Ask to be used as an "instrument of God's mercy" and you're sure to get a "Yes" answer fast, says Anthony DeStefano.
That's because God wants you to touch others with his love and mercy, writes DeStefano, author of Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To.
Indeed, DeStefano says: "Mark my words, after you say this prayer, someone in need is going to practically show up on your doorstep - and he or she is going to be in dire straits."
That may be alarming if you already have a few burdens of your own. But the rewards are great - in this life and the next - for those who pray this prayer with sincerity, the author says.
God has been using people like us throughout history. The Bible is really a story of how God works through ordinary people to carry out his plans.
And one of the things he wants us to do is to "love your neighbour as yourself". This love is a self-giving love - just as Jesus gave his life for us on the cross.
So praying to be an instrument of the Lord's is "really praying for God himself to come into our lives and act through us".
As we pray to be an instrument of mercy, we are offering to help reduce suffering in the world. And "we are also helping to make ourselves into the kind of creatures God wants us to be - by loving others as he does".
By doing this, we are helping the Lord "pull good out of bad".
When we pray this prayer, God steers people in our direction. And then, it is up to us to decide how to help them.
"If God sends you someone to assist, he is also going to give you the time, the resources, and the wherewithal to do it," says DeStefano. "He's not about to answer such a wonderfully selfless prayer and then leave you stranded."
But many of us might feel we can't take on any more problems. If that stops us, then we may miss out on some great benefits from being an instrument of mercy, declares the author.
He points to Jesus' startling statement in Matthew 10:39: "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
The Lord was saying that there is a strong personal benefit to giving ourselves to others for Christ.
"Happiness is the thing God is going to give you in return for selflessness," DeStefano says.
Indeed, it is good psychology to look outside ourselves and help others when we are going through tough times. It helps us develop a more positive outlook.
Spiritually, as we rely on God to help others, we become more closely united with him. And the result is greater spiritual and emotional health. We will feel fulfilled.
"As long as you try your best to assist the people God sends to you, you are going to know that you are achieving something immensely important in life."
From time to time, the Lord will show us what kind of an impact our acts of love and kindness have had on the lives of others.
As well, we will see that God is working in our lives to deal with the problems we have.
"The result is that your life is going to change for the better - you are going to change for the better," says DeStefano. " . . . In order to be a channel of God's grace, you are going to necessarily have to grow in grace yourself."
What a refreshing look at suffering, God's love and prayer!
That's because God wants you to touch others with his love and mercy, writes DeStefano, author of Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To.
Indeed, DeStefano says: "Mark my words, after you say this prayer, someone in need is going to practically show up on your doorstep - and he or she is going to be in dire straits."
That may be alarming if you already have a few burdens of your own. But the rewards are great - in this life and the next - for those who pray this prayer with sincerity, the author says.
God has been using people like us throughout history. The Bible is really a story of how God works through ordinary people to carry out his plans.
And one of the things he wants us to do is to "love your neighbour as yourself". This love is a self-giving love - just as Jesus gave his life for us on the cross.
So praying to be an instrument of the Lord's is "really praying for God himself to come into our lives and act through us".
As we pray to be an instrument of mercy, we are offering to help reduce suffering in the world. And "we are also helping to make ourselves into the kind of creatures God wants us to be - by loving others as he does".
By doing this, we are helping the Lord "pull good out of bad".
When we pray this prayer, God steers people in our direction. And then, it is up to us to decide how to help them.
"If God sends you someone to assist, he is also going to give you the time, the resources, and the wherewithal to do it," says DeStefano. "He's not about to answer such a wonderfully selfless prayer and then leave you stranded."
But many of us might feel we can't take on any more problems. If that stops us, then we may miss out on some great benefits from being an instrument of mercy, declares the author.
He points to Jesus' startling statement in Matthew 10:39: "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
The Lord was saying that there is a strong personal benefit to giving ourselves to others for Christ.
"Happiness is the thing God is going to give you in return for selflessness," DeStefano says.
Indeed, it is good psychology to look outside ourselves and help others when we are going through tough times. It helps us develop a more positive outlook.
Spiritually, as we rely on God to help others, we become more closely united with him. And the result is greater spiritual and emotional health. We will feel fulfilled.
"As long as you try your best to assist the people God sends to you, you are going to know that you are achieving something immensely important in life."
From time to time, the Lord will show us what kind of an impact our acts of love and kindness have had on the lives of others.
As well, we will see that God is working in our lives to deal with the problems we have.
"The result is that your life is going to change for the better - you are going to change for the better," says DeStefano. " . . . In order to be a channel of God's grace, you are going to necessarily have to grow in grace yourself."
What a refreshing look at suffering, God's love and prayer!
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