It continues to be a unique time of life. I have sought to rsume normalcy. I have gone back to work. I have enjoyed spending time with my girls.
There is a friend at church who today was diagnosed with cancer. It is already affecting several of her organs. I ponder.
The overwhelming thought I have had about God is He is Sovereign. I think and pray and have decided over and oever God does not need my advice. I know we are to pray for one another. I understand that prayer connects our hearts. When I pray for another, my soul connects with that person. When I pour out my heart for anoterh I take myself and empathize. My heart beats with consideration of what she is experiencing…the fear. The decisions. I can assume much of what my friend feels. And even so, I am not sure the whys and hows of prayer. Somehow, for me to go to God and suggest he heal my friende seems somehow likea theology of God using a poll. If I can get enought people to pray fro heling, is God obligated to heal my friend. Of course not. So I go back to why am I praying. Why does one pray for another?
And in contrast, I have prayed greatly for a friend froom our previos church. No patricular resson to pray for her (helath or otherwise), but she has been on my mind a lot. Adn praying for her has been a natural outpouring of love. I have remebered lif being lived toether.. So praying for her, I recall the Church serving as the church. I remember baby shower, deaths, phone callsl I am remindeded that God has built his chruch to love one another. And that does minister to me greatly.
A bit of a parallel thought has been going through my mind from the sermon on Sunday. The Shepherd preached about loving one another with our fnances. IPrayering for one aother is similar becasue it is reaching out in a tangilble way but not tryingt to take control. If I am to love someone with my money, I cannot be doing it in a way to serve the person… to love the person. It cannot be an excersise of me demonstrating my wisdom or my abilities. To love the peson, it has to be love. Reaching out and meeting the needs as need, not an exercise of me feeing my ego.