WOULD YOU PRAY FOR ME

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?... Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.” (Psalm 42:1-2, 11)

Late one night when I was struggling with depression and insomnia I opened my bible and began to read this scripture. Many of you can probably relate to having one of those days when you feel down and out.  These verses expressed exactly what I was feeling. Spiritually, I felt dry and longed for God’s living water. I tried to realign my soul to God. I prayed and read the Bible, yet the heaviness remained with me. I asked my wife to pray for me and that helped greatly. Later that morning as I dressed, I spoke praises to the Lord, even though I still felt heavy. Gradually the heaviness lifted and I was able to go about my day’s work. 

Why the valleys come in our spiritual walk is sometimes a mystery. We do know that we have an enemy who is prowling around looking for who he may devour. Jesus told his disciples, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). When troubles come, we can use prayer and speaking the Word as our first line of defense. If this fails to stem the attack, we need to get help from other Christian brothers and sisters in the battle. Too often pride keeps us from confiding in another believer and/or asking for prayer. Sometimes we may not want to share because we doubt that the person cares about us. We can’t afford to let such barriers isolate us from the rest of the body of Christ. Had I not humbled myself by asking my wife to pray for me in the above incident, the depression may have continued and affected my ministry.   

The Christian walk is not meant to be walked alone. God gives us brothers and sisters in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12) to encourage us and be our armor bearers in spiritual warfare.  We also have the responsibility of helping them when they are under attack. When we’re connected in the body of Christ, we’ll be less likely to be wounded in battle or worse, taken out of action.