Jesus, my Jesus, You are the one and only Son of the Living God. Fully God and fully man, there is none like You. You are the center of all. Our history hinged on Your coming; it changed everything for mankind. Hallelujah! And our future rests on Your return. Father, hasten the Day! We love You and long for You, Jesus.
Thank You, Lord, for community. Relationships are so much more valuable to us than all our stuff. Like the saying goes, “the best things in life aren’t things…” I believe it’s built into us to grow our relationships and share memories together. You made us to enjoy each other and we are grateful for it. Thank You, God, for the privilege of serving shoulder to shoulder with people who love You. There is so much joy with Your Spirit. Thank You for putting us in families and surrounding us with neighbors and friends and children too. Father, children’s children truly are a delight to our souls! Proverbs 17:6 says they are a crown to the aging.
But in times of illness, there is such a change in routine. There’s a shift in our day to day experience. Often there’s an urgency for meaningful conversations, a sudden realization of how fragile life really is that the healthy don’t yet appreciate. Even when many people come around, there is a sense of isolation and aloneness to the one who is ill. No one can truly understand unless it’s happened to them.
Father, You know________________’s longing to be an active part of his/her community again. It may never be the same, but I pray it would be good. I pray You would connect lives that can support each other because of similar journeys. I pray for effective support groups within the Body of Christ. Let ministry come forth from _______________’s life to others who are suffering. Truly we comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received from You (2 Corinthians 1:3,4) Thank You, Father, You really are the God of all comfort! There is none like You. I pray You would administer Your peace and acceptance of this new normal for ________________ – acceptance without resignation. Please keep a fire burning in his/her heart to trust You and stay positive and full of faith. Depression off in Jesus’ Name!
Please reveal Yourself as friend to the one who feels isolated. Proverbs 18:24 says there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. That’s You, Jesus! When feelings of being set apart from normal life creep in, I pray You would remind _______________ that nothing stays the same except YOU. (Hebrews 13:8). Each one of us will have our turn with some kind of life change or illness. Thank You that we can rely on and trust You to always remain our constant source of stability, refuge and strength in times of trouble according to Psalm 91. You are ever-present and always with us. You promise to never leave us or forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6)
With Your help, we can climb to new spiritual heights even as our bodies change.
“The LORD God is my strength, my personal bravery and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk (not to stand still in terror, but to walk), and make (spiritual) progress upon my high places (of trouble, suffering or responsibility!)” Habbakuk 3:19 (Amplified)
Please do that, Lord, for _________________ today. Thank You that You are always at work to reveal Yourself and conform us to the image of Christ, our brother. (Romans 8:29)
In Jesus’ glorious Name I pray. Amen
