
This week I had the privledge of praying for a couple who were having trouble. The guy is middle aged and believes in God sincerely. He has a good work ethic and loves his family, but growing up he developed a dependence on drugs and alcohol. I sensed he was a genuine person but his problem was real, deep rooted and not easily dislodged. As we talked, his wife shared her longsuffering struggles and how much damage had been done to the relationship. Yet, she was not ready to give up. I told him about my experience with many, many people in similar situations. (My age group had and has a particularly hard time with the issue of escape). It was a powerful time of encouragement, building up hope and ministering to the hurts and wounds of this couple. Before we prayed, I felt the need to warn him against thinking God was going to do all the work. He had heard of people who said God immediately healed them of the desire to use. But I knew of many who had been prayed over and then thought it was all in God's hands. So, I told him that we could pray and ask God to intervene. My belief is that God will answer that prayer and intervene as He sees fit. He will always respond to healing of the soul. He will always respond to healing relationships. He will always attend to the prayer of a genuine soul. But I told him not to be shocked if the urge still came. God works but He always invites us to "co-labor" with him. This guy has to walk out a new way to make decisions. He has to choose to call people when he feels weak. He has to decide his wife and family are more important. Praying is a powerful tool but it does not absolve us of choosing. Deuteronomy tells us to "choose this day...life or death...blessing or curse." God is always willing and able to do "exceedingly abundantly more than we could ask or think." But that doesn't take away the immense confidence He has placed in us by giving us a free will.