Shonda Whitworth has faced some tough times in her life, but through it all, she discovered how the Lord uses circumstances not only to teach us, but to change us. In this Trials UPGRADE, she points us to
the One who uses even our prayers to make us more like Jesus.
“Prayer changes things,” Shonda says, “and the more I pray, the more I change. Undesirable circumstances motivate me to pray. But as I spend time in prayer about my situations, the Lord changes me as I walk through the hardship.”
I (Dawn) discovered this powerful truth last year through some tough circumstances of my own. Shonda shares how God refines our character through these tough-times prayers.
Shonda continues . . .
When I understood the power of praying the Scriptures, I wrote verses on index cards. On one side I wrote the passage, and on the other side, the prayer. I carried these cards with me everywhere.
By writing out the Scriptures and praying them out loud, my knowledge of the Word improved, my relationship with Lord deepened, and my faith increased.
After devouring books on prayer and attending prayer conferences, I taught classes on how to pray effectively.
Then one night my faith was tested when the call came that my older son had been arrested and charged with serious crimes. With my heart ripped apart, my first prayer after receiving the shocking news came from a familiar passage:
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 KJV).
Circumstances drove me to my knees in prayer. Through the process of my son being arrested, convicted and sentenced to prison, I sought the Lord in prayer more earnestly than ever before.
While searching the Bible for Scriptures to pray, I noticed it is filled with judicial themes.
I began to make my appeals to the courtroom of heaven.
When we think of trials, we think of justice with punitive results. Some judges are known to “throw the book” at the guilty.
But God, the Judge of all, is not like that.
Our Righteous Judge desires to give us—the guilty—mercy.
Hebrews 4:16 says, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (NLT).
We can petition the courtroom of heaven anytime, from anywhere. Here’s how:
1. We Need an Advocate.
An advocate is an attorney. In the courtroom of heaven, only one Advocate meets the qualifications—Jesus.
First John 2:1 says,
“My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous” (NLT).
Jesus, our Advocate, paid our penalties by the shedding of His blood. By accepting Jesus’ representation, our record of wrongs is expunged in the courtroom of heaven.
Without Jesus’ representation, we will be judged according to the sins that the prosecutor presents to the Righteous Judge.
2. Silence the Accuser
Every courtroom has a prosecutor, and in the courtroom of heaven he is our accuser—Satan. He opposes our petitions before God by presenting our unconfessed sins to the Righteous Judge.
Matthew 5:25 says,
“When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown in prison.”
When the accuser brings an accusation against us in the courtroom of heaven, we must confess our sins to receive mercy. This places them under the blood of Jesus, erasing them from the record books.
3. Enter Your Petitions
A petition is a request presented to the court—also known as prayers.
When we petition the courtroom of heaven, we ask for God’s will to be done. God’s Word is His will. When we petition with God’s Word, we have confidence that God will answer us.
“Now this is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).
To file petitions, find Scriptures based on your need and pray it with assurance. Remember, trust God with how and when the answer comes.
In order to receive mercy when making appeals to the courtroom of heaven regarding our circumstances:
Jesus must be our Advocate,
We must repent to silence the accuser and
Wwe must petition God’s will.
The Lord uses our prayers in the courtroom of heaven to refine our character.
My perception of my son’s incarceration has shifted. Petitioning the throne room of God through these trying times showed me that prayer changes me.
How might you see God changing you in YOUR touchest circumstances as you come before His throne in prayer?
Shonda Whitworth writes, teaches, and speaks at conferences and retreats to share the hope of healing and restoration we have in Jesus. She is the 
author of Appeal to the Courtroom of Heaven: Petitions for Prisoners and Prison Families. After her son landed in state prison, she realized the hardships families of prisoners encounter. She and her husband, Eldon, founded Fortress of Hope Ministries, a nonprofit organization that offers hope to families affected by incarceration. Shonda transparently shares her testimony of living with a son in prison at www.shondawhitworth.com/ and fortressofhopeministries.com/