What does your prayer list/journal look like? If it is anything like mine, it is filled with a whole passel of painful things as well as random praises sprinkled throughout. Let me give you a sampling of the things over which I am currently praying:
A marriage that has had the tarnation beat out of it….but the couple has decided to try one more time and work it out
An inoperable brain tumor in a loved one
An overwhelmed single mom of a handful of kids
A family with several members who need Jesus
An alcoholic who has no interest in Jesus or in life
New community Bible study groups beginning at our church (Yay!)
An upcoming retreat…that I am organizing and speaking (so humbled that God allows me to do this)
My kids and my nephews
Our divided and angry country
A beautiful 20-something who is battling an eating disorder
My new church (How blessed we are to have it!)
A family whose 50-something dad is battling an aggressive form of dementia
A precious elderly saint who is going blind while dealing with a husband with dementia
A friend in the battle of their life with alcohol
And SO MUCH MORE!!!
Even with the good things sprinkled in, there are some days I can hardly open my journal without crying. There is so much hurt in our world, so much pain, so much mess. How can I make a difference? How do I even process it all? Some days all I can do is put my head down on the table and cry out, “Jesus, please help.”
Into all of it comes Romans 12:12:
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
I have to remind myself that because of Jesus, there is hope for every situation. It is always too soon to give up on Jesus and the work that He longs to do in the lives of other people, and in my life. I have a flip calendar in my downstairs bathroom and one of the pages says, “I have hope and I’m not afraid to use it.” I love that. People, we must hold onto the hope of new life and healing and strength and provision that Jesus can offer. We must.
We also must be patient in trials and tribulation. Oh yeah, I want life to be easy, but the reality is that it usually is NOT. I want hurt and pain and trials to pass quickly….like a day off work…zoom, and it is over. Problem is sometimes God needs some time to work some junk out of us and trials are the only way it will happen. I know you are glad you stopped in and read this post today! We must be patient as we go through trials, remembering that God has allowed that trial for some reason. We must trust that He will make it pass. It may pass like a kidney stone, but it will pass.
Finally, we must be constant in prayer. It is so important to stay in relationship and communication with God. In the good times and the bad, we need to have that ongoing dialogue with Him. He wants to hear from us. We need to hear from Him. So, friends, let us
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
SDG/FCA!
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