The Lord desires for us to live victorious lives. Yet when challenges come, we’re tempted to turn away from the Lord. Or even if we don’t turn away, we just let life pass us by believing that God helps others, but for some reason we are not good enough.
That’s a lie from the pits of hell!
I know as I walked through that test. The night the call came that my older son had been arrested and charged with serious crimes, my faith in God was tested.
We all go through some trial that tests our level of faith. What is important is how we respond.
With my heart ripped apart, my first prayer after receiving the shocking news came from a familiar passage …
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 KJV).
Circumstances drove me to my knees in prayer. Through the process of my son being arrested and facing a major trial, I sought the Lord in prayer more earnestly than ever before.
After his conviction and sentencing to state prison, I fell into despair. Some days I wallowed around with pity with my faith waning. Other days I sought the Lord.
While searching the Bible for Scriptures to pray for our situation, I noticed it is filled with judicial themes. And I began my study on how to make appeals to the courtroom of heaven.
When we think of trials, we think of justice with punitive results. Some judges are known to “throw the book” at the guilty.
But God, the Judge of all, is not like that. Our Righteous Judge desires to give us—the guilty—mercy.
Hebrews 4:16 says, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (NLT).
We can petition the courtroom of heaven anytime, from anywhere. Here’s the gist:
- Ask Jesus to be your advocate.
- Silence the accuser.
- Raise up your petitions.
As I prayed more, the more my faith was stirred up. The Holy Spirit empowered me to boldly approach God’s throne of grace with confidence in order to receive mercy.
Regardless of the trial you have encountered, stir up your faith with the Word of God–listening to it and reading it out loud. Because …
“… faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17 NKJV).
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For more information on boldly approaching God’s throne of grace, be sure to check out my new book, Appeal to the Courtroom of Heaven.
In Appeal to the Courtroom of Heaven: Petitions for Prisoners and Prison Families I share my unexpected prison family journey testimony. I also point out how the Lord redeemed the worst-of-the-worst offenders found in the pages of the Bible and explain an effective prayer strategy I learned from this experience.
I pray my transparency and vulnerability points to the source of HOPE for those who lost hope in the midst of despair.
Click here to learn how to order this book.
