Devoted to Prayer
April 2008
There are almost always waves. Now and then we have times of quietness — little lulls, I used to call them —but far more often the wind is blowing from one quarter or another, and so there are waves, sometimes mighty waves of the sea. I have never known a time when it was not so, and I do not think I ever shall. So let us make up our minds to it and have done with wishing things were easier. They are not, and they will not be. (So long as we fight Satan he will fight us, if he does not, it will be because we are not worth fighting.) But that is not the whole story. The whole splendid story is just this: "O Lord God Almighty, who is like You? You are mighty, O Lord, and your faithfulness surrounds You. You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them.”
-Amy Carmichael
This is an oft-visited conversation. It is the old, “Gaze at God and glance at our circumstances” banter. We know what the right choice is—reflecting on who God is and the innumerable ways he’s demonstrated his faithfulness. So why is there ongoing struggle?
Could it be that we hold on to the hope that the battle will cease to rage, that one day all our relationships will be trouble-free, we will meet the mate of our dreams, our children will all be walking with the Lord, our finances will become a non-issue or our medical woes a thing of the past? On and on we could go, right?
For the most part, we are bright people who know that many of these longings might not come to fruition, yet, truth be told, we still wait for the day when things will be easier. Amy has it right, “They are not and will not be.”
I have been revisiting a spiritual discipline unpacked in 2 Corinthians 10:5, taking every thought captive to Christ. I have been dealing with fear lately. It might have to do with the fact that I was in a car accident a month ago. I have also been hearing accusing thoughts in my mind about my inadequacy. That might have to do with the fact that I am working on a new writing project. What has been creeping into your heart and head, luring you away from, “fixing your eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2)? Take those thoughts by the neck and see if they are from God or from the pit. I sometimes say out loud, “You have no place in my mind. It is holy ground for the Lord and his truth. Be gone!”
Listen again to the Savior’s grand promise and be encouraged, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
You will enjoy praying though the attached Prayer of Saint Patrick this month.
Praying Together,
Barbara Francis
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