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Hope for Those Who Suffer

 
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Prayer-Soldier
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 5:12 pm    Post subject: Hope for Those Who Suffer Reply with quote

Hope for Those Who Suffer

Scripture:


The land that was desolate and impassable shall be glad, and the wilderness shall rejoice, and shall flourish like the lily. It shall bud forth and blossom, and shall rejoice with joy and praise: the glory of Libanus is given to it: the beauty of Carmel, and Saron, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the beauty of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, and confirm the weak knees. Say to the fainthearted: Take courage, and fear not: behold your God will bring the revenge of recompense: God himself will come and will save you. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall be free.

And the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and shall come into Sion with praise, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
(Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10)

Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth: patiently bearing till he receive the early and latter rain. Be you therefore also patient and strengthen your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Grudge not, brethren, one against another, that you may not be judged. Behold the judge stands before the door. Take, my brethren, for example of suffering evil, of labor and patience, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. (James 5:7-10)

Now when John had heard in prison the works of Christ: sending two of his disciples he said to him: Are you he that are to come, or look we for another? And Jesus making answer said to them: Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he that shall not be scandalized in me. And when they went their way, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: What went you out into the desert to see, a reed shaken with the wind? But what went you out to see, a man clothed in soft garments? Behold they that are clothed in soft garments, are in the houses of kings. But what went you out to see, a prophet? Yea I tell you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: Behold I send my angel before my face, who shall prepare your way before you. Amen I say to you, there has not risen among them that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Matthew 11:2-11)

Reflection:

It is tempting for some to survey the world and believe there is no hope. We see illness, famine and war. There are those who suffer from affliction. There are those who suffer from lack of daily essentials. There are those who suffer at the hands of oppression.

Every where we turn, there are stories of violence, corruption and disaster. This is our world, some would exclaim in despair. Misery is our lot and strife is our daily burden. Our politicians demonize one another in the quest for power. There are businesses who cheat their customers and there are customers who steal from their merchants. There are governments who oppress their citizens. There are criminals who violate just laws. The people suffer from choices made through the lenses of pride, envy, excesses, lust, anger, greed, and indolence. The news focuses on the darkness of the world and ignores the light.

To cope, some are tempted to addictions as a means to temporarily escape the burdens of life. No matter the selection of their vice, instead of lasting happiness, only ever growing nightmares are formed while a better way is ignored. Many are enticed to believe the demons with which they wrestle can never be vanquished. If this were true, we might wonder as to the reason for life. If there is no hope, for what reason do we strive? If all will turn to dust, what reason is there for our day?

In the darkness of our hours, in the desolate spaces of the cold, we are tempted to lose sight of the reason for hope; that a promise was made for our deliverance. The time which is now will not be the same as the time which will come. Blessed are those who trust in the One sent for our salvation and prepare for the day of His return.

In the fast pace of our days, we are conditioned to expect that every distress may be resolved within a moment. We can travel and do things faster than generations past. We can pop a pill or push a button and the object of our concern is addressed for the moment, but what comes next? What awaits for us the next day?

We labor so we may live, then, spend our remaining time numbing our minds. What do we accomplish if our efforts only yield the same as pushing water up a hill? What is the legacy of building sand castles at the edge of the shore? Should we decide to listen to God, we will discover the purpose for which He created us. We will discover the blessings and joy we may share.

Blessed are those who turn their attention to encourage the soul and heal the heart. Blessed are those who examine the talents built within them and ask how such gifts may be put to the purpose of the will of our Creator? No soul is too afflicted or too weak to serve the Lord, for even in such a state, we may pray for the blessings of another.

We may not be the one who leads in greatness, but we may be the one who offers a kind hand or a prayer through which blessings may be brought to help someone else in need. The more time we spend in prayer and action for those in distress, the less time we have to dwell upon our woes and the suffering we perceive. As long as we have the ability to pray, we have hope.

As the days pass and the miseries of the world continue, we might be tempted to ask, where is the answer to our prayer? In our impatience, we often fail to see the many ways God continues to work within our lives. We have our expectations and our solutions for the problems of our day, but do we listen for His expectations? Do we seek the solutions He offers? If we allow Him, He will guide our hearts so we may observe and live by the wisdom of His ways.

The prophets speak of things which have passed and things still as yet to come. We ponder their meaning. We seek to understand. The evil one seeks to fill us with doubt. He seeks to blind us to the evidence before us as to what the prophets reveal. He seeks to confuse us as to the ways of God. We need not be confused. We need not be blind. We need not doubt, for if we seek Him, we will find He is before us and desires to reside with us within our hearts. If we observe carefully, we shall see the many wondrous ways God has already worked within our lives. We will also see what is possible if we trust in Him. Let us, then, invite Him within us. Let us, then, allow Him to lead us to His kingdom where love is shared by all, where there is no affliction and where evil is not allowed to follow. Let us, then, receive the blessing of His grace and mercy with thanks and praise.

Questions for further reflection:

In what do we have hope?

Why are we called to patience?

For what should we look to see the blessings of His works?

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier

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