You don't need to worry about me, I am totally fine now. But that day I wasn't.
The sleep I ended up in started out as prayer... I decided it probably wasn't a good idea for me to do much else but talk with God. I first dropped a minor comment on Facebook about it, but quickly realized I needed more than what human interaction could offer. So I prayed... and it ended up becoming a rest that cleared my spirit.
The book of Lamentations is full of this kind of holy venting - sort of like a cross between social media and prayer. But listen to what is written here in the midst of all the pain:
"Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.'" (Lamentations 3:22-24)I know sleep can do wonders, but I also sense there was something about falling asleep in prayer. It allowed me to wake up more than physically refreshed, but spiritually refreshed, too.
Because let's face it - pain can suck the Life out of life, be it your pain or someone else's pain. And at some point you need to get back to doing what you do. Get back to the business of being a parent, sibling, friend, blue-collar or white-collar worker, and so on.
So that morning I woke up and determined to fight for the opportunities in my friend's lives, even if they weren't able to. It's certainly not a quick-fix solution, but it is biblical direction. Some days it's easy to get so focused on yourself or others that you forget God has given you a purpose within all of that.
Today, if something has you down, I want to say to you:
- Feel it, then...
- Pray it, then...
- Release it, then...
- Overcome it.
Get back to the God-given purpose of your life.... with God. If that needs to start with exhaustive prayer, then pour out your heart so that He can refill it to the brim with something that will powerfully overflow.
