~ Read Job 17-18 Text, Audio
Lord God,
There
are so many people in the world today who feel like, Job. That is to
say, there are so many people who feel like their spirit is broken and
their life is nearing an end. Sometimes I feel that way, though I
recognize my troubles are not as severe than those that many face.
Nevertheless, they still cause a great deal of anxiety, fear, and stress
in my life, and I need your help to overcome that.
I
need you, gracious God, to comfort my soul. I need you to hear my plea.
I need you to give me the support you promise to give, and relive the
heaviness in my heart before it crushes me. Stand up, Lord, and defend
me. Rescue me and save me, for there is no one else who can or will.
Even
the words of those who are close to me fail to bring me comfort. They
compare my troubles to their own and think I am being petty. They wonder
what I complain about, because they think, I have it so easy. All the
while, they fail to see the burden I carry around and the strain it puts
on me.
Save
me Lord, because no one else can. Send me some support, before it is
too late. Give me some encouragement, just as I try to encourage others;
for I know that my own struggles do not relieve me of my obligation to
serve. I know that the troubles I face do not erase my responsibility to
direct others toward your redemption, forgiveness, and grace through
Jesus Christ. On the contrary, my own troubles uniquely equip me to
minister to them. My struggles help me to understand what others are
going through so that I can serve them with more mercy and compassion,
just as Christ did for us.
He
understands all that we go through because he became one of us, and
endured the same temptations, trails, troubles, and pain that we
experience in our lives. He knows everything we go through because he
went through it himself. And though I cannot say I've experienced every
trouble in the way Christ has experienced all our troubles; I know my
own struggles make me more like him in that I am better able to
sympathize with others. Strangely, Lord, when I see my troubles in that
way, they seem to be less of a burden and more of a blessing.
Don’t
get me wrong, I’m not asking for more adversity in my life, but I do
thank you for that which I do face, because of how it changes me, and
draws me closer to you.
In the name of your Son, Jesus, I pray, Amen
Where mercy is the rule, not the exception.
