Week 11 of 52 Prayer's of Faith - Faith is Knowing God puts People and Situations in our life to help us become like Him

Faith is knowing that the circumstances and people God allows in our life help us to become more like Him - Lord increase our faith

By now this should be part of your routine. Read the prayer out load, pause, consider it and then ask "Lord, increase my Faith" Continue to repeat the prayer and ponder it as the week goes on; journaling your thoughts and impressions and as the Holy Spirit works in your heart.

Many people just want to live a peaceful life. They want to avoid confrontation, difficulties and worries. In some respects they would just like to be left alone. But God is unwilling to leave us in a sinful slothful state of being. He permits difficult situations and people into our lives to encourage us to seek Him and to give us opportunity to live out godly character.

Graham Cooke refers to those difficult people that God allows in our lives as "grace growers" Graham claims that the fruit of the spirit only grows in poor soil. It is in the daily struggles with our neighbors, fellow workers, peers and family that God gives us opportunity to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Graham goes on to say that if we try to get away from these people that He will, at great expense, fly in a whole new group of "grace growers" to ensure that we are being made more and more into His image.

My personal experience of this was when God put me between the two people that I disliked the most. In fact if you had asked me at the time how I felt about them I would have used the word "hate" to describe my feelings. It was only a few years after my conversion that God put me between these two men, but as soon as I realized my position, I recognized that hand of God at work in my life. So instead of fighting it and complaining about my situation, I embrace it. I was never more happy when that happened. I learned about the better side of these two men, and God gave me a heart for both of them, to pray for and encourage them. As a result my wife and I got to counsel and encourage one of them and to see him reunited with his estranged wife.

My prayer now when I encounter difficult people or circumstances is "Lord what do you want to teach me here?" As a result, every thing we face need not be something to be avoided or fought, but rather these people and circumstances are opportunities to see God move and to grow more and more into his Image.

Lord we thank You for the people and circumstances You put in our life because we know that You cause all things to work for the good of those called by your name and who love you. Lord increase our faith.