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"All the days of the afflicted are evil..."

"All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast." (Proverbs 15:15) The first time I encountered the above passage, I tried to reflect on many other alternate meanings there could be asides from what comes to mind at first glance. But there's no getting away from the obvious: your life is shaped by your perspective.  The interesting thing about affliction is that it is typically no respecter of persons. Young or old, rich or poor, healthy or sick - it is an equal opportunity offender. It takes different forms: financial, spiritual, mental, physical, the list goes on. There are the severe, life-threatening types, and the garden-variety types that show up as daily or weekly inconveniences. But there is a flavor of affliction for every kind of person: many fall into the thinking trap that there's a level of wealth or security that guarantees an affliction-free existence. That simply doesn't happen: it's one of the co...
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Check your motives

“And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If You are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

But He answered and said, It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

 

Matthew 4:3-4 


As Christians, we are constantly reminded to use our power in prayer to declare success, progress, provision, breakthroughs, miracles over our lives, with the challenge that Christ has given us the authority to do so in His name. However, these reminders dangerously mirror the 1st temptation of Jesus, who was asked to utilize His legitimate power for the fulfilment of His immediate pressing need. 


We may wonder, “But what really is wrong with such prayer requests?” Well, Jesus reveals what is wrong in His response:


“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God.”


Our real need is not food (or money, or success, or happiness). It is direction from God. Our attention must be focused on the will of the Father, as Jesus was always, and whether our desires are aligned with His will. 


This calls for a change with which we approach prayers. sure there will be times to pray specific prayers based on burdens (like Hannah and Nehemiah), but the overarching aim as we approach God in prayer is how God gets the glory over the situation, and not how miraculously our individual needs are met. Let’s reflect on the fact that Hannah was barren for an extended period until she keyed into a purpose through which God’s name would be glorified and used this to channel her request for a child (1 Samuel 1:11).

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