Heartfelt Prayer

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I've been sick the past ten days or so. It started with a sore throat a week before Easter, then became laryngitis that I battled all week because I had a part in the Easter play at church, and there was no one to replace me. Thankfully, I was able to talk that Sunday morning but my voice was squeaky and hoarse. I've been coughing and sneezing since, and cold medicine has done little to relieve the symptoms. As of this writing, I'm not feeling much better, which brings me to the above verse. I don't want to pray today and I'm not feeling very thankful at the moment. I'd rather go back to bed.

Sometimes circumstances make us feel a lot more human than spiritual. Sometimes prayer, thankfulness, praise, or reading the Bible seems burdensome rather than enlightening. And those feelings can bring on a whole other set of problems like feeling guilty, not good enough, or other emotions humans are so adept at beating themselves up with. 

"But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)."

There is nothing about us that isn't already known to the Lord, including our weakest moments. He knew I was going to be sick, weak and tired before it happened. I'm not hurting His feelings because I can't muster a hallelujah. And even though I don't feel like praying, I can say, "Thank you Lord for being here when I'm weak." Our prayers don't always have to be some drawn out liturgy, they can also be a few heartfelt utterances in time of need.

"Don’t you yet understand? Don’t you know by now that the everlasting God, the Creator of the farthest parts of the earth, never grows faint or weary? No one can fathom the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the tired and worn out, and strength to the weak (Isaiah 40:28-29)."

Read Judges 10-13

A year of Blessings by Marie McGaha ©2018