These words of hope can inspire you through pain and illness.
When you are diagnosed with a terminal disease you feel like you are leaving the warmth off the sunshine and descending into an ancient burial chamber. The burial chamber is a long way from the warmth of the sunshine. It feels like you are sinking and sinking. “Lord, I feel like I am sinking into the darkness. Every time I try to put my foot down there is nothing there. I desperately need your help.”
Thank you for waking me up
For three years I attended a large African-American church in our community. I noticed that they pray differently than white people. Almost every time someone prayed, they began, “Lord, thank you for waking me up this morning.” I think African-Americans have a long history of struggle and racism and so they tend to focus on the little things of life. So this morning when I woke up I prayed, “thank you for waking me up this morning.”
Blessed are you God, our God
“Blessed are you God, our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” This is the traditional Jewish prayer for blessing God for the bread. Christians ask God to bless the food. Jews bless God for the food since he has already blessed the food with rain, sunshine and the ability of the baker. I have a similar choice. Am I going to ask God to bless my journey or am I going to bless God for the journey? “Blessed are you God, our God, King of the universe, who helps me on my journey.”
Don't worry about tomorrow
Whenever you’re diagnosed with a terminal disease it is very difficult to not worry about tomorrow. For me, I have a lot to worry about -- wheelchairs, feeding tubes, breathing assistance etc. However, at this moment I am not in the midst of any of these things. But I still worry about them. “God, help me to live for today and to enjoy it to its fullest.”
Never will I leave you
“God has said, never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence, the Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.” Whenever I would constantly worry about the future of my disease, I would take a five minute timeout and repeat this prayer over and over. The first time through, I hardly believed a word of it. But by the time the five minutes was up I began to believe that God was with me.
Give everything to God
“God has said, never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence, the Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.” Whenever I would constantly worry about the future of my disease, I would take a five minute timeout and repeat this prayer over and over. The first time through, I hardly believed a word of it. But by the time the five minutes was up I began to believe that God was with me.
There is more to life
After being diagnosed with ALS, the disease has a way of taking over your life. It’s the last thing I think about before I go to sleep. When I wake up in the morning it’s the first thing I think about. And during the day it controls my thinking. It’s hard to get away from the disease. So I pray, “God, remind me that there is more to life than this disease.”
They mean well
People say the dumbest things when you’re really sick. They tell you how good you look, even though you look terrible. They tell you that God will see you through even though God seems far away. They mean well. So I pray, “God, help me to ignore the negative statements of others and remind me that they mean well.”
Strengthen the caretakers
My wife has become my hands when my hands don’t work right. She helps me get dressed. She cooks my meals. She does the housework. She goes out of her way to make my life easier. I could not face this disease without her help. So I pray, “Strengthen the people who are caring for me.”
Shalom
The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. It has the idea of wholeness with yourself, with others and with your circumstances. More than anything else I need God’s shalom in my life. ALS has disrupted that shalom. I’m really not at peace in my life. So I pray, “God, I know that shalom comes from you. I desperately need it in my life. Please, give me your shalom.”
By Ed Dobson , check out his website at: http://edsstory.com/
Courtesy of beliefnet.com
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