is in our heart, and we must be reasonable. If our prayer is just to ask God to bless us in the way we want, but we never seek God’s will, such prayer is unreasonable asking. I used to pray in this way also: When my daughter took the college entrance exam, I asked God to help my daughter to enter into a prestigious university; when my husband looked for a job, I prayed to God to prepare a job with high salary; when we encounter difficulties in our family, I urgently prayed to God to remove the difficulties. … Later through reading God’s words, I understand that such prayers are very unreasonable and God does not listen to them.”
Then Sister Zhang said, “So what is a reasonable prayer that is in accordance with God’s will? God says, ‘You should seek and submit in your prayers; for example, if a matter came upon you that you didn’t know how to handle, then you say: “Oh God! I don’t know how to handle this matter. I am willing to satisfy You in this matter, I am willing to seek Your will, I desire for Your will to come to pass. You know that the intentions of man are in violation of Your will; they resist You and do not conform with truth. I only desire to do according to Your intentions. I ask You to enlighten me and guide me in this matter, so that I won’t offend You….” This kind of tone of voice in prayer is appropriate.’ We can see that a prayer in accordance with God’s will is that no matter what happens, we can seek and submit when we pray. Just like Job, when he lost his properties and his children, he could submit to God, and then seek God’s will. At last he said, ‘Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD’ (Job 1:21). When Job prayed, he didn’t ask God why He did this, and didn’t ask God to return his properties and his children. He submitted to God and sought God’s will, and realized that all his properties were given by God, not from his own labor. No matter whether God gave or took away, as a creature, he shouldn’t have any demands or complaints. This is the rationality people should have. Job had obedience and reverence to God in his prayers. At last, he bore a resounding testimony for God, and God called him a perfect man. So, when we are faced with difficulties, only if we pray with a seeking and obedient heart, can our prayer be after God’s will and be heard by God.”
After hearing Sister Zhang’s fellowship, I understood a lot. Later, I prayed to God submissively. No matter how God would arrange my daughter’s job, I would like to obey and have faith in God’s arrangement. Thank God! Two days later, my daughter’s friend called and told her that a colleague just resigned. My daughter went to the interview, and started to work there the next day.
Through this experience, I’m more clear about the problems in my prayer, and have somee understanding of how to pray to God in difficulties reasonably. Thank God! Hope this can also give you some help.