Hey, welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

The devotional for today titled Troubled Souls, Honest Prayers, was written by Arthur Jackson.

Three days before a bomb blast rocked his home in January, 1957, Dr. Martin Luther

King Jr. had an encounter that marked him for the rest of his life. After receiving a threatening

phone call, King found himself pondering an exit strategy from the civil rights movement. Then prayers emerged

from his soul. I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right, but now I am afraid.

I have nothing left. I've come to the point where I can't face it alone. After his prayer,

there came quiet assurance, King noted.

Almost at once my fears began to go, my uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything.

In John 12, Jesus acknowledged, My soul is troubled. He was transparently honest about his internal disposition. Still, he was

God-centered in his prayer. Father, glorify your name. Jesus' prayer was one of surrender to God's will.

How human it is for us to feel the pangs of fear and discomfort when we find

ourselves with the option of honoring God or not, when wisdom requires making hard decisions

about relationships, habits, or other patterns, good or bad. No matter what we're faced with,

as we pray boldly to God, he'll give

us the strength to overcome our fear and discomfort and do what brings glory to him, for our good

and the good of others.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from the Gospel of John,

chapter 12, verses 27 through 32.

Now, my soul is troubled, and what shall I say?

Father save me from this hour?

No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father,

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