As I look back at my own history and the history of my family, it seems that about every 10 years some really bad things happened. This included family problems, death of loved ones, financial issues, and even the abandonment from those who called themselves my friend. At one particular time, I was in such a state of remorse that I did not eat for several days in a row. Naturally, I lost a lot of weight.
I don’t know if I lost consciousness or just fell into a deep sleep, but I certainly was not in touch with the outside world. Emotional, physical, and spiritual pain can levy a heavy cost on anyone that has these experiences. I must confess on those occasions the last thing on my mind was to pray for other people even though they may have been suffering like me.
This verse talks about prophets that spoke in the name of God though they were suffering affliction. All in all, their patience was tried. It does seem reasonable for us to have our own needs as a priority. We seek God to deliver us from our traumas. We say that we trust him though it may be very difficult to do it.
During these situations we are in one of the best times of our lives to pray for others. During the good times life seems to flow evenly. We realize a certain satisfaction in each day. There is no challenge to our spiritual strength. That is unfortunate. Our misery can be a transition to realize and appreciate the difficulties of others. Certainly, we are going to have our own pressures that we could not avoid. However, when we are down in the valley without strength or without canned answers, it can be when we are most likely to rely on the Lord giving him the opportunity to reveal his loving power.
Jesus said that he did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. (Mark 2:17) The apostle Paul offered what may seem to be a contradiction to his Corinthian readers when he said, “when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10) When Jesus spoke the Beatitudes in his Sermon on the Mount, he chose as his subject matter those who were poor in spirit, those that mourned, those that hunger and thirst after righteousness, and those who were persecuted. Yes, the other Beatitudes had a lighter tone. However, it is important we understand how Jesus recognized so many times in which we are in a pitiful condition. (Matthew 5)
Immediately following the Beatitudes in that same chapter Jesus called believers salt of the earth and light of the world. Considering the negative circumstances that he observed about our lives, his immediate statements that follow the Beatitudes tell us something important. We may be sick in body or sick at heart, but he offers a challenge to us that should those things are true, we must be the salt the earth and light of the world anyway.
The elderly may say there is little they can do to promote the Kingdom of God because of their age and infirmities. What we have noticed from Jesus is that we may not teach or preach or even give money. Still, we can salt the earth and light the world. An elderly person who could find himself in a nursing home can use that opportunity to demonstrate their prayerful support of others.
In a similar way, when a person is ill not feeling physically well does not feel capable of talking to anyone, doing anything, because they are weak and hurting, that is when they can be strong. That is when they can call out of their agony to the Almighty in behalf of others. We must not let ourselves be hampered in our prayer life because of the physical condition of our bodies. I personally rely very much on those who are advanced in years and pray for me. Their connection with Jesus can be very meaningful as they take my name into the throne room of heaven.
You may not feel like it. You may be distracted by your own circumstances. You may have things weighing on your mind. That is a time in which you can turn away from your own afflictions in the power of the Holy Spirit for someone else. Even a single sentence will have meaning to Jesus when offered in faith for another person. We have great power just like the Apostle Paul who knew so much persecution but if we follow his example, we can say with him that that is when I am strong!
Christian Writer 