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Praying Through Christian Struggles Jesus teachings resonate with modern living today as much it had in ancient times. Praying through Christian struggles is holding on to Jesus and asking His divine presence and words of wisdom to heal our days of struggles. Understanding Christian Struggles The modern times reflect digital devices, the gadgets and its noise, all characteristics of the cyber age that we live in. We may have advanced to call the present times as modern and tech driven with the amenities and progress as a way of life and beneficial but also are the modern times laced with Christian struggles if faithful in Christ.   Modern Lifestyles For a life lived in modern times will have its share of struggles. Life to live has become fast-paced in the present day when compared to a generation from the past. Struggles seed from the pressures that come to succeed in career and financially. The digital overloads only add to the burden. There’s a fine line that separates work-life balance as the working hours extend to answering work calls and follow ups even when office hours are done. Health in pink is become the colour red. Long working hours with unhealthy poor diet, rich in saturated and trans-fats and sugar and a diet that lacks vitamins and nutrients but is highly magnetic to potential health risks like diabetes, heart and all health issues.   All the above will affect mentally thus the peace of mind of the living being. There is a sense of urgency and a strained thought always racing to reach somewhere with multiple directions and destinations. There is a lack of true fulfillment and contentment, no inner peace and meaningful connections. A life seemed lived with a void, and there is always an inner search for restfulness, mind, body and soul. Modern Lifestyle & Its Effects Family Struggles The Christian struggles are being lived by us each day in our families as we are living our lives in contrast to the teachings of an ideal family as Christians.   Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.  (Proverbs 22:6)   Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Colossians 3:13)   With rising costs of living and job instability, many families struggle to make ends meet. Financial pressure can lead to anxiety, conflicts, and even broken relationships. Parents working multiple jobs and late working hours may find little time to bond with their children, weakening family ties. Further technology has disconnected family members at home as personal phones, devices for each family member and the excessive screen time has replaced meaningful family conversations and also social media has exposed children to harmful content and unrealistic expectations, leading to identity struggles. The Modern Christian families have less emotional and spiritual support running between them making each feel disconnected and isolated. The consequences being that there is anxiety, depression, loneliness and stress amongst family members. Family Struggles Loneliness and Disconnect Christian struggles is reflected in the way we live our lives. In an age of instant messaging, social media, and video calls, we are more connected than ever before. It’s the Ai age and all the advancements is only at the externals and the progress in techs has had an effect wherein further jobs have become insecure wherever the Ai has its part to play. There is a sense of real worry and insecurity with the future. Yet, the modern living is filled within with many people feeling profoundly lonely and disconnected. Technology has erased the distance of communication yet the heart to heart conversation between beings still seem miles away. Studies and reports show that people today, even in bustling cities, feel more isolated than were people of the previous generation. As Christians, God never wanted us to live a life in isolation and loneliness.   Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”    (Deuteronomy 31:6) Lonely and Disconnected “The Power of Praying: Essential Strength for Christian Struggles and Living” Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7) Life struggles can seem daunting. But holding on to Christ and praying through Christian struggles can be an act of finding that realm of peace and protection. Prayers has always been in the past and even today in modern times remains a gift from God, a lifeline to reclaim peace, clarity, and courage thus we need to be often praying. What is praying? Praying is coming into the presence and companionship with God.   And what do you do when in His presence? You converse, you talk, and you chat with God. And what will you gain by praying? Resetting a machine in our modern age would mean restoring it to its original state thereby helping resolve software issues or performance problems. Prayer is a resetting of mind and soul. Praying through Christian struggles is resetting our lives, when helpless in resolving issues of life that have hurt us and disrupted our peace, we should pray asking Jesus to reset our state of mind to the peace and calmness that He, God has willed for us.   Praying is filling the void created by aloneness and an injured spirit caused when encountering other beings. It will build muscles of endurance to face life struggles. Praying reveals to you that your presence is not in solitary but there was God in the form of Jesus always walking besides you, it’s just that your being uninterested had never made you feel the presence of Jesus besides

