It’s All Different

Studying looks a little different today.
Thank you God for smartphones!

I get many opportunities to pray these days. Could have been the full moon or maybe the change in the barometric pressure. I believe it is quarantine fatigue aggravated by the relaxing of the distancing guidelines; what seemed glorious for many was just enough to highlight what still isn’t available. Many are missing visiting family in care facilities, not being present for the recently allowed surgeries and many still are not back at work. People are mourning the loss of their old routines and some are worried they may never return. Right now there are many opportunities for ministry. I have had more people reach out for prayer for others or themselves than I have had in a long time. Some have just called and cried. I love that I am able to be here to listen. I have been busier than usual reaching out to others that don’t even have the ability to reach out for themselves or someone tipped me off on their behalf.

I may get a lot of prayer opportunities and I take each one I get with great thankfulness but I don’t always know what to pray. My heart mind and tongue get jumbled. In my humanness I get lost in trying to solve the problems with prayers rather than salve the problems with prayers. As I study today, I am reminded that it is not mine to solve the problems, but to pray. God has got this. God will care for each situation in the way it needs to be cared for.  God understands my sometimes frustrated and helpless ramblings. 

In the book of Romans, chapter 8 (where a lot of my favorite passage are) I am reminded that God will search our heart. Right there the Holy Spirit will be found, the same Spirit given to us as a gift to us by Jesus to serve as an advocate on our behalf. That Spirit is right there in the midst of our confusion, hurt, pain and desire to help, groaning with words only God understands But God does understand. He gets a full picture of everything mired in our hearts. He knows. And he pours out Holy Love to heal us for another day. 

Whether you are the hurting or the helper, you have a Spirit within you, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans again) that is ready to lift your chaotic thoughts, painful junk, all the stuff you have been hoarding in your heart, right up to God. 

Today:

• Keep praying, God misses you. 
• Keep loving others, they need it. 
• Keep living in the Spirit, the Spirit will give you life and set you free (also Romans 8)
• Maybe today you read and meditate on the Letters to the Romans, particularly Chapter 8.