An Open Invitation ...

Anxiety or anxious thoughts are just God’s invitation to pray. When we feel helpless and out of options, it is a good nudge to pause and pray. There was a time when I thought that people who only reached out to God when they were in need were somehow ‘using’ Him (as if God could be used lol). However, while I still don’t subscribe to the ATM or microwave treatment of our relationship with God, I believe everyone must ‘use’ Him when they need Him, regardless of spiritual status. In fact, we are encouraged to 'USE' or access Him through prayer. What’s the point of having an umbrella tucked away in a bag and getting soaked in the rain? God does need our heart and surrender, but HE is the creator of the world, of you and me, and one thing is certain, He loves His creation. It is the reason He sent His son, Jesus, to the World, to express the ultimate act of sacrificial, selfless, and unconditional love, as He died and rose from the dead to redeem us from sin and death.

God is here, not there. He is right here in our circumstances and is encouraging us through His Spirit to draw near to Him. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” He isn’t pushing you away, and He isn’t berating you: He is calling you to himself. Sin and challenges instinctively cause many to run from the presence of God. God made it such that even those who are not 'churched' know that the Holy God requires Holiness for true communion (which is the free gift given through belief in Jesus). However, while He requires holiness, He never needed it as a prerequisite to come to Him. In fact, in all our stubbornness and spiritual filth, He continues to beckon us. “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8) "The Lord is... patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)

People are still being called by Him, and those who may be least deserving are continously invited to know Him. It’s not healthy people who need a doctor, it’s the sick (Matthew 9:12). God knows us, down to the molecular level, and having given of himself to save us, I believe He is eager for us to meet with Him. Thus, – as broken and undeserving as we may feel – we go.

I’m therefore challenging you and myself, that whenever life throws us into circumstances that instinctively want to drive us to self-dependence, fear and distress, how about we use it as an invitation or trigger to pray. I guarantee you that God prefers your conversation to your isolation. God prefers you healed and whole, instead of helpless. God wants you to want Him, as He has His arms outstretched waiting for you to run to Him.

Prayer is not reserved for when you are ‘worthy’ (since none of us really are) or in control. Desperate cries never come from those who feel surefooted and strong. The word desperation says that your circumstances have or are surpassing your ability to control, and you need help. It’s the reason us Christians often refer to it as a Storm... just one of many “Acts of God/Nature” over which humans have no control. It happens to us, and we must survive through them.

Negative emotions try to push you to become kindled with the flesh and natural remedies, and want you to seek solace in things that give reprieve. However …

… we PRAY:

God help me with these emotions. I know that you created me and you love me. I know that you are concerned about what happens to me. Because you gave me another day of life, I know that you want me to thrive, live successfully, and purposefully. I know Father, that the storms of life aren’t meant to drown me but will cause me to reach out to You, my ‘life craft’, through Your son Jesus. I am struggling at this moment, and I know you see it, so I am coming to you, the only one who can truly help me. My sin and wrongdoing don’t bar me from the grace which you are freely giving. I could be a better person but in this moment, I am so low, that I need your love as my lifeline to pull me back. Your Word says to ‘be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might’ and right now I need your strength. Today I lean on and draw from Your strength, not having any of my own.

Thank you Lord, for your open invitation to prayer, communion and trust whenever life tempts me to feel overwhelmed and without hope. I may feel like I am out of options but remind me that I have you. I may feel like the weight of disappointment or unmet expectations have derailed my desires, but remind me that your blueprint for my life was set before I entered this world. Life will always be ‘life-ing’ but you will always be ‘God-ing’ and on that fact I will rest and trust… In Jesus’s name, Amen!

Luv Ya!

Krystal Baynes-Hoseinee

SUBSCRIBE to receive notifications of new posts.

FOLLOW me on:

Facebook www.facebook.com/imaniinspirational &

Instagram www.instagram.com/imani_blog2020