Purposely Falling On Your Face

When you are in the midst of a trial, do you ever purposely fall on your face?

Although it may sound crazy, I recommend it. Allow me to explain.

Sometimes breathing a quick prayer of, “Lord, please help,” is all we seemingly have time for when we are facing problems. As we go about our everyday lives, short, to-the-point prayers are occasionally all we can manage. He certainly hears those kinds of prayers.

But how about making time for frequent fall-on-our-face type of prayers?

Would you agree that we are living in a world that has forgotten the awe with which God deserves to be revered? Making time to come into God’s presence in a literal or figurative flat-on-our-face, prostrate posture reminds us how amazing He is and who we are in comparison to Him. It reminds us that our prayer is being heard by the One who is not only in control of the situation, but also cares about the situation and the people involved to a degree that nobody else is capable of.

When we pour out our heart’s cry and also take the time to listen to what God is telling us, it is an exquisite exchange, and eventually we will come to the point of being enfolded in His perfect peace.

That peace is described in different Bible versions as “surpassing, transcending, and exceeding” all understanding. Stop and think about that for a moment. It is an overwhelming blessing that assures us that God is in complete control of the very situation that is causing us to feel powerless.

That peace does not necessarily mean that He is going to answer our prayer exactly as we hope. It can sometimes be a peace that prepares us for the possibility of Him answering it in a different manner than we prayed for. A peace that says, “I’ve got this, Child. I’ve got you, Child.”

I will not forget the times God has granted me that gift of peace. Two times stick out above numerous others. Once, before the answer to my prayer came, I had seemingly cried every tear I was capable of crying as I prayed in desperation. And then suddenly in an extremely memorable moment, which can only be explained by the Holy Spirit completely doing an overhaul of my emotional and mental state, I came to a point of indescribable peace that even if the worst possible outcome occurred, He was going to keep His promise to never forsake me. I had absolute assurance that He was going to walk me through it. When all was said and done, He answered my prayer in the way I hoped, but He also taught me that there is no circumstance that I will ever have to face without His loving arms embracing me. Regarding the other situation…you guessed it, the worst-case scenario did happen. What I was praying against, because I did not know how I would ever, ever handle it or ever, ever get through it – it happened. And here I am on the other side of it, stronger in faith and hopefully character as well. God helped me handle it and get through it, just like He said He would. Were there moments of pain and sadness? Definitely. Was God carrying me through it with His tremendous peace? Definitely. He is a promise-keeper.

My hope is that when you face your next trial, you will fall down on your face, pray until you reach the point of His powerful, perfect peace, and then rise up prepared and primed for any possibility, knowing you will withstand it, because God will stand with you.

Lord, thank You for Your matchless peace.