Prayer for Bev - Pray with me?

I've posted this on Bev O'Donnell's Caring Bridge site. I wanted to share it with you for two reasons:

1. To join with me in prayer for Bev. She's battling pretty hard and the enemy is working against her.

2. This prayer that flowed tonight can be used by all of us at anytime we're facing difficulties in our lives.

We're all broken and burdened by many things. We all have seasons in our lives when we don't understand the plan. And we want to know why. We have times when the search for the answers distracts us from the promises and the reminders from God's Word that tell us there will be struggles; and we won't always know why. But we are to trust in the Father and know that He intends to take even those things meant for harm and bring something good from them.

There are soooooo many things that have happened in my life that could be seen as negative or bad; a few might even be considered tragic. But without them, I wouldn't have become who I am. My faith wouldn't be where it is. And in most of them, looking back upon them, I can see some point of growth that came as a result of them.

Who am I to tell God He doesn't know what He's doing? Does it mean I should be wrought with guilt when I find myself grieving? No, not at all. Grief is necessary for cleansing. And that process takes different lengths of time for different people.

But I can't stay there. I can't get wrapped up in figuring out God's plan and miss out on this life. I can't be so focused on telling God how He should fix something and miss out on the better plan He has. He wants to bless me. If I'm scrutinizing His work, or a perceived lack of His work, I'm going to miss something.

I hope the following prayer brings a message to you. I hope that if you've felt compelled to read this post, that you'll open your heart before reading the prayer; that you'll simply pray to ask God for guidance and direction of it, ask Him to speak something you've needed. It's simple. It's short. It's heartfelt. And it's just as much directed at myself as it is this family fighting for their mother, their grandmother, their sister, their wife.

May God be with you in your search for answers. And may you be willing to accept what He says - even if He says, "You aren't meant to understand this."

Love you all!

Jeani

Father, you know the details of the journey for this family. You know the highs and the lows. You know the events that will bring hope and you know the complete outcome. It's so difficult for us to grasp suffering. It's seems so senseless most of the time. Especially with cancer. We sit around and try to understand and we sit around and wonder why. We grasp at straws and many times we fight to breathe ourselves. These are times our faith is being tested. These are times you invite us through the work of the enemy in this broken world to seek you, to trust you, to lean into you, to rest in you, to rely upon you, and to believe your promises that you have a plan for each of our lives and that plan is for a future and to give us hope. Lord, I pray that you will meet each member of this family where they are. I pray, Father God, that you will embrace their weary souls. I pray that you will touch their spirits and lift them from despair. I pray, God, that you will reach out to them and pull them close to you. That you will reveal yourself to each of them in your own way and in the way they will hear you, the way they will see you. I pray, Father, that from this, regardless of the outcome, they will be strengthened and they will know you more. God, relieve my sister Bev through your healing grace. Touch her broken body and restore her. Encourage this family, God. Let them turn toward you. You are faithful. You love us unconditionally. We are never far from your reach, no matter how angry, no matter how bitter, no matter how broken. You are our redeemer. You are the God of restoration and healing. We fall into your arms, Jesus, and thank you. In Jesus' name, Amen!