Greetings Prayer Warriors,
From the moment we are born, it seems that the odds are stacked against us to reach our true destiny, as we are wired to focus on self. (I, me, mine) That focus continues well into young adulthood although we are gradually coaxed and encouraged to broaden our focus throughout our youth. As we mature and are called to the vocation of marriage, focusing on the other isn’t much of a challenge in the infatuation phase of courtship and marriage. However, this becomes increasingly difficult as the stress of family, job, household, and financial responsibilities increase. We want to retreat into the “me”, just when we need to expand further into the “we”.
This sacrificial journey toward the God desired “one” can feel like summiting a mountain, as anyone married long enough can attest to. Without the prayers of others, it may seem insurmountable, yet the Lord would never call us to the sacrificial life (“Come, follow me.” Luke 18:22) if he wasn’t going to supply the tools for those who request them. The marital blessing is the pick He gives you to firmly plant into He who is the Rock. Prayers form the rope needed to tether the two together, as we are never meant to summit alone. The sacraments are your sustenance, refreshing you for the journey and helping to redirect you when you veer off course. The Mass/Church is your tent, a place of rest and refreshment, even if you sometimes you find yourself there alone.
As an eagle incites its nestlings, over its young, so he spread his wings, took them, bore them upon his pinions. The LORD alone guided them; no foreign god was with them. He had them mount the summits of the land, fed them the produce of its fields; He suckled them with honey from the crags and olive oil from the flinty rock. Deuteronomy 34:11-13
So let us pray for those who have been journeying for decades, those mid-summit, as well as those still at base camp.
Lord, if you call us to peaks unimaginable, why do we so often find ourselves in the valley? Hear the prayers of your faithful, on behalf of self and others, pleading for the grace to continue the journey. Revive the fatigued, lead the lost, bandage the blistered, and bring all to streams of healing waters. May focusing on the other bring to all unexpected joy, newfound peace, and restful love. Astonish all with the power of your grace!
He gives power to the faint, abundant strength to the weak. Though young men faint and grow weary, and youths stagger and fall, they that hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar on eagles’ wings; They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint. Isaiah 40: 29-31
Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet
Encourage a friend to journey on. Pray for them and pass it on!
