Why God Sends Difficulties: How Prayer Brings Us Back to Him

Occasionally God presents us with difficulties in order to awaken us to prayer, which draws a person back into closeness with Him.

Like a shepherd walking with his flock, when suddenly one sheep strays away. He tosses a stone near her so she will be startled and return to him. He has no desire to harm her, only to bring her back. In the same way, God wants us to return to Him.

The Maggid of Dubno tells a parable about a king who longed for his daughter to feel dependent on him and call for his help. He sent dogs to chase her, and she cried out from the depths of her heart: “Father, save me!”

Since prayer is the tool that connects us and brings us back closer to God, we see that God often delivers salvation only after prayer. He established the world in this way, that redemption comes through calling out to Him.

When the Israelites were in Egypt we read: “Their cry rose up to God,” and only then, “God heard their cry.” God was waiting for their prayers, and only then did He redeem them. Later, at the splitting of the Red Sea, again God placed the Israelites in a position with the Egyptians pressing from behind, the sea before them, and wild beasts at their sides. They cried out to God, and He saved them.

The Midrash tells a parable of a prince who heard cries in a field. Riding quickly, he discovered that robbers had attacked a princess who had gone out with her attendants. The prince rushed in and saved her. Grateful, the princess promised to do anything he asked, and the prince asked her to marry him. She agreed, but said she must first return to her father’s house to prepare. After they returned she ignored him. The prince therefore arranged for men disguised as robbers to attack her again. Once more she cried out, and the prince appeared, saying: “I am here to save you, but this time promise me truly that you will be mine.”

So too, the Israelites in Egypt were in great distress, and God saved them. They promised to serve Him, but afterward they forgot. Therefore God brought them again into distress at the Red Sea, saying: “I am ready to save you, but promise Me that we are one.” Then the Israelites cried out in prayer, and in response they merited both the splitting of the sea and, later, the giving of the Torah.

Trouble comes in order to awaken us to prayer. Hardships are intended to strengthen our bond with God, and that closeness that fills us with joy and the strength to endure, comes through prayer.

If we do not remember Him on our own, He may “shake” us, sometimes gently, like a bump on the table, and sometimes, Heaven forbid, with greater jolts, so that we will recall His presence.