August 30, 2024

                          Pray for Others

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. – Ephesians 6:18

Hard looks different on each person wearing it. Some people wear it with grace and humility. Others use hard as an excuse to lash out. Still others wear hard like a mantle of defeat.

A couple with a severely disabled son sometimes comes to high school football games. They sit next to us, flanking the power chair that holds the son who can’t communicate or do for himself.

We first met them when we arrived to discover them in our seats. The woman informed us that we could sit in their seats. My husband, who has trouble walking and getting up and down, said no. We have seats on the end of the aisle for a reason. They have hated us ever since.

I have come to dislike the times they come. She refuses to speak or even acknowledge us. They live hard every day. I get that. But it isn’t an excuse to lash out and expect others to accommodate your hard.

The Holy Spirit has really put on my heart to pray for them. Really pray for them. Not just words but from my heart. To acknowledge their hard and lift them up.

A sweet lady I know had a stroke recently. She almost died. Her daughters and husband were weighed down with hard. They still are. They praise God for her life and that she still knows them. She is healing but life is still hard. I pray for them as they navigate hard.

A woman struggles to find a job with insurance. A husband works long hours to provide for his family. A child struggles to fit in. Another family deals with abuse and secret alcoholism. A woman drives herself to the hospital for surgery because her children and grandchildren are too busy to help. I could go on and on. They are all dealing with hard. They all desperately need to be lifted up in prayer.

Hard looks different for everyone. Sometimes it’s obvious. Often it isn’t. We shouldn’t assume that our hard is worse than someone else’s hard. We don’t know their circumstances. We don’t know what they face day in and day out.

Paul tells us to pray for people. God knows their hard. God hears our prayers. As I pray again for this couple and their son, I ask the Spirit to fill me with compassion and them with strength as they navigate their hard.