Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. 

James 5:13, NIV (1978)

 

I must caution you at the outset, that this set of solutions to your problems is going to seem too easy. Do not let the simplicity of the solution dissuade you from at least trying it out. You have little to lose and much to gain by at least trying, so why not try?.

 

So. let's start at the beginning: America is in trouble. For that matter, the entire world is in trouble. Is it any wonder, then that this trouble has spilled over into your life?

 

My motivation for this series is simple. In recent months I have seen video after video of people who are in desperate situations who are ready to give up. Some have gotten in over the head in debt and now feel like they are drowning - and figuratively speaking, they are. Others have lost jobs. Some have had serious health issues. Some have been through personal tragedies that are just too much for them to bear. Some have lost ended a long-standing relationship... 

 

Because of these things, some are just worn out from the struggle and are too tired to fight anymore. Because of this decision to give up the fight, some will be homeless in a very short period of time. Others will give in to substance abuse, others still into sexual immorality. Some will leave cherished relationships - whether spouses, parents, children or friends. Others still will go to the ultimate extreme of considering tsking their own lives - one of the most precious gifts that God has given.

 

So, what is a person expected to do?

 

This is where the simple beginning will prove to be the best - we pray!

 

You might protest and say that prayer is not for you. Some will claim that they have already tried that, only to find that God somehow, in their mind, has let them down. It will be too "churchy" for some, too illogical for others, too "unscientific" for others still. If you fall into any of these excuse groups, let me encourage you to pray anyway. 

 

When you have everything to gain and very little to lose by trying something, then by all means try. And you do, by the way, have everything to gain by trying this. So how, many are wondering, do I start?

 

Simply by turning off your pride and yielding yourself in trust to God! You can begin just by talking to your Father - after all, He loves you! Do so, however, with the respect and reverence due Him. He did not get you into your desperate position, no matter how much you may have blamed Him in the past for doing just that. It was your own bad decisions, or the bad decisions of others, or, more likely a combination of the two that got you to the point where you are ready to give up. So, humble yourself in God's presence. Empty yourself before Him, unburdening your heart of all the poison and malice you might be holding, and bring your requests to Him - He will know what to do from there.

 

If you do not know much about God or Jesus, that's okay - let this prayer be the beginning of your journey to get to know them. Remember that this is just a beginning, because in this prayer you will be committing yourself to finding out what He expects of you. This can only be done by reading His Word, so pray that He will help you to not only begin to read the Bible, but also to understand it. Stop viewing prayer as if it were some sort of a mystical experience and stop treating the Bible as if it were some sort of a book of secrets that only the brilliant few can ever understand. We will have more to say about reading the Bible in the next article, but for now, simply pray!

 

Pray that God will rescue you from your desperate situation! Pray that He will carry you through the things that you cannot possibly handle on your own and then be willing to do your part in the things you can do. Stop viewing prayer as something mysterious and start viewing it as a practical matter. When you call your earthly father on the cell phone you do not view it as some sort of magic box of communication, for you understand cell phones, even if you don't understand the specifics about the technology that makes them work. Just remember that the same Creator that set the principles of physics into place that allowed simple men to develop the phone is the same Creator who designed prayer. It is a practical form of communication that God has designed for you to talk to Him, so do so.

 

Pray for wisdom, pray for peace of mind, pray for understanding, pray for rescue - pray for whatever you need and trust Him to answer in the right way.

 

One more thing - this is the beginning of a process to help save you from a situation that may have been years in the making. Allow Him the time to help you come out of this situation. It will seem too simple, perhaps, but prayer is powerful and effective.

 

If you are ready to begin your journey out of the troubles that have been stealing the joy and peace from your life, then start, this very day, with prayer!

 

And I pray that we will meet again tomorrow for Day 2. May God richly bless your efforts as you seek His help as you begin today to turn your life around. Remember this: No problem that you have is too big for God. Why not let Him help you with this?