Lift A Prayer To God
One of my favorite television shows, 7th Heaven, features a pastor of a non-denominational church in the fictional town of Glen Oak, CA. The Reverend Eric Camden, his wife Annie, and their seven children experience a multitude of issues throughout their church and community. The dilemmas dealt with on each show run the gambit from alcoholism and drug usage to infidelity and teenage sex; from birth to death; from prayer and faith to broken families and poverty.
The issues dealt with are real life situations many of us face ourselves. Unrealistically however, the show’s “problem of the day” is usually resolved within the scope of a one-hour time slot. Beyond that the characters faith seems to deepen with each show and all the family members end their day with a heartfelt, warm, “I love you” for one another. Reality tells us that none of our problems are solved in such a short amount of time. Reality tells us our faith is sometimes shaken and we don’t always go to be saying “I love you” to one another.
A death in the family, expected or unexpected, peaceful or violent, that of a parent, spouse or child, can take years to work through. Alcoholism and other addictions are a lifelong struggle. Infidelity within a marriage or teenage sex carries consequences that include sexually transmitted disease, unwanted pregnancies, broken relationships and broken hearts. In the same sense developing a deep faith or relationship with God may take a long time especially in the face of our uncertain times of war, economic struggle and unemployment, or disastrous relationships.
In my years of pastoring I’ve come to realize there are no easy answers. Resolving our issues take time, hard work and the help of others. If you find yourself struggling with a problem so large you aren’t quite sure what to do I would like to encourage you to lift a prayer to God. Maybe you’ve never prayed to God before. Maybe you aren’t sure what to say. Maybe you aren’t sure you even believe in God. That’s ok. I want to tell you God believes in you and God cares about you. If you aren’t sure what to pray perhaps you can use these words:
Dear God, hear my prayer today. Right now I am struggling. I am hurting and feeling a bit lost. I am not sure where to turn. Please, guide me in what to do next. Comfort me that I might not hurt so much. Let me know I am not alone. God, bring some light into my ever darkening world. This I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Peace be with you my friends.
Until next time,
Reverend Patrick Schultz
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