Daily devotion – Easy lives or stronger saints.
Devotion: Praying for Strength, Not Ease
“Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men and women. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.”
Our conversations often reveal the measure of our faith. When we meet at church or elsewhere, the usual, “How are you? How are things going?” opens our discussions. And if we are struggling, we quickly share our burdens with a listening ear.
In such moments, our natural response is often to ask God to remove the problem, ease the trial, or fix what is broken. While there is nothing wrong with these prayers, we must remember that God allows storms for a purpose—to strengthen us.
Rather than being tossed about like a rag doll when life’s tempests rise, God desires that we become overcomers:
Romans 12:21 – Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
1 John 2:13-14 – I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one… because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you.
1 John 4:4 – You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
When we understand that God is growing us to live victoriously in a fallen world, our attitude toward trials changes. Instead of seeking the nearest exit when challenges arise, we begin to rely on His power and might to stand firm in the struggle. To enable us by God’s power to stand faithful in the storm!
Our conversations, too, will shift—from speaking of going under to magnifying how God is keeping us strong!