Wrestles nights.
I can’t sleep.
It just seems like the burdens are building.
And growing before my very eyes.
Like mountains in front of me.
And then…the avalanche happens.

And I can’t move…in any direction.
Freezing my steps…in my tracks.
I can’t move.
And I give up. I give in. I’m done.
Oh, I’m so done.

But then… I Prayed.

Oh Lord, let not Satan take my life in this way.
You said, “Trust me.”
You said, “Let me take the burden.”
But it seems, to me, the burden is me.
It seems, to me, the burden is my cage.
And everywhere I go…there I am.
In my cage.
Please, unlock the door.
Release the bondage of my chains.
Please, oh please, move the mountain.
With the swipe of your hand.

---

Today, it’s a fresh start.
You’ve released me.
But I look around.
And all I see is pain and suffering in this world.
That doesn’t give me much hope.
It makes me sad.
In fact, it makes me wonder, What kind of God you are?
Because there are so many that will suffer in pain.
Calling out to you, many will die in pain.
On this day, today, many will die, crying out to you.
If you don’t care for them, how can you care for me?
I wring my hands in grief.
I wring my hands for the loss of those near me.
And deep in my soul, I have doubts.
I wonder.
Why don’t you care?

But then… I Prayed.

Please place your hand on my loved ones and bring your healing
Please release them from this temporary pain, and make it go away
If it be your will, breath new life into their lungs
And spare them this time from the grave

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I fail, constantly, it seems. There’s no other way to explain it.
I can’t excuse it. I can’t change it. I’m a mess.
I will fix it. I will rely on my own two hands.
To maneuver my way; dodging; escaping the situation.

But then… I Prayed.

Oh God, let not my will, but your will be done.
I’ll get out of your way; and simply bow to my knees
I’ll ask, and seek and knock…and let you do the rest as you will.
And regardless of the outcome; I’ll remain faithful to you.

---

We are made for community…and not to stand alone.
And the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours,
And he prayed fervently that it might not rain,
And for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.
Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

May our prayers be as faithful as Elijah.
Who was diligent; unswerving; and enduring in his prayer
That over the long haul, we may receive the blessing as he did.

Copyright © 2020 by SkylerThomas