Prayer: Father, I have experienced futility like Job. Nights where sleep eluded me. I pray for those today who are struggling with sleep because of grief, or pain, or suffering. Comfort them I pray so that they do not despair of life. In Yeshua’s name, amen.
Reading: Job 7 key: vs. 4 & 14-15
4 When I lay down I say, “When will I rise?”
The night drags on, and I toss until the day dawns.
14 then You frighten me with dreams,
and terrify me with visions,
15 so that my soul prefers strangulation,
and my bones death.
Attention: I have suffered two back surgeries in my life, one in the spring of 1995 and in January of 2018. The necessity of both surgeries was due to my sciatic nerve being pinched. I recall having my left leg seize up prior to the first surgery. I would find a position in bed which allowed me to sleep. I remember awakening to the feeling that just maybe I was ok, but the first movement would trigger the nerve to seize, and it would take me twenty minutes to get to the bathroom.
The second surgery, I found that I could only find some comfort in sleeping on my left side. Prior to this injury, I was dominantly, a right-side sleeper. I typically started on my back and then flip to my right side. I recall prior to both surgeries the hours of agony and feeling, how much longer? Crying to God for relief. Sleep deprivation mixed with pain is a terrible combination. Chronic pain makes the toughest of us wimps. I can remember calling my nurse daughter (an RN) at the time and appealing for her nursing skills. She did not come to my aid. Pain gets old.
Notice that Job’s futility and despair, his agony and suffering, he speaks of having nightmares and “terrifying visions.” If you despair to the point of self-harm, please tell your closest friend, or if no one is available, call the national hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or emergency 911.
I was in college the first time someone confided in me that they felt self-harm. I was ill prepared for his disclosure. The news shook me and was very unsettling. I sought my mom’s advice. If you are faced with the same situation, comfort them, let them know you are there for them, that you care about them and encourage them to seek professional help. Spend the time needed to de-escalate their despair.
Your response and caring could preempt self-harm. Please assure them of your care and of a personal God who cares. A God who is always in our presence. Consider asking them if you can pray with them.
Action: I will give my presence to someone in need. Presence is caring.
Yield: Giving my presence and time is caring.
Engage: I am engaged with God and others when I am available with my presence.
Relationship: I am in relationship with God when I am His hands, feet, and skin.
Prayer: Father, my I be a comfort to someone in need. May I bring Your comfort to someone who needs comfort today. In Yeshua’s name, amen.
Memory Verse: Psalm 46:2
2 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Music Video: Alisa Turner- My Prayer for You
Remember, “Abide in Yeshua, today!”