There are two very important things we all need when we are in crisis. They are vital, but they are not at all common. These two things are needed even more so when in trial and God says no. Those two things are prayer and practical advice.
When we struggle, when we are in trial, when life seems bleak and we are not sure how we are going to handle something that has been dropped in our lap or slapped across our face (as it sometimes feels), the first thing we need is prayer. We need to petition the Father for comfort, for strength, and for help. That prayer usually comes from us…the person(s) in need of the help. But when that prayer comes from a friend or group of friends, it means so much more.
Prayer is a powerful thing. And corporate prayer is even more powerful. It’s what helped me give birth to my son through a series of miracles that ended with an incredibly healthy kid who rarely gets a cold. It’s what helped my doctors find pre-cancer cells they never would have found until it was too late as most women with Fallopian tube cancer have experienced before their untimely death. It’s what delivered my daughter from heart issues to be healed inside of a month where the doctors expected either a death sentence (if she were born with it) or years of recuperation at best if it were the result of a virus…NOT ONE MONTH!
Praying for someone is amazing, but praying WITH someone can lift someone’s spirits and ease their burden so much in that few minutes it takes to come together in prayer. Just knowing someone is willing not only to say they’ll pray, and pray in private, but to pray in their presence is an amazing boost to a weary soul.
Prayer is amazing, but often God uses prayers to bring about the practical things that are needed for His struggling children THROUGH the actions of others. If someone is in need of $100 to be able to meet his rent and someone offers him that $100 as a gift or even as a loan, that is an answered prayer. If you can be the answer to prayer for someone, that is truly an amazing feeling. And it doesn’t always take money. Sometimes it can take the form of a meal, a shoulder to cry on, a phone call to a friend who may have a job opening, a gift of time or service, or a discount on a product or service desperately needed.
James 2:15-16 says, “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?”
Who can you pray for today? Who can you pray WITH today? How can you be an answered prayer for someone you know who is hurting today?
Marvelously written. Praying is something I do a lot of for others. I rarely think to pray for myself in this way. Thanks so much, JoJo. I go forth better informed and ready to pray for others as well as myself. I’m in pain and can’t sleep.
Blessings.
(((Hugs))) to you, Betty! Praying for you to get some relief and rest.