Life, Health, and the World

[Anonymous]

My dad ### isn’t that well; I hope to go to church, and get somethings, just hope to get some of the money I’m owed. Hope it’s not too windy for it and the sun is out. Hope medical scooter still works. I don’t know when I’ll be going to another town but hope to get something there before winter hits; or worst to worst, when I’m back home, to a store that’s a bit of a distance away, and hope nothing breaks down. My mum ### plans to see a doctor but don’t know if I’ll be a waste of time, with her eye issue, that seems to not be so noticeable lately; she has mental health issues; and seems to need more help with things; I worry about how much help she’s going to need after her foot surgery, in late October; it is hard to keep up with her, at times, which makes it hard to get things done on time. Hope the plague in Russia not spread worldwide.

 

[Articles]

We hear the weight of what you are carrying and we join with you in bringing it before the Lord. You are caring for both your dad who is not well and your mum who faces eye issues, mental health struggles, and an upcoming foot surgery in late October, while also trying to manage your own daily needs, finances, transportation, and even concerns about events far away in the world. It is a lot to hold at once, and we want to lift each of these burdens together in Jesus name.

We are encouraged that you hope to go to church. Staying in fellowship and hearing the Word is so important when life feels heavy and uncertain. The Lord is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble Psalm 46:1, and gathering with other believers helps us remember that we do not walk alone. We pray your medical scooter continues to work reliably, that the weather is gracious for your travel, and that the Lord provides for your practical needs. You mentioned hoping to receive money you are owed and to get errands done before winter, whether in another town or at a store some distance away. We trust with you that God sees these needs and we claim His promise that our God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus Philippians 4:19. We pray for safety on the road, for nothing to break down, and for His provision and timing in these matters.

We also lift up your dad and your mum to the Great Physician. For your dad we pray for healing, comfort and strength. For your mum we understand the worry about her eye, her mental health, and the care she will need after surgery. We gently encourage you not to see her doctor visit as a waste of time. God often works through doctors and medical help as part of His mercy, and seeking care is wise stewardship of the body He has given. Even if the eye issue seems less noticeable lately, it is good to have it checked. We also understand how hard it is to keep up when a loved one needs more and more help and it makes it difficult to get things done on time. The Lord honors your care for your parents, for we are told Honor your father and your mother Exodus 20:12, and He sees your faithfulness in this demanding season. We pray He gives you extra patience, energy, wisdom to set healthy boundaries, and help from others so you are not carrying this alone.

We also hear your concern about a plague in Russia and the fear it could spread worldwide. It is understandable to feel anxious when we hear of disease and unrest. Yet we are reminded not to let fear rule our hearts. We cast all our anxiety on him, because he cares for you 1 Peter 5:7 and we are told In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus Philippians 4:6-7. God remains sovereign over the nations and over our lives, and we pray for His mercy to contain any outbreak and to guard your heart from overwhelming worry. Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you Isaiah 41:10.

We noticed your request did not mention the name of Jesus, and we want to lovingly share why His name matters so much to us. It is only through Jesus that we have access to the Father, and there is no other name by which we can be saved. As Scripture says, There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved Acts 4:12, and Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me John 14:6. We are saved by believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died for our sins and rose again, and by confessing Him as Lord. It is in His name we pray with confidence, knowing He intercedes for us.

So we pray together now, Father in heaven, we come before You in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We lift up this dear one's dad to You and ask for Your healing hand upon him, for comfort, strength, and restoration according to Your will. We lift up his mum, for her eye to be healed, for her mind to be guarded and given peace, and for a successful foot surgery in late October with a smooth recovery and the right help provided. Give wisdom to her doctors and peace to her family as they prepare to care for her. Lord, we ask for Your provision for the finances owed, for safety and reliability for the medical scooter and all travel, for good weather when it is needed, and for Your guidance in timing trips before winter comes. Calm anxious thoughts about the world and this reported plague, and let Your perfect love cast out fear while You restrain harm. Help our friend to keep seeking You in church and in prayer, to cast every care on You, and to know Your peace that passes all understanding. Draw this heart closer to Jesus, that there may be full assurance of salvation and daily access to Your throne of grace through Him. We ask all this in the precious name of Jesus, amen.

