The Hard Prayer

Here is a prayer I wrote recently for a friend who is in the final chapter of her battle. These are hard prayers, but deeply important. 

Lord, God, Maker of Heaven and Earth, It is with heavy hearts that we bow before you; heavy hearts because the prayers we pray are not the prayers we want to pray. We want to pray really big prayers that call on you to show up in mighty, undeniable ways. We want to pray big mustard seed kinds of prayers as we watch you throw the mountains of illness and despair into the sea. Yes, we want to pray that the darkness of life that lies before us will dissolve as the light of life shines in victory. But, those hopeful prayers are in the past. Prayers for healing in this life have turned into prayers of lament to help us reach for the deeper hidden life. Now, we pray for peace to replace anxiety. Now, we pray for courage to replace fear. Now, we pray for hope to replace despair. This life is fading, so, Now, we pray for trust because we know it is not for this life only that we hope. Now, we pray for victory beyond the grave. Yes, Dear Lord, our hearts break that we are driven to pray this kind of prayer. But, we cling to this hope, that the life with which we only tasted for a brief moment in time here on earth, shall be embraced for all eternity. And, the light that only shown for a brief moment in time here on earth, shall shine throughout all eternity. Yes, Dear Lord, the sweet embrace of our loved ones, that was all too short here on earth, we are confident shall once again surely be ours who hope in Jesus Christ. We cling to this hope in Jesus Christ as he demonstrates that death does not have the last word; That the life God brings forth out of death through Jesus Christ is God’s final word on the matter. It is to this hope of new life that we cling; Because of the LOVE of the Heavenly Father, By the sacrificial LIFE of Jesus Christ our Lord, through the POWER of the Holy Spirit. AMEN!