When the Only Answer is to Praise Him

Difficult decisions, the beginnings of compassion fatigue and another lost support team member who has been a major giver since the beginning of my call into prayer for missions.  There was only one thing for me to do…Praise the Lord!

As the lyrics to a favorite song say, “All my life you have been faithful.  All my life you have been so, so good.  With every breath that I am able.  I will sing of the goodness of God.”  The Scriptures tell us that in this life we will have trouble.  What a true statement that is.  But they also tell us that Jesus will never leave us.  He will never forsake us.  Because of this, I can trust him.  Because of this, I can praise Him.

My compassion fatigue is not coming because I no longer care.  It is coming because I do care.  I care for those God has called me to intercede in prayer for and to pray with.  I care about their health, their support accounts, their struggles in ministry and the difficulties they and their families are facing.  I care about when they are hurting.  God created me to care enough to pray, to care enough to intercede passionately for those who are hurting and for those who are lost.

He created me to intercede in prayer for nations of people that do not know him as their Savior…yet.  He created me to have a heart for those who are in need and to lift them up to him in prayer; knowing that he is a merciful God.  I know that he is an Almighty God and that no prayer need is too great for him.

When life brings us troubles, the enemy would have us begin to doubt, to worry, to fret and even to become anxious.  Yet the Lord tells us to trust in him.  Not to worry because by worrying we cannot add even one day to our lives.  Not to fear because he is with us and he cares for us.  God will provide all that we are in need of.  These are the times when the only answer to is to go to God in prayer.  These are the times when it is crucial to praise Him with all our hearts.

I do not know where the provisions are going to come from or even whom to ask to join my support team that I have not already asked.  I do not have the answers to all the decisions in ministry that need to be made even this week.  Nor do I know how much more my heart can take in hearing of the struggles, the needs, the heartache and the trauma that many are going through and to continually lift them in prayer.    Here is what I do know.

I serve a faithful God, a God who has never let me down nor will he.  Our God is Jehovah Jireh, our provider.  He is Jehovah Rapha, our healer.  He is Jehovah Nissi, our banner that goes always before us.  He is Jehovah Shalom, our peace.  He is Elohim, the Lord God Almighty.  And our God is love.  His love is at a depth that we truly cannot even comprehend.  He has a depth of love so strong for us that he would give his only begotten Son so that we could have eternal life.  This is the God I hope in.  This is the God who gives me strength.  This is the God I love.  This is the God in whom I trust.  This is the God I am praising today. 

Whatever is happening in your life, today, let our prayers be prayers of praise to our God.

By Jacqui – One of God’s Intercessors