Waging war alongside our Burden-Bearer

     Just this morning, I'm aware of several dear friends who are struggling, facing titanic battles with disease.  And there are other dear friends fighting unseen, unrecognized, but just as fiercesome, enemies of discouragement and fear.  Father, I know the war they wage is hard...so hard.  So arduous, so wearisome.  How I  wish that we, all those who love them, could bear their burdens--their pain and weakness and worry--and carry it for them for a while.
     Lord, we cannot...but You can.  Right this moment, would You--our Burden-Bearer, our Sustainer, and our Redeemer--give them Your strength in the midst of their battles.  We ask that You provide each of them a vision of You this day; might they know and see You fighting alongside them, with them, and for them in this long siege.
     In my Daily Light, I've saved an index card with some verses from Ps.55 that was given to me by my dear friend, Holly, when Janie was in the midst of her own battle with traumatic brain injury.  I keep that card not just as reminder of God's forever faithfulness and His priceless gift of the body of Christ, but also as a call to arms.  A daily call to arms to wage war in prayer for those we know and love as they fight their own battles against disease or despair.  O Lord, might they know that they are not alone!  That not only will You never ever leave them nor forsake them (Dt.31:6), but also that they have an army even now who love them and are praying unceasingly for them.
     "But we call to God, and the Lord saves Rebecca and Kyle and Bill and____; Evening, morning, and noon we cry out in distress, and He hears our voice.  He ransoms Rebecca and Kyle and Bill and ______ unharmed from the battle waged against them." (Ps.55:16-18)
     Thank You, Father, for the unutterable privilege of prayer...and for the gift of praying for those we love...knowing that You hear our every sigh, see our every tear, and understand our every fear.          And thank You, Abba, for the joyous promise that one day, one glorious day, all this sighing and struggling and crying will all be behind us.  "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself."
     Thank You thank You thank You, Lord Jesus, that even now You are in the transformation, redemption, and resurrection business...with our weak, lowly, disease-prone bodies and with our hearts and minds as well.  We place our trust in You, for You have promised that though we will have trouble in this world, You have overcome the world (John 16:33)...and because You have, we will too.  
     To God--our Burden-Bearer, Redeemer, and Restorer--be all the glory.