Prayer under affliction is a profound expression of faith and dependence on God during times of distress and suffering. Throughout the Scriptures, believers are encouraged to turn to God in prayer, seeking His attention and intervention in their troubles. This act of prayer is not merely a cry for relief but a demonstration of trust in God's sovereignty, wisdom, and compassion.

Biblical Foundation

The Bible provides numerous examples and teachings on prayer during affliction. One of the most poignant expressions is found in the Psalms, where the psalmists often cry out to God in their distress. Psalm 10:12-14 captures this sentiment: "Arise, O LORD! Lift up Your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Why has the wicked man renounced God? He says to himself, 'You will never call me to account.' But You have regarded trouble and grief; You consider it to take it in hand. The victim entrusts himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless."

In this passage, the psalmist appeals to God to remember the afflicted and to act on their behalf. It reflects a deep belief that God is not indifferent to human suffering but is actively involved in the lives of His people.

Theological Insights

Prayer under affliction acknowledges God's omniscience and omnipresence. Believers trust that God is aware of their circumstances and is capable of providing comfort and deliverance. This trust is rooted in the character of God, who is described as compassionate and merciful. Psalm 34:17-18 reassures the faithful: "The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears; He delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit."

The act of praying during affliction also serves to align the believer's will with God's purposes. It is an opportunity to seek understanding and strength to endure trials, as well as to request divine intervention. James 5:13 instructs, "Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises."

Examples from Scripture

The Bible is replete with examples of individuals who prayed under affliction. Job, in the midst of his profound suffering, cried out to God, seeking understanding and relief (Job 30:20-21). Hannah, in her deep anguish over her barrenness, prayed fervently to the Lord, pouring out her soul before Him (1 Samuel 1:10-11).

King David frequently turned to prayer during times of distress. In Psalm 86:6-7 , he pleads, "Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer, and attend to my plea for mercy. In the day of my distress I call on You, because You answer me." David's prayers reflect a confidence that God hears and responds to the cries of His people.

Practical Application

For believers today, prayer under affliction is a vital practice that fosters a deeper relationship with God. It is an invitation to bring every concern, fear, and pain before the Lord, trusting in His perfect will. Philippians 4:6-7 encourages believers, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

In times of affliction, prayer becomes a source of strength and peace, reminding believers that they are not alone in their struggles. It is a means of experiencing God's presence and receiving His grace to endure and overcome life's challenges.2 Kings 19:16
LORD, bow down your ear, and hear: open, LORD, your eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which has sent him to reproach the living God.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Nehemiah 9:32
Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keep covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before you, that has come on us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 9:13
Have mercy on me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, you that lift me up from the gates of death:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Lamentations 5:1
Remember, O LORD, what is come on us: consider, and behold our reproach.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

The Christian Struggling under Great and Heavy Affliction.
... For this purpose, let prayer be your frequent employment; and let such sentiments
as ... An humble Address to God under the Pressure of heavy Affliction. ...
/.../chapter xxv the christian struggling.htm

Prayer and Trouble (Continued)
... "For our light affliction, which is ... is not only endured, but where there is under
it a ... and decided to return to his father's house, with prayer and confession ...
/.../bounds/the essentials of prayer/vi prayer and trouble continued.htm

Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity Paul's Care and Prayer for the ...
... would have no need of prayer, perseverance, exhortation ... Heretics have behaved similarly,
but under a good ... imprisonment, death or life, blessing or affliction. ...
/.../luther/epistle sermons vol iii/sixteenth sunday after trinity pauls.htm

And Bring us not into Temptation but Deliver us from Evil
... it the good God who leads into temptation one who fails in prayer? ... that affliction
had never yet ceased"but when, by God's help, under affliction we are ...
//christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen on prayer/chapter xix and bring us.htm

Prayer Perfumed with Praise
... I triumph before thee in my affliction, and bless ... we have spoken this is the sum:
under every condition ... you." Doubtless many lose power in prayer because their ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 25 1879/prayer perfumed with praise.htm

2 Cor. xii. 1
... sorry that he was disappointed of his prayer, but was ... and a whole people, as well
under affliction as at ... God led all the saints through affliction and distress ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily xxvi 2 cor xii.htm

Our Stronghold
... name can afford them no consolation, and under conviction of ... prison, and gives me
the water of affliction and the ... tower to us, it is not even our prayer, it is ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/our stronghold.htm

Good Friday.
... troubled too; that he knew pain, and endured affliction. ... where all its people are
striving under one Divine ... privately and publicly, join in the prayer of the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arnold/the christian life/lecture xxiv good friday.htm

The Holy Spirit's Intercession
... our infirmity." By this is intended our affliction, and the ... of thought, that the
one remedy of prayer, which we ... the heavy burden without fainting under the load ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 26 1880/the holy spirits intercession.htm

How to Discern Our Title to the Saints' Rest.
... As prayer must have faith and fervency to procure it ... no more strange for a conscientious
man, under melancholy, to ... be but in this life by affliction, it will ...
/.../baxter/the saints everlasting rest/chapter viii how to discern.htm

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