I recently started a new job working at Hobby Lobby! It has been a lot of fun getting used to the flow of things, but I did run into a few structural problems right at the beginning. Some important paperwork that needed to be finalized wasn’t completed, and I also noticed I wasn’t getting the appropriate breaks I should have been getting.
I remember arriving at work at 2:00 PM one afternoon and looking at the schedule, only to see that I was given a single 15-minute break during what would be an 8-hour shift. I instantly felt a wave of frustration. I immediately texted my mom because I had recently complained to her about the short breaks.
Her response was straightforward: “That’s not right.” But most importantly, she added, “We will have to pray about it.”
Right then in the moment, praying about it didn’t cross my mind as that important. It’s sad to admit, but sometimes we don’t pray about the small things because we think they are somehow insignificant to the Creator of the universe. But in reality, we should be bringing every little detail of our day to Him.
An Unexpected Revelation
The pieces all started to tie together this morning during my personal quiet time. I randomly decided to open my Bible to James chapter 5. I haven’t even been reading in the book of James lately, so it was a little unusual for me to suddenly want to jump straight to the fifth chapter, but I followed that quiet prompting anyway.
And guess what that chapter was about? God’s ears hearing the cries of the oppressed.
“Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.” — James 5:4
This verse uses a very specific title as a warning to unfair employers: The Lord of Sabaoth. This translates to The Lord of Hosts, or the Lord of Heavenly Armies. James was reminding the readers that the cries of tired, mistreated workers enter straight into the ears of the God of might, power, and ultimate judgment.
He Contends for You
Whenever we have a problem, a petition, or a moment where our hearts are secretly crying out under pressure, our Heavenly Father hears us. The Lord of Heavenly Armies hears you, and He is ready to stand up on your behalf. As He promises in Isaiah 49:25: “I will contend with him that contendeth with thee…”
And if the Lord of Armies is for us, who can truly be against us?
We have the Lord of Hosts in our corner, and sometimes we just need to pause and remember that. No matter what we are walking through—whether it is a massive life crisis or a frustrating 15-minute break schedule at a retail job—we can bring it straight to the ears of our Father. When we cry out, He works on our behalf because He is a good Father who wants only good things for His children.
Think about it in human terms: most parents can attest that whenever their children come to them crying, complaining, or upset, they will do everything in their power to make it better. Whether that means supplying a specific need, teaching them a hard lesson, wrapping them in love, or correcting a wrong. How much more will our Heavenly Father work to help us when we bring our cries to Him?
The Power of Constant Communication
As I kept reading through James chapter 5, I remembered that this chapter also has a section on the power of prayer. It tells us that we should pray continuously, no matter what state we are in:
“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church…” — James 5:13-14
At the end of the day, prayer is simply a conversation with God. Think about your everyday life—talking to the people you love is absolutely beneficial and necessary to the relationship. If there is zero communication, there is no relationship. It is the exact same way with God. We cannot expect to have a thriving, intimate relationship with Him if we only talk to Him during emergencies. We have to communicate through prayer about the small things and the big things alike.
He wants to hear your heart. It doesn’t matter how small or insignificant the problem seems to you—it is highly important to Him because you are important to Him. What grieves your heart grieves His, and what hurts you matters to Him. He is not a God who is indifferent to the daily struggles of His people. He wants to help us, if we will just slow down, talk to Him, and let Him in.
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