Yesterday was a hard day. It was a long day; even an emotional day. And it was an amazing gift. I spent virtually the entire day in constant prayer, attempting to continually remain aware of the presence of the Lord.
I wasn’t in a religious retreat or devoting a day to get closer to Jesus. I was living life and it looked something like this.
I let my iMissal app read me the day’s readings as I drove north early in the morning fog, racing to make the three-hour trek to my 78-year-old Mom who fell and broke her knee the night before. I prayed the rosary, reflecting on the Glorious mysteries. I don’t really understand these mysteries but the Lord helped me see; helped me understand the power of this meditative prayer.
I listened to the writings of CS Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, pausing to reflect and let God help me understand the wily nature and very real, lurking presence of evil.
Many, many times I prayed against satan, invoking the name of Jesus and shaming evil back into its place. Satan hates that.
The Lord loves it.
The Lord loves when we use the power of His son to defeat evil, and strengthen ourselves against whatever it is we are struggling with.
I don’t know about you, but for me, getting lost while driving is extraordinarily frustrating (and sadly common). I either completely lose my temper, berating myself with expletive peppered insults or I break down in tears; sometimes both. Neither gets me any closer to my destination.
Yesterday, as the Lord held me close in prayer, I had a completely different experience getting lost. I was on my way to a pharmacy in Fort Worth that had the pain medicine my Mom needed. This was after waiting all afternoon to get the required paper prescription for a controlled substance. My mom was in pain, her friend was having to sit with her while I drove all around Fort Worth to doctors, etc. And on top of all of this, I wasn’t feeling so well myself.
Prayer wasn’t optional.
I punched the pharmacy address into my iPhone and Siri sent me on my way. She’d done a great job all day getting me around Fort Worth so I decided to trust her again, ignoring the little voice that told me otherwise. It wasn’t that her directions were wrong, mind you. I could get there that way…if I knew how to navigate a very large, very fast roundabout in the middle of Fort Worth rush hour. By the time Siri said the word roundabout I was already committed. Mind you, while my Dad was alive he went to great lengths to be sure my Mom and I knew every parking lot and back alley to take to avoid this roundabout. It is what he called a “No no.”
And I was about to be right in the middle of it. Take the third exit, Siri said. I was here now so I said a little prayer and figured the Lord would get me through it. He did, but not before I went around, missed my exit, nearly got slammed by an SUV, exited and found myself right back in the circle.
Much prayer and courage from the Lord got me off the roundabout unscathed and through dark, unfamiliar streets to my destination. I cannot tell you how many u-turns were involved in this adventure but I know at one point I recalled the parting of the red sea and asked the Lord to work his magic on six lanes of traffic. He did. Of course He did!
I know this may sound mad to some of you but I don’t care. We live in a mad world. We can choose to give ourselves over to the Lord and allow Him to strengthen us through the trials of this life or we can try to go it alone. By the way, you’re never alone. You’re either acknowledging the presence of the Lord and letting Him work in you and your circumstances or you’re choosing the default option. And that option is nothing short of evil.
Those of us who have the gift of faith cannot shrink to political correctness or shy away from looking or sounding strange to those who do not yet understand the power of the Lord. We must remember that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and we are of that Kingdom.
Yesterday, I had family and friends praying for me, my Mom and the doctors caring for her. The Holy Spirit helped me recall Christ’s lessons and Jesus aided my prayers to the Father who brought me peace beyond understanding. The promise of Philippians 4:4-7 is very real. My big sister reminded me of that.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Prayers bring peace, even on – no especially on – the roundabouts of life. Thank Jesus for his help today and know that he loves you.
May peace be with you always.