There are times–sometimes in our own lives; sometimes in others’–that true darkness becomes real, painful, and we encounter depths of tragedy. Our church has two in particular instances of this in precious families’ lives, and as I have been contemplating these situations, I realize that from the deepest darkest nights in our lives to the most glorious moments of praise and gratefulness (and many things in between), the Lord is present in them all…because He experienced them. He knows the most despairing abandonment, and He knows the richest of all glories. The most beautiful part for us is to realize that, as Psalm 34 says, he is NEAR to the brokenhearted–he promises His presence in the darkest of nights, and, one day, the brightest morning through Christ Jesus in Heaven.
So, as I contemplate what dark nights people–and for some reason women are especially on my heart–around the world encounter, I would like to ask for you to join me simply in prayer:
Jesus, our Savior and our Sustainer, we plead your mercies upon the many people who experience a depth of sadness too deep for common words. We pray your Spirit’s ministering, powerful, and felt presence. We pray for mommas who give their children up for adoption–from fear, from desperation, from abandonment of their own kinds, from incapability. We pray you would heal and teach and love. Provide people to their lives that would show them care and tenderness and hope. We pray for orphans who don’t see the beautiful picture of fatherly love. We pray their little hearts would be quieted in some incomprehensible knowledge that there is One who cares and fights on their behalf. We pray for those caretakers giving of themselves for the daily needs of orphans–may you strengthen them, renew them, encourage them. We pray for families around the world–may we be moved to work on behalf of the orphan, to adopt, to show patience, to show steadfastness. We pray for Your work to be manifested in many, many, many ways.
amen.
