Prayer when you are suffering from a lack of God’s love
Written by Kelly Ballary
Bible reading:
“And because we are God’s children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’” – Galatians 4:6 New Translation of the Bible.
Listen or read below:
problem. health problems. The car breaks down. Broken relationship. fear. Doubt. Disappointed. Things that don’t go well.
I remembered everything that happened in the past…oh my! I’ve been through a lot. It was very difficult.
But what about now? Some questions remain. For example, how can I prevent my experiences from leading to future insecurities from defining my identity? From predicting what God has in store for me? Is it because it disgusts me and hardens my heart?
Really, when I think about everything that has happened, I want to fear everything that might happen.
So how can we believe the best and hope for the best even if…
I guess the only thing I can do is remind myself of the truth.
What happened to me is not me. What happened to me is not my identity. It’s okay now. God has me in the palm of His hand.
Most of all, God still cares. He hasn’t left me. He hasn’t taken his eyes off me for a long time. You don’t have to protect yourself. I’m not an orphan.
God’s Word says otherwise: “And because we are God’s children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, prompting us to cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” (Galatians 4:6 NIV)
What happened to me is not me. I am a beloved daughter of God. I’m not an orphan. I am filled with the Spirit of God. His very Spirit is in my heart.
He is also in your heart. Isn’t that amazing?
And in this I see a lot. In other words, I cannot allow anything that happens to me to change my God-given identity. Forget it.
There is another person who has fallen into this trap. He was the younger of the two prodigal sons (Luke 15). do you remember him? This son thought that what his father had given him was not enough and left his father’s house in search of more. he went his own way. he had his own plan. He thought about his thoughts. result?
poverty. He lives apart from his father in scarcity. It’s a wasted life.
A life apart from the Father’s love is of no use.
Only after going through difficult times did the second son gain enough knowledge to return to the Father’s love.
Do we know enough to return to the Father’s love despite our painful experiences?
God’s love awaits us.
The Father’s love is abundantly poured out on us.
Dad has rings and robes ready for us when we return.
we matter.
We are not what happened to us. We are sons and daughters of the Most High King. he loves us God has done good for us on earth as well as in his kingdom in heaven.
let’s pray
Father, forgive me for running away from you. In a way, I’m even mentally exhausted by the constant onslaught of life. I’m sorry for making your heart hard. Will you forgive me? I don’t want to run away from you, hide from you, or turn my back on you. I’ll come back to your love. In the name of Jesus.
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Photo credit: GettyImages/Thinkstock/demaerre
Kelly uplifts believers by increasing their faith. It’s encouraging to receive Kelly’s blog posts by email each week. A cheerleader of the faith, Kelly is a blogger, national speaker, and author of Take Every Thought Captive, Rest Now, Battle Ready, and Fear Fighting. Kelly loves seeing the power of prayer in action. She loves seeing the look on women’s faces when they realize that their God is faithful. Kelly’s work has been featured on The Today Show, CBN’s 700 Club, Relevant, and Today’s Christian Woman.
Related resources: What to do when God seems far away
What do we do when God no longer feels as close as he used to?
Many sincere believers go through seasons when their prayers feel empty, their Bibles feel silent, and God feels mysteriously absent. Especially for leaders, these seasons can feel confusing, discouraging, and even embarrassing.
In this episode of the Unhurried Living podcast, Alan Fadling sits down with theologian and spiritual formation professor Kyle Strobel to discuss his new book, When God Seems Distant, co-written with John Coe. If this episode helps you focus your work and life on God, follow Unhurried Living on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode.
