The Answer to the Anxious Prayer

If prayer is more than therapy, and if coming into the presence of God brings results, we are led to ask, “Exactly what does God do?”  After all, when we are in a crisis, we want relief, and while we might not expect God to make everything right at once, we at least want some indication we are headed in the right direction.  How does God answer our anxious prayers?

First, and in keeping with our physiological need for calm, God comforts and assures us.  He might do this through the work of the indwelling Spirit, or some other indication of His grace.  He moves through the actions of messengers, both divine and human, angelic and flesh, to prove He has not abandoned us in our time of need.  There are, of course, nuances to God’s providential care depending on whether or not we are in Christ, but He cares for everyone, and has many ways to remind His children they are not alone.

While David was anointed by God, there is no reason to believe He had the indwelling Holy Spirit promised to followers of Jesus.  Yet, God moved in his life in such a way it was impossible to miss His love and care.  Frequently, David affirmed God’s judgment of the wicked and His presence with the righteous.  He sang, “God is present in the company of the righteous” (Psalm 14:5).

I once heard someone say, “You always feel good when you do what’s right.”  Perhaps this feeling is the knowledge God is near when we do His will and seek to please Him with righteous acts.  This is true for everyone, saved and lost, and perhaps explains why people who have not yet given their lives to Jesus still sense they are on the right track when they instinctively, or by way of God’s written Word, do good.