Praying Through the Lens of Scripture

When God tells us “no” or “wait,” we might feel like he has abandoned us. Praying through the lens of Scripture, we see how the Bible assures us that God loves us and knows what is best for us.

20/20 vision

You’ve heard the term “20/20 vision” used to describe the perfect eye site. At the dawn of 2020, I found myself reminded of when my son first discovered that his vision was less than perfect.

I had no idea that my son needed glasses; he had been passing his vision exams without trouble. But then, my son made a confession. He had been memorizing the numbers and letters on the vision test with his good eye. He then repeated the sequence when he had to use his other eye.

When I took my son to the optometrist for more thorough (and honest!) testing, I discovered that he is almost legally blind in his “bad” eye. My son will never have 20/20 vision, but the glasses he now wears give him clear eyesight to help him to see the world as he was meant to see it.

“I lift my eyes up”

Psalm 121:1-2 says, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” The psalm reminds us that the Lord is our helper. We look to God the Creator, and he will help us in our time of need. The psalm teaches us that we must have proper sight when we pray—look up to God and rely on him. Through the lens of Scripture, we know that God faithfully listens and he is our help.

Praying through the lens of Scripture

But what if God says “no”? What if God says “wait”? What do we do when a spouse requests prayer for the marriage to be restored and God says “no”? How does the prisoner find hope when God says “wait”? How do we find help when we look up to God, but he doesn’t move in the way we expect?

When God tells us “no” or “wait,” we might feel like he has abandoned us. Yet the Bible assures us that God loves us and knows what is best for us. I wonder if—like how my son’s vision is improved with his glasses—our vision is significantly helped with the lens of Scripture. With our improved vision, we can be confident to lift all of our requests to God. He will always be your help in his perfect time, in his perfect way.

May you pray through the lens of Scripture and have confidence that your “help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”