Four different friends, four different tragedies playing out before my eyes, and nothing I can do to change any of it. That's the way the day played out, and I'm pretty well played out myself. You would think after nearly forty years of preaching, I would be used to it, but it doesn't work that way. Life doesn't always have happy endings in spite of our prayers, yet we keep praying.
We pray because Jesus told us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as in heaven." We pray because God's will is not being done on earth as it is in heaven. We pray because we believe in a God who loves us unconditionally and who works for our good. I wish I knew why some prayers are answered the way we want while others seemingly bounce off the ceiling, but I don't. So I pray with them, and we are brought together in the presence of Christ who knows their future, but better yet, knows and loves them.
In the midst of it all, I am continually amazed by the blessings that continually flood my life, and gratefully humbled at being invited into their lives. I don't know that I'll ever get used to it, but pray constantly that in some way I'll be able to be an avenue of Christ's love and mercy in their time of need.
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