Friday: PRAYING DURING MY SUFFERING

Mar 31, 2023
2 min read

This week, I am exploring what God says about SUFFERING. As I enter prayer now, I reflect on God’s instruction, “Join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.”

Lord, teach me today about suffering. I desire to be receptive to the grace You give me, so my heart can be full of Your Holy Spirit.

Let me consider the Word of God from James 5:13-16

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they 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 person is powerful and effective.

This passage describes what I should do when I don’t know what to do. When I am in trouble or suffering, my mind is out of order, and I am not at peace. I am usually not thinking straight, because I am worried and thinking about what is going to happen next. In doing so, my feelings and emotions take over and depress my spirit. My spirit guided by the Holy Spirit, however, brings me spiritual reasoning, and I should listen. The Holy Spirit urges my spirit to rise above my emotions and to pray. According to this passage, prayer is the antidote for lack of peace.

If I am happy, I should sing songs of praise. These songs are a response of my spirit to God. They grab hold of my emotional state and lift it up. They are a prayer to God. Praise and worship are an exciting way to talk to God, and when I do this, my spirit is lifted.

When I am sick, I don’t have any power to function—I’m powerless. My body and mind need cleansing to wash out the things causing the sickness. For my body, it is usually bacteria and viruses, but for my mind, it is seeds of doubt questioning whether God can use my infirmed body for His glory. The passage offers a prescription to those who are sick: The Lord restores my life through faith-filled prayer and anointing with oil in His name. I can offer a prayer in faith which will cleanse the seeds of doubt and assure me God can still use me to bring Him glory. When I confess my sins to another, I’m cleansing my soul, so I can hear God clearly.

Lord, thank You for watching over me when I am suffering and when I am sick. Please infuse my soul with Your prescription for LIFE: restoring Your Name and Your Power in my life and doing whatever it takes to use my life for Your glory.

May you be blessed,

Chaplain Wayne Ruckman