The Only Way to Survive

In his book, Finding God in the Dark, David Walls writes about Lloyd John Ogilvie, and the struggles he had in his first year as the US Senate Chaplain. In the previous year, his wife had undergone five major surgeries, radiation treatment and chemotherapy. Several key staff teammates moved on to other assignments, which added pressure and uncertainty to Ogilvie’s work. Problems which he could have tackled with gusto under normal circumstances seemed to loom in all directions. Discouragement lurked around every corner. Prayer was no longer a contemplative luxury, but the only way to survive. Wall’s quotes Ogilvie:

“My own intercessions were multiplied by the prayers of others. Friendships were deepened as I was forced to allow people to assure me with words I had preached for years. No day went by without a conversation, letter or phone call giving me love and hope. The greatest discovery is that I can have joy when I don’t feel like it.”

Ogilvie’s story is a reminder to me that when we find ourselves in the storms of life, God is still present. It also reminds me that a deep prayer life and an ability to turn to others for help, go a long way toward making the pain bearable. Through prayer and through the care of others, may God’s peace and joy be with you – even in the midst of life’s most pressing times.

Let us pray: Loving God, today we thank you for friends; for all those people who are willing to pray for us, to care for us, and to share in our joy and our struggles. What a blessing it is to offer that kind of friendship and to receive it. We pray today that you would grant us the courage to ask for help when we need it, the grace to accept that help, and the faith to entrust ourselves to their care and to yours. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.