Since Brady’s death, several people have told me that if I pray enough, God will take away my grief. Basically, if I pray and fully trust in Jesus, my pain and heartbreak will disappear.
I honestly don’t know why people think that prayer will fix everything. The Bible is full of faithful people who suffer. If Job (arguably one of the best dudes in scripture) still suffered after praying and trusting in God, why do we expect that God will take away our pain if we remain faithful?
While the idea that “prayer fixes everything” sounds nice, it’s just not true.
The purpose of prayer is not to give God a laundry list of things that need done in our lives; the purpose of prayer is to communicate on an intimate level with our Lord. We literally get to have a personal relationship with the same God who created the entire universe, how cool is that?
If prayer alone was able to take away the bad stuff in life, Brady wouldn’t have died in the first place. So many people prayed for Brady to be healed, and he wasn’t (at least not on this earth).
If trusting in Jesus alone would fix our earthly problems, Brady would still be alive. He had complete faith in the Lord, and that faith didn’t stop the cancer from destroying his body.
I trust Jesus with everything that I am. I pray as much as I can. And yet, I am overwhelmed with pain I never thought I would have to face. All of these things are true at once.
God never promises us a life without suffering. But, he does promise that we won’t face suffering alone.
I will be hurting for the rest of my life here on earth. Prayer won’t change that. But thanks to Jesus, I don’t have to hurt alone.
That was beautiful Mollie.
Well said Mollie.
Oh Mollie…..you are much older than most your age…not sure that makes sense,,,,but you speak with the wisdom only one who has seen and experienced much personal suffering,,,,and GOD speaks thru you…so elegantly…continue sharing….you will touch many in a way few can….bless you,,Mollie….my heart grieves for your loss….
As you know, praying alone won’t take the pain away. It does give peaceful moments to reflect on our lost loved one without the noise and commotion of our day. For me, it strengthens my belief that I will see my son again. I then carry that reminder alongside the pain almost as if it where its crutch. Then in those moments that it all seems to be too much, the pain leans into that crutch and allows me to keep moving. I may be limping in those times but I’m still moving. I pray that you find what helps you as each person’s journey of loss is different. One size does not fit all.