We encourage you to keep bringing each concern to the Lord day by day, to stay connected to your church family where you can receive support and prayer in person, and to allow others to help you carry the load of caregiving. God is faithful to give daily strength for daily burdens.

 

[hostadmin]

We hear how full your plate feels right now, between your dad not being well, your mum needing more help day to day, and all the practical things you are trying to keep up with like getting to church, the money you are owed, your scooter, and errands before winter.

It makes sense you would feel stretched. Caring for aging parents while also managing your own needs takes a lot of time and energy, and it is common to feel behind or worried about what will be needed after your mum's foot surgery in late October. You are not alone in finding that hard.

One thing that may help a little in the weeks ahead is to get a clearer picture of that surgery recovery before it happens. When your mum sees her doctor, even for her eye, it would be good to ask what kind of help she will likely need afterward at home, so you can plan. If the eye issue seems less noticeable, it is still not a waste of time to have it checked, and the doctor is the best one to decide. Alongside prayer, seeing the doctor is a steady step.

It may also help to let your church know about your hopes to get there and about the extra help your mum may need this fall. Sometimes a pastor or a trusted friend there can help think through rides, errands, or checking the scooter before winter, so you are not carrying all the logistics by yourself. And with the news that worries you, it is understandable to feel uneasy. We can keep that concern in prayer and leave what we cannot control in God's hands.

We are praying for you.

Father, we lift this family to You in Jesus' name. Please be near to their dad and mum, give wisdom to their doctors, and give our friend strength and peace for each day's tasks. Provide for what is needed, keep them safe in their going out and coming in, and help them feel Your care. Amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your many cares have been laid before the Lord and we have carried them with you to the throne of grace. You speak of your father who is not well, of your mother and her eye and her coming surgery, of daily needs and journeys and weather and provision, and of a fear concerning sickness abroad. These are not small things when they press upon one heart at once, and we hear in your words the weight of that burden of which Scripture says, Every man shall bear his own burden.

We pray for your father that the Lord who is the health of our countenance would strengthen his body and his spirit. We ask that He who strengthens the back even when He does not lessen the burden would give him renewed health, and give you strength to honour and help him as a son ought. For your mother we pray also, that the Lord would guide the physician's hand concerning her eye, and grant wisdom and mercy in the matter of her mental health and her foot surgery in late October. May He provide the help she will need and sustain you as you seek to keep pace with her needs, for it is good to bear one another's burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ, and compassion in such a season is itself a service to Him.

Concerning your daily provision, your going to church, the money you are owed, your journeys to another town and to the store, and even such things as wind and sun and the working of the medical scooter, we bring these temporal affairs before our Father. Our Saviour says, Do not be anxious about your temporal affairs, and again, My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Anxiety has never brought grist to the mill nor meal to the barrel, and it unfits us to meet the very difficulty we fear. Be prudent and diligent as you are, but cast your care upon Him, for He cares for you. If you commit your way unto the Lord, your burden is easy to bear when Christ is with you, for He puts His own omnipotence within you to be your succour.

We pray that the Lord would grant you fair weather for your going out and coming in, that He would keep your scooter and all that you depend upon from failing, that He would provide what is owed to you in His own time, and that He would order your steps to that other town and keep you safe until winter. We ask also that He would in His mercy restrain the spread of disease you fear, for the plague as all else is in His hands, and we may trust His sovereign goodness over the nations.

Above all we pray that you and your household may know the burden bearer Himself. The burden of sin and of the law no man can bear alone, it would crush him beyond all hope, but Christ has borne it for all who trust in Him. Come to Him and learn of Him, and you shall find rest unto your souls. May He be the health of your countenance, so that your face may show the inward health He gives, and may you be able to say, I will bear my own burden in the strength of God, not fretting nor asking another to bear it for me, but rejoicing that His yoke is easy.

We commend you to Him who can make the burden light and strengthen the shoulder to bear it. May the Lord keep you and your parents in His peace, supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, and bring you with joy to His house to worship Him.

 

[EnricoLange]

Lord Jesus please richly bless, protect and guide them. Please help them in accordance with your perfect will Father. Thank you and praise you. In your holy name I pray. Amen.