Many years ago I was in a situation that was so troubling that I could barely function. Any prayer I managed felt useless as if it had no meaning.
My husband and I were in a tailspin due to circumstances beyond our control and it seemed impossible to fix.
Our goal was to try to salvage our marriage, our lives, and our sanity.
I spent the summer helping my grandmother, and then went to stay with my best friend with the intent to get a grip on myself.
Spending days alone in her quiet house and not surrounded by all of the chaos, expectations, and stress that I had allowed, I prayed and rested.
Eventually, I settled down and let God fill me with his peace. It was as if he had reached down and touched my hand and said, “I got this,” and I was reminded what answered prayer feels like.
I was filled with peace that surpasses understanding. Inexplicable peace in the middle of great pain and conflict.
Philippians 4:6 & 7
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.…
I could see a way through. Not the end, but where to start. It was simple to me. Most friends and family thought I had lost my mind, but our situation was more dire than anyone knew. So, we persevered.
What we did not know was how many people were praying for the both of us.
I Timothy 2:1
Therefore, I beg of you that before all things, you will offer supplications to God, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving, for the sake of all people… (from the Aramaic bible in plain English)
It has taken years to see the many answered prayers come to fruition. Even after divorce and years apart, somehow we both were led back to one another. It was prayer.
The years in between were difficult and we all continued to learn lessons.
Most of all I changed.
How I dealt with people, conflict, chaos, and the expectations of others hurt my body and my spirit, so I am much more careful now.
I don’t allow chaos in my life. I take care of myself first, so I can help others.
As for the expectations of others, unless I work for you or I am married to you, your expectations are not my responsibility. We are all responsible for our own feelings. I learned that it is not my job to put out your fires or solve your problems.
Severe stress can hurt our bodies and cause illness.
If there is something causing you stress, offer a prayer, let your request be made known to God.
Prayer can be simple or complicated. the simple part is to do it and when we pray, pray for the desires of our heart in his timing and in his way.
Many things affect prayer and answers, but God the Father does not change.
17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.
He is loving, he is our Father and cares for us. He cares about the desires of our hearts, but the timing must be his, and the lives affected must be his choice. His ways are not our ways.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
We must settle down and let his peace that surpasses all understanding take the place of our pain or trouble.
Whatever the answer, our surrender to his decision or timing is necessary.
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