God The Father For Christians the concept of “God the Father” remains an integral part of their faith, worship and belief.  This simple phrase from the first words of the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father in heaven, expresses the very heart and belief of Christianity of a God who is not only the Creator and Sustainer, but also a loving, intimate, and a caring Father made us known by Jesus and later for Eternity. “God the Father” as Told by Jesus What does God mean to a Christian in faith? What is about God that every Christian seek Him as “Father” that is held as the core of their Christian belief. What is so essential that we not only call God as “Father” but build a relationship with God of a son or a daughter as a Christian?   For us Christians and persons of faith before Christianity as seen in the Old Testament glimpses of God’s Holiness, justice, love, and power was seen and lived, but it was only through Jesus that the full nature of God, the Father was made clear. As the apostle John declared, “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made Him known.” (John 1:18)   The Bible reveals God as Father all throughout both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament God revealed Himself progressively throughout Scriptures as:   The Creator (Genesis 1:1) The Almighty Judge (Genesis 18:25) The Covenant Keeper (Exodus 6:7) The Holy One (Isaiah 6:3)   Amidst all this God was a mystery, the unknown One. God’s presence was veiled in a burning bush (Exodus 3), or the Holy of Holies (Leviticus 16:2). God’s holiness was so overwhelming that sinful humans could not approach God directly. Even Israelites sometimes misunderstood God, seeing Him as harsh and judgmental rather than loving. The sacrificial system of offering animals to God pointed to humanity’s need to appease God for atonement of their sins.    Though in the Old Testament, God is called Father a handful of times… Deuteronomy 32:6 Isaiah 63:16 But it was often in the context of His relationship with Israel. (Deuteronomy 32:6), here the image of God as Father conveys his power in creation, and covenant.   However, it’s in the New Testament, especially in the teachings of Jesus, where the fatherhood of God is brought for us clearly.   Firstly, Jesus addressed God as His ‘Father’ and also spoke of His own ‘Oneness’ with God … “…Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9) ‘I and the Father are one”  (John 10:30)   Unlike the believers in God around, Jesus showed that God is personal, familial, loving, and merciful. In a way Jesus corrected or revealed the true identity, nature and a relationship of God with mankind.   Not a harsh judge, but a loving Father Not a distant deity, but an involved Savior in a Father Not a God who demands works and sacrifice, but a Father who offers grace, mercy, and kinship.     How Jesus speaks about God as ‘His Father’?   “Our Father” Jesus refers to God as ‘Father’ over 150 times in the Gospels and also teaches His disciples “The Lord’s Prayer” wherein He advocates them to address God as “Father” and have a relationship with God marked by intimacy, trust and openness.   Adoption through Christ The New Testament presents believers as adopted children of God through faith in Christ (Romans 8:15), (John 1:12), further reinforcing God’s fatherhood not only of Israel, but all who believe in Him.   Provider and Sustainer Jesus says about His Father… “Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”  (Matthew 6:8) “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom”  (Luke 12:32)   With the above verses, God is described as the generous provider that a ‘Father’ is.   Revelation of the “Father” by Jesus In the Scriptures we find a profound and perfect revelation of the ‘Father, by Jesus. Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9) Jesus is the exact representation of the ‘Father’ (Hebrews 1:3) For us believers Jesus had brought us closer to God, building us into a relationship with God of a ‘Father and Son’ and thus we can proudly call God as our ‘Father’. Father and Son Understanding “God the Father” through Jesus Jesus speaks to His disciples how He and God the Father are the same. So everything that Jesus is doing is doing what the Father wants Him to do as now Jesus and God the Father are the same. Jesus is thus giving us a glimpse of “God the Father” through Him, His life, when He, Jesus dwelt amongst us. Jesus shows us the very character of God… So Jesus’ actions and teachings meant that of God the Father. God is Compassionate and Merciful. It was His compassion and mercy for the suffering and those in sin that had Jesus heal the blind, devil-possessed, and the mute could now speak. He forgave the sinful woman in adultery, the physically paralyzed, the one who had denied Him in Peter, all who crucified Him, and many more. Jesus even illustrates to us the ‘Story of the Prodigal Son” wherein putting at display the very nature of God towards His Son of love, mercy, and forgiveness. By feeding the hungry and raising Lazarus and the widow’s only son from death, Jesus showed, God’s not indifferent in human sufferings. God is Near and Personal Jesus walked among ordinary people, many sinful persons like us. He ate with them, wept with them. Jesus as God was not a deity of the skies, He was “God with us” (Emmanuel). He was with concern for the people, (turning water into wine), proclaiming repentance so mankind could be saved and be in

