Affliction Quickens Prayer

Today I heard a message preached in chapel on the reality of the persecuted church and the God who provides them comfort. The focus of our time was on 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, which highlights the God of all mercies and comforts, who comforts us in our afflictions. In the latter part of the passage, we are reminded that ultimately the resurrection is our hope. No matter what occurs in this life we can be content and rest fully on the grace of God, especially as seen in the resurrection and the reality of the new heavens and new earth. Our hope must be deeply rooted in this very thing, not the trite and temporal realities of a seemingly decadent world.

This also reminded me of a quote from John Newton regarding prayer. I find experientially that I pray on a regular basis, but I am driven to prayer in a more profound way when afflictions arise. They are, in a way, a reminder that this life is broken and my ultimate hope is with Christ. It is also a reminder that these slight momentary afflictions are preparing for us an eternal weight of glory (2 Cor. 4:16-18), and we must remain dependent on our God. There is no greater display of dependence than that of prayer, so may we continually turn to God in prayer and fully rely on Him.

Afflictions quicken us to prayer. It is a pity it should be so; but experience testifies, that a long course of ease and prosperity, without painful changes—has an unhappy tendency to make us cold and formal in our secret worship. But troubles rouse our spirits, and constrain us to call upon the Lord in good earnest—when we feel a need of that help which we only can have from his almighty arm. Afflictions are useful, and in a degree necessary, to keep alive in us—a conviction of the vanity and unsatisfying nature of the present world, and all its enjoyments; to remind us that this world is not our rest, and to call our thoughts upwards, where our true treasure is, and where our heart ought to be. When things go on much to our wish, our hearts are too prone to say, “It is good to be here!”

Jeremy Kimble (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is Assistant Professor of Theological Studies at Cedarville University. He is an editor for Credo Magazine as well as the author of That His Spirit May Be Saved: Church Discipline as a Means to Repentance and Perseverance and numerous book reviews. He is married to Rachel and has two children, Hannah and Jonathan.