John 14:116-17 “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever—The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you (constantly) and will be in you.”
John 14:26 “But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name (in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf), He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.
Much of the time, at the time of suffering we stop seeking after God through prayer. But in light of Jesus’s example, we should see suffering not as discouraging but as an opportunity to make further progress in obedience. And the only way we will know how to learn from our difficult times is through a vital prayer life. If we remain in communication with God through prayer, God can grant us understanding and strength during our suffering. When God takes you into a time of affliction, remember that this was the same way the Father taught His Son obedience, which resulted in submission to the purposes of God. Pray brought Jesus into the will of the Father even when it hurt.
Our difficulties in the Christian life usually have less to do with trying to understand what God’s will is, and more to do with simply obeying the instructions God has already given us and especially when the instructions point us toward trouble and trials. The receiving and accepting our God given assignments are settled in prayer, but when God reveals His will, it can require real hardships in the life of the one following Jesus. It can include much pain especially at the front end of the assignment. It may require giving up family and friends, it might include moving, it could affect your income, it could affect your reputation or many other things.
Remember, the prayer life of Jesus is our pattern and encouragement. Do not think that just because you are following God’s directions it will be easy to accept, to obey and always easy to accept the assignment. There is a cost to following after Jesus that is real and much of the time it is painful. To feel the weight of this cost is not a rejection of the assignment, and it is not a sign of weak faith. It is simply an opportunity to learn obedience through suffering, like Jesus did.
If you are having issues right now backing away from prayer, perhaps you have gone before the Lord and He gave you an assignment. Now that you know what He is asking, sincere prayer and supplications will need to pour out from your heart to the One who is able to do all things. The strength to continue stepping out in obedience will come through prayer to the Father.