Prayer Prayer is a spiritual communication with God, it’s our divine moment when we are conversing with God. It’s our direct address and access to God, and the moment the human soul is merging with the Divine, Jesus.   Why Is Prayer Essential In Our Life? Prayers is that moment when we meditate to be in the presence of God. This moment gets divine as the presence of God brings divinity into this moment. It’s like we are on earth but can easily reach the Heaven as Jesus is present in these moments of prayer. It’s His presence that brings down the Heaven to Earth. We reach God spiritually when in prayers, it’s the moment when we align with the creator, feeling His presence, love and acceptance, living ourselves as the creation, a source, an extension of the creator. We being a poem recited by the super poet, Jesus. Life is a gift from God, a life will happen with all its ups and downs and more. The giver of life, God is always there for us as we live this manual of life. We need to go to him, seeking Him always as we walk the paths that go stony and smooth. It’s not a sign that we are weak when we in prayer ask for the Lord’s intervention, even the strongest and if the only powerful person present on earth may seem as the weakest before the powerful Lord. You may argue this, but it remains a truth of life. The mighty and powerful beings that have lived and ruled and succeeded by earthly standards have in the end vanished and been dissolved in dust and only God can bring a being into eternity. Praying before God is proving our trust and hope in His divinity that is eternal and without boundaries. With prayers we will develop a relation that goes beyond description, it will feel like a father-son kind, and at moments of low companionship, feels of a friendship. When feeling less loved, prayers will fill us with over flowing abundant love received.   Prayers will strengthen our will, wisdom and understanding as they will be received or granted to us as graces by His mercy and love. Prayer is an important part of a Christian life. It should be the highest core of a living life for a Christian, to pray. To be Christian means to be Christ like and to be like Christ we need to do what Christ did most and that is pray. To pray should be a practice we as Christian ought to live, as being a Christian without prayers would be just a religion, a tag, a name we would carry, with a hollow and emptiness within. Prayers let us unite with God, makes us know God. It is the hallmark of a relationship that was from the beginning and will be till eternity between Man and God, Creation and the Creator. Prayer is the force, a bind that keeps us always closer to God. We may have gone wandering, we may have lost our way, we may have gone away from God, but just a moment of prayer will unite us again to God. Holy Bible What Is Prayer In The Holy Bible? “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith. MATTHEW 21:22 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”   PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7   “Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” MARK 11:24   “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” JEREMIAH 29:12-13 Prayer in the Holy Bible is a highly powerful word, an act, a promise that is fulfilled by God when put in prayers. We find in the Bible, God communicating with His people through prayers, thus when we read the Holy Word of God, we are still communicating with God. Reading the Holy Bible is also a pray. As we read the Bible, God is communicating with us through the words we read, it’s sending us messages and blessings. The stories and occurrences we find in the Bible are at times to be interpreted as our own situations, maybe modernized in today’s time but the core of suffering, hurts and the salvation remains the same. Like once when in converse with a priest I said, the old times as lived by people in the Bible, the sins and temptations and situations were so much lesser as compared to our modern world, wherein we are surrounded by sins and temptations everywhere and in each moment that we live. He corrected me saying, those times also there were varied sins and tempting situations as compared to today. There was jealousy, hatred, murder, adultery, prostitution and more. The sins at its basics were the same and equally worst as compared to today, so it wasn’t easy for them also. Thus the Bible is relevant as much as it was then as it is now and will be till the end of time. Bible speaks how prayers can change to heal a situation that otherwise seemed dreadful. Numerous instances of favors and blessings received when put in prayers are mentioned in the Bible, the power of prayer. Prayer is described in the Bible As seeking God’s favor (Exodus 32:11), Pouring out one’s soul to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:15), Crying out to heaven (2 Chronicles 32:20), Drawing near to God (Psalm 73:28, KJV), and Kneeling before the Father (Ephesians 3:14). Praying Everyday When to Pray? Bible says, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) Prayer should be constant in our life.    At morning

