When my husband, Joe, was going through a very long period of joblessness, he would pray about his situation every time he said grace over our meals. His prayer went something like this: "Lord, I leave my job situation in Your hands." That was it. He knew we were in dire straits without his income, and yet all my husband could come up with was a simple, one-line prayer. Frankly, it aggravated me each time he prayed this way. But his petition was so sincere that I didn’t have the heart to criticize him. When people asked Joe what he was going to do about his job situation, I’d hear him say: "I don’t know. But God’s going to take care of us." Well, the truth is that God DID take care of us during my husband’s long period of unemployment. And the Lord eventually opened a door for him to work at a large and prosperous company, which pays the highest salaries in this part of our state.

My husband’s experience taught me a valuable lesson about prayer. Sometimes, praying a simple, sincere prayer is the most powerful kind we can pray. Scripture says, "We put everything into the hands of God." (2 Corinthians 1:9 TLB) These are the words of the apostle Paul, a great man of faith who wrote more than half of the New Testament. He talks about a situation he was in that was so serious that he "despaired even of life." (v. 8) And he says that as a result, he stopped relying on himself, and learned to rely only on God. (v. 9 NLT) The following verse in this passage reveals that the Lord did, in fact, rescue His servant, and that Paul trusted His faithful God to rescue him in the days to come. (v. 10)

What are we doing when we "put everything into the hands of God"? We are entrusting our situation to the Lord. We are putting all of our eggs in one basket. We are expressing our wholehearted trust in God. We are basically saying: "Lord, I know You want what is best for me, so I’m handing this matter over to You, and I’m looking forward to seeing You act on my behalf." This is the kind of posture of faith that delights the heart of God. It shows that we really do trust in His power, His wisdom, and His goodness. And as we step aside and let God do what only He can do, we will witness Him moving mountains on our behalf. How do we know if we are really trusting the Lord in our situation? We have a deep, abiding sense of peace. As Scripture says: "Only we who believe God can enter into His place of rest." (Hebrews 4:3 TLB)

When we put everything into God’s hands, that doesn’t mean that we don’t have a part to play in our situation. There are times when the Lord will tell us just to be still and trust Him. But there are also times that He will give us something to do as we wait on Him for our answer. How do we know the difference? We ask Him. Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMP) says: "Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths." As we put our trust In God, and as we stay in close communication with Him on a moment-by-moment basis, we can expect Him to direct our steps in the paths of His highest and best!

Prayer: Lord, whenever I am faced with a decision or an intimidating situation, show me how to pray simple, sincere prayers. Help me to put my wholehearted trust in You, and guard me from all fear and doubt. Thank You that as I place everything in Your hands, I will experience the peace, joy, victory, and blessing that are my inheritance in Christ!

- J. M. Farro