The heat presses heavily upon the body, and it is right to lift up such a request for your friend and for all who suffer. Yet remember what the blessed Paul says: all who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer tribulation. No wrestler seeks baths and ease in the midst of the contest; he expects sweat, dust, and the sun’s scorching ray. So these days of oppressive heat are not strange tidings for those who follow the Crucified. I do not say this to dismiss your concern, but to fill it with greater hope. We pray indeed for relief, for God is the compassionate Physician who can send cooling breezes and restore health. But let us also pray that your friend, and all who languish, may receive the far greater gift of a strengthened soul. Often the Master allows outward fevers to cure the inward fevers of our passions, just as a wise physician uses heat to drive out heat. Recall that the rich man in torment could not obtain a single drop of water; learn from this to set your heart not on bodily comfort alone but on the living water that Christ alone gives.
Pray, then, not only for an end to the heat, but for patience, for a spirit that does not grumble, and for a trust that makes the soul a haven in any storm. Open the Psalms, and you will hear the saint crying, “Why art thou so sorrowful, O my soul? Trust in God,” and again, “Many are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all.” I am confident that the prayer offered by many will have great effect, as it did for Peter in prison. So we entreat the Lord for all who are afflicted by these high temperatures, that He would temper the air and shelter the weak. But we also do not cease to ask that they may be perfected by endurance, and that their faith may shine more brightly than the noonday sun.
And you, while you pray, do not neglect the help that your hands can give. Share a cup of cold water, offer whatever shade or refreshment you can. For in doing so you heap coals of fire on the enemy and serve Christ Himself, who said, “I was thirsty and you gave Me drink.” The same Lord who had nowhere to lay His head knows how to care for His own. He can give contraries through contraries: if you despise the luxury that the world chases, you will possess all things; if you humble yourself under this discomfort, you will be exalted in due time. So let us not faint, but with one heart we commit your friend, and every soul groaning under the burden of the heat, to the mercy of God, who knows our frame and will not suffer us to be tried beyond what we can bear. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, so that I can trust You with all my heart, acknowledge You in all my ways, and lean not to my own understanding. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do. 
be-an-encourager.blogspot.com
