Pray… O Lord, when I need discipline me for my good that I may share in Your holiness. Be gracious to me when my endurance falters and restore me in a spirit of gentleness. Heal me, Lord Jesus, when I am dismayed and confused in the depths of my inner man. How long, O Lord? How often shall I feel the prick of the thorns that distance us? When will You transform my thoughts and grant deliverance and freedom? Save me in Your tender mercies, for I hear no mention of You in this valley of shadows. Only You can raise me up from this darkness in thanksgiving and praise. It seems such a distant hope at times, for I become weary with my sighing and numb as I wait. At night my bed hears the sighs and by day my mind is overcome with frustration and despair. My faith is shaken as anxiety and grief endure and my strength wanes as the battle presses in.
Depart from me, Satan! Leave me now, O evil one who tempts and overcomes me with sinful desires. Away with you, for you live to deceive and to accuse me day and night before the throne of my God! Get thee behind me, for the Lord Jesus has heard the voice of my sobs. Through my trials, my Good Shepherd has heard my cries, and I know He receives my prayer. Soon you shall be the one stricken and dismayed! You shall be turned back, and surely and suddenly defeated.
Consider… Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Even the most faithful of God’s children find themselves plagued with seasons of doubt. They can come as a result of Satan’s scheming, self-inflicted wounds, or God’s testing. There is nothing more unsettling than feeling we have lost touch with Jesus, especially when the reasons why seem to escape us. When we have experienced God’s kingdom on earth life without feeling it becomes a twilight zone where we don’t belong in heaven or on earth. We grow weary and numb, feeling like we’re a burden to both God and man. Our spirit cries out, “How long, O Lord?!” But regardless of what our feelings are telling us, we must press on through the darkness. In the midst of your tears, can you find it within yourself to remember all the times He has raised you from faithlessness and given you a new beginning? Look back and remember, then look forward with renewed faith. In Christ we have the power to say, “Depart from me O doer of iniquity, for my God has heard the voice of my weeping!” In Christ Jesus we can press on to the light that in due season will shine through. Our patient endurance is the way to the perfection He seeks for us. It comes through just putting one foot of faith in front of the last one. It may not feel good, but it is good.
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