Wrestling with Unfortunate Ends

I’ve been surrounded by death recently. My dad is grieving. My husband is grieving. My friends are grieving and I, myself, am grieving. While I’m not a stranger to grief… I can’t help but notice this constant wave of loss surrounding me. The elephant in the room is this: I’m getting older. The older I get, the closer I’ll be to death. I know that may sound harsh or cold, but it’s just a fact. It doesn’t make the grief any easier- in fact, it makes things complicated. As I see death in closer proximity (amongst my peers, family & friends), God is allowing me to get an up close picture of unfortunate ends. Two things come to mind:

Number one for me: I have a daughter. Right now, I can only imagine beautiful, gracious, loving, opportunities and experiences for her in this world. When I think about the unpleasant things, I'm forced to reconcile with the fact that she will inevitably experience pain. 

The truth is, nobody looks into the face of their toddler and thinks “Wow, I wonder if they’re going to move out of state and be arrested for armed robbery and pass away from an overdose." No one looks into the face of their child and wonders “I think they’ll establish unhealthy eating patterns, refuse to go to the doctor, and die of a diabetic coma..” We all start off with a clean slate somewhere along the way, Adam's fall permeates our lives. 

These realizations can feel overwhelming, but then I'm reminded of the second thing: the power of prayer. Sometimes, I view our lives as fast powered rocket ships thrusted into the trajectory of our lives. If you know anything about space travel (which I don’t know a lot about lol), you know that scientists have to be precise …down to the centimeter. If they’re off by even a hair, the spaceship can miss its mark... or worse, collide into something. 

When we meet friends in high school or college, our spaceships have gathered up speed and it seems like there’s nothing we can do to change the course of life. There’s already childhood abuse and trauma. There’s already self-hatred and low self esteem.  It may seem dire, but I’d argue that intercessory prayer can move the rocket ship just one centimeter and avoid a collision into something catastrophic. Prayer changes things- it can soften a heart. it can change a thought. When we petition on the behalf of others, God hears! The gun jams. The phone rings. A heart's desire can change. 

If you’re looking for something to study:

Intercessory prayer saves Peter: Acts 12

Jesus’ intercessory prayers for us: Romans 8:34

God’s promise for agreement in prayer: Matthew 18:19-20