God’s Timing We humans have always been anxious travelling the days of our life. We as Christians need to learn to live a life accepting everything to happen in God’s timing for us, embracing a life of faith that prioritizes His plans over our own. We need to trust God completely with our future. It involves surrendering our timelines and expectations, recognizing that God sees the bigger picture.       God’s Timing Is Perfect: Inspired from the Bible We see in the Bible just how God’s timing is perfect, inspiring us to keep the faith and hope strong in the will of God for our lives. Jesus When Jesus was twelve years old and was separated and found by his parents after three days as they visited the temple at Jerusalem for the Passover feast, He was engaged there in a theological discussions with the teachers and scholars of the law and Jewish faith. These men, the wise men of the day were amazed by Jesus’s questions to them and all that He spoke to them. They surely recognized and appreciated His wisdom for a young twelve year old boy. So Jesus was blessed with a matured wisdom, even if He was only twelve years old. Still God’s timing for Jesus to proclaim the word of God and doing His Father’s will came to Jesus only when He was baptized by John the Baptist and His fasting for forty days and forty nights, all when He had turned thirty years old. So from twelve to thirty years of age, Jesus had accepted God’s timing and will for Him. Further at the wedding at Cana, when the wine was over and His mother, Mary told Jesus that the wine was over and Jesus’s answer was…  “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My time has not yet come.”       John 2:4  After these words, His disciples as told by Jesus’s mother did as Jesus told them to do, thus Jesus delivers His first sign of divinity by turning water into wine at His mother’s  request. Thus even Jesus had waited for the approval of His Father’s timing for Him to demonstrate His divinity as He lived on Earth. Israelites in the Wilderness Israelites were in the wilderness and it took them forty years to reach the Promised Land as was willed by God. God can power Moses to part the Red Sea and allow Israelites to cross safely as the Egyptians followed them. After the above miracle and the many we encounter in the wilderness for the Israelites in the Bible, God could easily take them to the Promised Land in a day or make any land rich and fertile and let that be the Promised Land, but surely God’s timing for the Israelites of forty years in wilderness was to prepare them in spirit and worthiness as they would reach God’s promised land. Joseph’s journeying his dreams Joseph’s story in the Bible (Genesis 37-50) as being Jacob’s favorite son but envied and hated by his brothers is another story of God’s timing for each human. Joseph was gifted to interpret dreams and had dreamt that he would not only rule over his brothers but would be a significant force of leadership and power and he had waited so many years and had undergone immense sufferings from being sold as a slave to being falsely accused and put in prison to interpreting the Pharaohs dream successfully and rewarded by being made the Governor of Egypt. God had a plan for Joseph though his life had immense sufferings involved and for many years of his life till he reached the moment of glory just as he had dreamt. Abraham: Father Of faith God promised to make Abraham into a great nation and multiply his descendants as the stars in the sky. And God promised this to Abraham before he even had a child of his own. But God is not like humans and He honors His promises. Abraham became a father at the age of hundred and his son Isaac was significant in God’s promise to Abraham be fulfilled. God’s timing for Abraham being a father at the age of hundred is all in the plan God had for descendants to come from Abraham as promised. Further, God’s timing for Abraham asking for the sacrifice of his only son, Isaac  goes deeper and prayerful as in Christianity, Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac is seen a foreshadowing of Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. Just as Abraham had willed to sacrifice his only son, God, Abba Father has sacrificed His only begotten son in Jesus. We find many a stories of faith and trust in God’s timing for His people in the Bible. Psalm 31:15 God’s Timing and Us Our Earth living timing, the life we live is always more paced we feel then to match God’s timing for us. Lack of patience, endurance, human intellect to view situations of the life we live has made us look in directions that do not align with what God wants for us. We are not even waiting or trying to figure if there is a plan that is different and more able for us then what we design ourselves. When we are praying to God, our prayers are like a shopping scheme with we asking God for all that we need, more for ourselves, followed by our family needs. It’s a long list of needs and more desires and wishes to be fulfilled. We believe and trust that God can do or there is nothing that God cannot give us. He is a miracle Deity, our Super Power God, we believe thus we go asking rather begging. So we just put the coin (our needs and petitions) in the vending (asking) machine expecting an instant wares (delivery). Patience as spoke earlier is not for this generation of the AI. God’s ways are not known to us, it can actually take time resonate not well with our attributes and mental