Pastor Shannon used a car wreck as an analogy for suffering. Both are unplanned, unwanted, painful, and common. His goal was to help us think rightly – meaning, biblically – about suffering. Here are suggestions for prayer inspired by his main points:

Pastor Shannon noted that we are surprised by suffering as if we, as individuals, expect to be immune to it. Lord, prepare us for suffering, which is an unavoidable part of life in our fallen world. Change our thinking so that we expect it, and help us accept it when it comes. When we read Your word, remove our blinders that cause us to skip over the parts about suffering or assume they apply to someone else. Highlight for us the theme of suffering that is woven through the whole Bible.

Suffering evokes strong emotions in us, and those emotions can lead us – tempt us – to doubt God’s love for us. “God, do You really love me? How could You allow this to happen to me?” Lord, strengthen us to look to Your word for truth, not to our emotions. Help us cling to, and side with, your Word when our emotions conflict with it. Train us in this way as a daily discipline, whether we are in the midst of suffering or between storms.

Suffering disorients us and confuses us because we don’t see a purpose in it. Lord, remind us that You don’t do meaningless things; You always have a purpose, and it is a good purpose. Show us, in Your grace and in Your timing, the purpose You had in mind for our specific suffering. Help us to accept and submit to the fact that, like Job, we may not know all Your purposes in this life.

Consider, before the Lord, whether you can thank Him in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18), even in suffering. Ask Him whether suffering might be an extreme expression of His kindness to you, helping you cast away the idol of ease and comfort.

Calvary Family

Lift up the couples attending the Marriage Strong Seminar this Friday evening. Pray that the program will stimulate deep and ongoing conversations between spouses. Ask the Lord to purify and strengthen all the marriages at Calvary for His glory and the good of His kingdom.

The theme of the Vision Celebration on Sunday evening was a call for a three-part commitment to Calvary in 2019: to receive, serve, and fellowship. Ask the Lord if your commitment to any of these is weak. Remember that you can ask any of the staff, our elders, or other leaders for guidance in growing in these areas.

Forty-six years ago today, the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in the U.S. Abortion has become so normalized and discreet that few Americans realize over 900,000 babies are killed in the womb every year. Proponents of abortion have moved from portraying abortion as an unfortunate necessity to a positive good. An abortion clinic in Ohio, for example, has used billboards to promote these slogans: “Abortion is sacred.” “Abortion is a family value.” “Abortion is a blessing.”* Woe to those who call evil good and good evil. (Isaiah 5:20) Animal rights activists are outraged that animal shelters spay pregnant dogs, aborting the unborn puppies, and call the practice barbaric.** They remain obstinately blind to the parallel to abortion of unborn humans. Ask the Lord to open minds and hearts to the truth about the sanctity of human life and the sin of abortion.

* Reported in the 1/19/2019 edition of World magazine
** Reported in the 1/19/2019 edition of the Orange County Register

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert
Calvary Community Church of Brea