Prayer requests

Oh, what a difference a few months make -- would you have imagined what's going on in our world now, if you thought long and hard twelve months earlier?
Actually, some people made it their business to think about it.
Pandemic.
Global sickness.
Supplies.
Medicine.
Most people just thought it was a far-fetched idea; they didn't worry about it too much.
Some people (at times, they are derided as "preppers") did more than worry about it. They laid in supplies and made sure they would have what they and their family would need for a few weeks, or months.
More than likely, very few people thought about protective masks and the hospital systems being overwhelmed.
But all of that is our new normal.
It's easy to let it swamp us. It's easy to give way to anxious thoughts or worry.
We often read the familiar verses in James 1, and we think mostly about our personal trials in life. We might lose our job; we might come up on some unexpected experiences; we might have problems with those we love and our relationships with them. But James may also have meant a situation like we face in 2020, don't you think? We might come down with illness; we might have to nurse a loved one back to health and then become ill ourselves; we might even experience loss.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:2-6)

Trials can cause our prayer life to flourish.
Have you ever had homemade butter? I changed gears on ya quickly, didn't I? (Grin)
I love the vintage butter molds that women used to use. As the butter was packed in and pressed into the mold, it took the shape of the mold. Often, there was a decoration, so that when the butter was turned out of the mold, a flower or design of some type was on the top.

Trials are testings for us that press us into a design of God's own choosing. The purpose is to make us more like Him. And to press us to ask Him for wisdom. Now, I realize this is not the best analogy -- while the butter can't avoid being squeezed into the press, we can wriggle and escape for a time. Free will means that we can say "no" to being molded into His image. We can chafe and be resentful. We can be grumpy about what's happening to us.
Yes, believers can do that.
In these difficult days, we may find ourselves unable to understand; the enemy will quickly throw doubts and questions at us. We may find ourselves questioning God.  We may be asked by unbelievers why He would allow all of this to happen.
If we experience illness or loss, we may be bitter or angry with God. We may wonder if He understands. But our verses in James remind us that He does understand; they tell us that things don't just happen haphazardly.  There is a purpose, and God is in control.
We can re-read Romans 8 and be reminded that nothing can separate us from God's love. Even in the most difficult of trials, He is with us; He loves us; He wants to care for us. When we can't understand, and when we would say "why? why?" He is in control and wants to comfort, grow, and mature us.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth,    so are my ways higher than your ways    and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)

You will keep in perfect peace    those whose minds are steadfast,    because they trust in you. .....Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws,    we wait for you;your name and renown    are the desire of our hearts. (Isaiah 26:3,8)

Trust in God! Let's keep our eyes on Him! God can use even this situation for His glory.

Let's focus on Him in our prayer time today. Let's thank Him for His love, grace, and mercy. Let's ask Him to work in our world today, and in our lives, for His glory.
If you have a prayer request or a praise, I hope you will leave a comment and let us pray alongside you.