When we’re in a tight spot, sometimes the last thing we want to do is pray. According to prayer warrior Jennifer Kennedy Dean, that’s when we need it the most. She joins Susie to explore how to pray in times of adversity.
What is prayer? Jennifer says, this is not a formula. It’s not a way of manipulating God to make Him do what we want. It’s not about packaging words between “Dear Jesus” and “Amen.” In her words,
“Prayer is the conduit from which God’s power and provision flow. Prayer opens your life to the flow of His power and provision.”
Jennifer explains
• How prayer is God’s strategy
• Praying God’s word back to Him
• The connection between prayer and faith
• What it means to align your emotions with the truth of God’s promises and how that affects your heart
• Why God doesn’t answer every prayer the way we’re hoping
• Levels of adversity – Jennifer says, admit where you are, but refocus on the character and presence of God. In moments of suffering it’s too easy to miss what God is doing. “Recognize that it’s a ploy of the enemy to blind you to everything but your pain.”
• How God uses adversity to shape our character and faith
• The part that obedience plays in bringing God’s blessings into our earthly circumstances. “Why does He make such a big ole’ deal of obedience? Because it gets your life in a position for Him to pour His blessings into your life.”
Jennifer’s new book is Live a Praying Life in Adversity: Why You Keep Praying When You Want to Give Up.
Key Scriptures: Jeremiah 33:3; Job 2:10
Featured Songs: Let Us Pray by Steven Curtis Chapman; Christ is Enough by Hillsong; Open Up the Heavens by Meredith Andrews
