Prayer warriors unite!
I am going to be purposely vague and tell you that all I am asking of you the reader is comprehension and subsequent prayer. This will not be an uplifting post but perhaps one which you most likely will be able to relate due to our common human condition. Consider this an interruption which could bring light into another individuals life. A life you may care deeply about.
One whom I love dearly is struggling with an illness of the mind. Illnesses of the body are at least tangible and often more easily treated. But those “upstairs” illnesses are often hard to diagnose and difficult to treat. Many never go away at all. And they can be quite cruel. They take away a life that was once full of joy and passion. They take away dreams and unfulfilled aspirations. Finally they take away, or more accurately, alienate friends and family. The individual becomes an empty shell, trapped in a mind of confusion and emotional pain, through no fault of their own.
Was this the Lord’s will? Certainly not. His original will was for us to live with Him in paradise. That was interrupted somewhere in the geography of Eden. Sin entered the world and then disease, destruction, and death followed. So we were left with bodies that decay and eventually return to dust….one way or another.
You don’t need to know the names or faces of the afore mentioned. God already does. This is not an appeal to emotion, but it is an appeal to prayer. Even if you are not the “praying type”, someone out there would sure appreciate a prayer to God on your behalf. Where two or more are gathered in His Name, He is there. Did you know that? So pray for me, pray for your family member, or a friend you are aware of who is struggling with an illness of the mind. But also pray for the caretakers of those attending to them, that we may endure to the end. We know that this life is but a vapor and before us lies an endless eternity where sickness and death have no grip, power, or sting. Ask yourself: “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:13
Friend if you don’t know what to pray, that’s ok too. Former persecutor of Jesus, the Apostle Paul wrote: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” Romans 8:26
Thank you for reading and God bless you for your prayers. They will not go unheard.
Jim
I've learned intercession includes being a steward of our strength on behalf of someone else. When the Lord has bestowed us with health, a sound mind, a certain faith in the Lord, or other such blessings, these are our season to pray for those who are struggling or weak in these areas. The Lord intercedes for us, saying His strength is made perfect in our weakness. He blesses us to be strong for others, knowing the day may come when we are weak ourselves and need someone to intercede. In this way we bear one another's burdens.
Brother Jim, my here written and ongoing verbal pray for your loved one, undergoing the trial of mental illness, is: “Dear God, thank you for your grace to us, through Christ. Please grant healing and recovery for brother Jim Richardson's loved one, who is enduring mental illness, according to your will. You know all the details. Thank you, Lord, for hearing my prayer. In Christ's name, amen.”