Got problems? Turn to God!

He who can expect God to help him as he deals with worries and problems is the one who puts his trust in Him. So, if we want God to help us, we must put our trust in Him.

By JOHNNY J. MARTIN

GOT PROBLEMS? You are not alone. In recent years, how many millions of people have had to deal with troubles associated with job loss, home loss, natural calamities, wars, etc.? When faced with difficulties, many have turned to other people, like government leaders, for aid. But whom should we really rely on for help with whatever problems we face?

Depend on God
We can solely depend on our Lord God for help because He cares about us. Apostle Peter said:

“God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him.”
(I Pet. 5:7 Contemporary English Version)

As we live in this world, there are times when we are worried about what will happen to us, especially nowadays with all the problems people face. Many have literally lost everything because of some calamities that struck them. It is thus comforting and encouraging to know that the Lord God truly cares about us.

However, he who can expect God to help him as he deals with worries and problems is the one who puts his trust in Him. So, if we want God to help us, we must put our trust in Him. King David said:

“Give yourself to the Lord; trust in him, and he will help you.” (Ps. 37:5 Good News Bible)

We should not hesitate to put our trust in God, because if He takes care of birds, flowers, or other living things He created, He will take care of us, for we are worth much more than them. Look at what our Lord Jesus Christ taught in Matthew 6:25-29:

“This is why I tell you: do not be worried about the food and drink you need in order to stay alive, or about clothes for your body. After all, isn’t life worth more than food? And isn’t the body worth more than clothes? Look at the birds: they do not plant seeds, gather a harvest and put it in barns; yet your Father in heaven takes care of them! Aren’t you worth much more than birds? Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it? And why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow: they do not work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers.” (GNB)

Our Lord Jesus Christ shows here that man needs food and drink to stay alive and that he also needs clothes to put on his body. Although we need these things, He teaches us not to worry about them. He points out that life is more important than food and that the body is more important than clothing. Remember that we have our bodies and life because God created us and He can provide us with what we need to sustain our life in this world. Hence, our Lord Jesus Christ guides us to put our trust in the Lord God. We ought to be confident that God is Someone whom we can fully depend on.

What God can do
The extent of what God can do for us is revealed in Mark 10:27:

“But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible’.” (New King James Version)

Our Lord Jesus Christ says that while there are things that are impossible for men, all things are possible with God. No matter how wise, rich, and successful a man may be in this life, there are still things that are impossible for him to accomplish. For example, he cannot completely eliminate problems in life or stop death from ever coming. But with God, all things are possible. The Holy Scriptures show us that “God can do anything” (Luke 1:37 New Century Version).

For us to benefit from what God can do for us, we need to approach Him in prayer and ask Him for His help and blessing. This is what our Lord Jesus Christ taught us to do:

“Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks will receive, and anyone who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to those who knock. Would any of you who are fathers give your son a stone when he asks for bread? Or would you give him a snake when he asks for a fish? As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matt. 7:7-11 GNB)

Our Lord Jesus Christ shows us something that all parents can relate to. He shows us that if our own children would ask us for bread, we would give them bread, not a stone, and that if they would ask for fish, we would give them fish, not a snake. If we, who are sinful know how to give good things to our children, more so will God give good things to those who ask Him. But, it is not enough to just know that God is surely capable of providing our needs. We should approach Him and ask Him for what we need. And our Lord Jesus Christ assured us that we would receive what we are asking for.

Thus, prayer should be an important part of one’s life. While people put time into getting an education or earning a living-which are good things to do-we should always make time to talk with our Lord God by means of our prayers to Him. Those who pray to God show that they put their trust in Him.

Whom God does not hear
However, it is important to understand that although it is good for one to spend time in prayer, there are those whose prayers will not be heard by God. Those are the prayers offered by sinners. Isaiah 59:2 says this:

“It is because of your sins that he doesn’t hear you. It is your sins that separate you from God when you try to worship him.” (GNB)

Sin is the breaking of the law of God (I John 3:4). Everyone has sinned against God (Rom. 3:23). And sin has damaging effects upon man. As the verse cited above reveals, sin has caused man to be separated from God, and has resulted in his losing the right to worship Him and not being heard in his prayers. Isaiah 64:7 shows us that God hides Himself from people because of their sins:

“No one turns to you in prayer; no one goes to you for help. You have hidden yourself from us and have abandoned us because of our sins.” (GNB)

Therefore, God is not the one to be blamed if our prayers are not heard. If our prayers go unheard it is not because God is failing us or is it because He is weak or unreliable. It is man who is at fault for our own sins caused God not to hear us.

Whom God will hear
One may ask, “How can I be sure that my prayers will be heard and answered by God, if I am guilty of sins?” We need to have our sins forgiven and the forgiveness of sins is through the blood of Christ. This is what Apostle Paul said:

“But by the free gift of God’s grace all are put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free. God offered him, so that by his blood he should become the means by which people’s sins are forgiven through their faith in him. God did this in order to demonstrate that he is righteous. In the past he was patient and overlooked people’s sins.” (Rom. 3:24-26 GNB)

If we want to have our sins be forgiven and our prayers be heard by God, then we should have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and we need to be redeemed by His blood. Notice what Apostle Paul says here about those who were redeemed by the blood of Christ:

“By his blood we are now put right with God; how much more, then, will we be saved by him from God’s anger! We were God’s enemies, but he made us his friends through the death of his Son. Now that we are God’s friends, how much more will we be saved by Christ’s life!” (Rom. 5:9-10 GNB)

The ones being referred to here by Apostle Paul as having been put right with God and forgiven of their sins through the blood of Christ are those who are inside the Church, which is Christ’s body. It is for this Church that Christ died. Here is what Apostle Paul said:

“For a husband has authority over his wife just as Christ has authority over the church; and Christ is himself the Savior of the church, his body … Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it.” (Eph. 5:23, 25 GNB)

The name of this Church is the Church Of Christ:

“Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.”
(Acts 20:28 Lamsa Translation)

So, if we want to be sure that our prayers are being heard by God, then we should become members of the Church Of Christ (Iglesia Ni Cristo). Once we are inside this Church our sins shall be forgiven through the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. God will now hear our prayers.

For those who are still outside the Church Of Christ, to have their prayers heard, they should heed the invitation of Christ to come into the fold or the Church:

“I am the door; anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe …” (John 10:9 Revised English Bible)

This is why we, Church members, value our membership inside the Church Of Christ. Now that we are in this Church, we have benefited from the blood of Christ, which means that our sins have already been forgiven by our Lord God. And if our sins have now been pardoned, then we can be sure that God will hear our prayers. No matter what kind of problems we face or is thrown at us, we know that we can count on God to be there for us, to help us, and most of all to grant us salvation on the Day of Judgment.

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This article was originally published in the Pasugo: God’s Message magazine.

For more articles, visit www.pasugo.com.ph