When we face a setback of some kind—divorce, death of a loved one, job loss—our prayers tend to focus on dealing with the present. At first, it’s okay and expected to seek strength and comfort to deal with our present pain. But there are situations that call for a fresh start.
Instead of dwelling on the past, we can pray for resiliency, creativity, energy and guidance to move forward. We can ask God for optimism and faith for the future and a new beginning. We can pray for creativity to rebuild our lives in a very different way or re-invent ourselves.
Take for example, the end of a marriage. Someone going through a divorce can pray to re-imagine life as a single person or parent, to expand or rebuild a network of support. Some people will even need to relocate. Instead of dreading the change, pray for a positive spirit to paint the life you dream for yourself. We are imaginative beings, and no time is better to exercise this gift in prayer.
We must also pray for the energy required to create new opportunities. A B-12 vitamin can give us a temporary boost in energy, but a spiritual power and force from within can get us up and going each day. It’s an energy that makes us come alive, that propels us forward and allows us to receive the good things to come.
Finally, we need to pray for God’s guidance and, in the words of American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, for Him to grant us “the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.”
When we listen carefully, we can hear the small voice of God that will lead and guide us to higher ground and new blessings. If you believe, all things are possible.
