Who are we praying for?

It is amazing to me, how we can get so caught up in ourselves, we forget how good we really have it.

Take me, for instance.
I had surgery about 6 weeks ago. Major surgery. And I have been laying around complaining about how I am not getting better fast enough.....tired of laying around, need to get back to the store. (I own my own shop. wonderful help, but they cannot help forever). I miss being around people, so much to do, and so on and so on.

Now, to think of others:
I am on FB, too much really....when I see a notice from a friend asking for prayer for a young man who has been in a serious accident, and is in critical condition in ICU, and needing surgery....but having to wait till they can do one thing in order to do the next.
The picture showed his car. Totaled, as in, I had a hard time figuring out which end was which. And this nice young man was pictured next to the picture of the car......
It does not sound good.

My whole point here is, that sure took my mind off my own little problems....
Now my prayers are not for myself to get better quicker, but for this young man, his parents, and sisters....

God thinks of us more than there are grains of sand, (Ps.139:17,18) and He has our overall best in mind in all His plans for us, and for those who love us, and love Him.

So, who and what are we praying for?  something we want? a 'thing'? better health for ourselves?
How about praying for those who are much worse off than we are. It is not hard to find them if we only look outside ourselves.

be blessed
Barb

Another Step in the Process

I've been posting lately on the passing of my Dad on Nov. 28th.
The previous 3 posts are about that, and what I am learning through it all.
This is about my last few days journey.

It was not as easy as I thought.
 I was so excited, (and maybe even proud of myself)  for the first week about how great I was doing.
Yes, I cried, but I experienced great joy also. Of course part of that joy was knowing my Dad was with the Lord, and singing those old gospel songs he loved so much. The ones he and my Mom used to sing at care centers for "the old people' (and he was one of them). =)

But it was also a joy deep inside me, the joy of knowing the Lord had brought me to a wonderful place with Him in the past few months. The wonder of actually being able to "count it all joy when we encounter various trials (suffering)...." as it says in James. My joy was so full I went around singing.
I thought I had this thing beat!! I was going to be a shining light for Jesus! He was going to use me mightily to help others.....

Well then it hit. I cried all day, except for when I slept. (worn out).
Then I spent hours on computer or watching TV as an escape from the feelings.
I was not only feeling the sad, but I was feeling so disappointed in myself.
What happened to being a light? How could I help others if I could not stop crying??

I did not count it all joy, I could not sing. I was hurting. . I had my quiet time with the Lord, but somehow we were just not connecting. I read the Bible, but the words just seamed empty, and I cried more. I knew He was with me, but I needed to feel Him. Instead I felt very alone.

Seeking Help and Receiving Blessings
I am blessed to have a Life Group who has walked with me through many things.
They are my life line when I feel things are more than I can get through on my own. I emailed for prayer.
And then there is Facebook, where I probably bare my soul a bit too often. But once again I bared it.

The great things is, that when you reach out, God honors that. It is humbling to have to ask for help, and God loves a humble heart.  He blessed me not only with notes of prayer, but also so many words of encouragement and wisdom. People who have been through it, and so understand what I am going through.
(I'll share those on another post).
But for today.....

Remember:

Do not take pride in where you think God has brought you.(I had to repent of this)
God is with you even when you feel alone.
It's OK to feel Joy, and laughter, and tears. It is all part of the process.

Be humble; ask for help when you need it. God has a whole family of friends He has prepared to help you.

Blessings to you all, and praise to His name.

Barb