When All Your People Are Facing Hardships

When All Your People Are Facing Hardships -christyfitzwater.com

My prayer list right now feels unbearable. So many in my circle have serious health issues and then the cha-ching, cha-ching of expenses that snake around each diagnosis. My heart!

What I want to do is reach for my checkbook and say, “Here, at least let me pay for all of it for you.” Except, oh wait, we’re trying to keep up with our own bills. Rental house repairs, heater guy bill, and repairs for our elderly vehicles.

Cha-ching, cha-ching.

Lord, I whisper in the dark. You know our bodies are broken and we can’t afford to pay to fix them. Which one of us has hundreds or thousands of dollars to pay the family doctor and the radiologist and the surgeon and the lab technician?

Do you want to know what he said to me?

The Lord said, “I am their shepherd, so they’re not going to lack anything.”  (from Psalm 23:1)

Aaaaah, but wait. I had a rebuttle.

What about “Bear one another’s burdens”? (Galatians 6:2 ESV)

He said to me, “Yes, bear them right on over her and plop them in my arms, because I care, you know.” (from 1 Peter 5:7)

He also said, “I am the Supplier. I can supply what they need, so that they don’t lack anything. And if you want to be generous and help someone, I can supply what you need to do that, too.” (from Philippians 4:19 and 2 Corinthians 9:10-11)

What I’m learning through this season, where so many seem to be “in the shop” for repairs, is that believing God’s words is not something I do just for myself. I’ve been learning to see the Lord as my shepherd, but I can also believe that the Lord is going to shepherd the whole flock and do it very well. He will make sure no one is lacking what they need, which is extraordinary and makes me sigh in relief.

About that prayer list, then. The names and stories on my note cards burden me, but I will cast those burdens onto the Lord and trust him with my people.

We’re going to be okay, you know. Jesus is taking care of us.