Friday, February 5, 2021

Showing God’s Love, Part A

 



 

Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16 (NIV)

 

Praying with/for Another Person

                                               

Several years ago, I went through a very dark time. My close friends knew I was bothered about some things. I did not feel as if anyone was reaching out to me. I bravely called a dear lady I felt I was close to. I asked her why no one seemed to care about where I was in this “downtime.”  She had an incredibly good response; no one felt able to help me. (Speaking here in the physical sense.)

 

One Sunday night, I went to the altar with my need. Another friend came to pray with me. I told her I needed to know that there were people praying for me. She assured me that people were.

 

I developed a habit. When anyone at that church greeted me and asked,” How are you?” My response was, “Thank you.” When I gave my response, I got the strangest stares.  It was shorthand for, “I appreciate your caring, but we do not have the time for me to tell you everything I am going through.” I began to feel the prayers of God’s people.

 

During this time of darkness, I could not laugh. One fall, I attended a special Praise Gathering in Indianapolis, filling in for someone who found she could not attend. A Christian comedian was excellent and drew me out. I was able to enjoy his humor and laughed out loud. That night, the friend who asked me to fill in for her stepdaughter came to my bedside and told me that it was good to hear me laugh again.

 

The night before Thanksgiving, we had a special worship service at church. Each of us was asked to tell five things we were thankful for. One of mine was the gift of laughter.

 

Yes, prayers for others and with others show God’s love for them.

4 comments:

  1. Oh, thank YOU, Lord, for the gift of laughter, and for healing my dear friend Cecelia so that she could laugh again and rejoice in Your faithfulness. Even when friends and family seem far away and uncaring, our Heavenly Father is ALWAYS faithful, and He hears our cries and knows exactly what we need. Sometimes He makes a way for us when there seemed to be no way, and He sends someone who can bring a smile to our face again and laughter to our hearts and souls and overflowing out of our lips. Laughter IS good medicine! Thank you for this post today.

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    Replies
    1. Pam: I'm filled with joy that you rejoice over the gift of laughter. Laughter lightens the heart. A good laugh gives us a boost in our spirits. Peace and blessings to you and yours.

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  2. Laughter... medicine to our soul :) Your post says 'part A', so there will be more, right? I posted a video about joy today, based on Psalm 9:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ndVEbyZAyg&t=3s
    Enjoy!

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  3. Yes, Marja there are two more posts on Showing God's love. I our former church, February was "Compassion Month." I was one of the mission emphases they did throughout the year. I try to focus on God's love during February. I will get to that video when I am finished posting new content.

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