My Understanding Lord, I feel like a traveler who has a long way to go to get home. I seem to be a slave … laboring each day to live, owing debts that never go away, surrounded by those who use me and do not care about me. I am a number, a place holder, a slave to the desires of others … I am trapped with no way out. I drag around a ball and chain connected to responsibilities that will not let go. My list is limitless and I fret over each one of them. At night, I cannot sleep wondering if I’ll have a job in the morning or whether the economy will sink my hopes of a better future or fretting over the safety of my family or if I’ll make it to or through retirement or whether I’ll be able to pay my taxes and so on. My body seems older than it is … having run through the jungle of life … climbing over mountains of adversity … and, carrying the weight of worries and fears. Can hope ever spring forth from my anguish?
And then I recall that You are my Advocate … my Counselor … my Confidant. I remember the many times that I’ve been overcome with anguish, heartache and sorrow and how You never let me succumb to those feelings. My experience tells me that I can come to you with my pain and bitterness and You will find a way to comfort and encourage me. You understand me so completely and have the ability to turn my distress into joy … my fears into hope … and my defeats into victories. If I will only trust You and share my feelings, You will work with me to develop a positive outlook, as well as, show me how to deal with my problems. Having Your perspective assists me in managing my frustrations and hopelessness. Help me stay close to You so that I never think You do not care about me or You’re punishing me for a past failure because Satan will use my negative thoughts against me.
You have told me that life is like a race … I am a runner in that race … and I run for a prize that You have set before me. To complete my race requires strict training. Therefore, like the natural runner, I must learn good form … practice to perfect my skills … repeat the exercises so they become natural … and, deny myself in order to overcome my flesh. The race I run is not a carnal one for a corruptible prize, but a spiritual race for an incorruptible prize. As a result, I use Your training manual (the Word) to learn the form I must use to win my race; then, I work with my trainer (the Holy Spirit) to hone my skills and technique; and, if I stumble … because of my trust and belief in You … I get up and start all over again. I do not want to be disqualified from my race because I will lose my privilege of speaking for You. Help me perfect my skills so I can run my race and win. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!
I Corinthians 9:24-25 Do you not know that in a race all runners run, but only one gets the prize? Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to gain a crown that will not last; but we do it for a crown that will last forever.